Are partnerships the right growth channel for your business?

Partnerships work when another business already reaches your buyers, has a good reason to recommend you, and gains something worthwhile from doing it. Miss one of those and the partnership tends to stay a logo on a slide.

Start with reach. Does this partner already talk to the people you sell to? Not a similar industry or a big audience, the actual buyers. A quick check is to list ten of your best customers and count how many the partner already works with or knows.

Next is credibility. Why would their customers trust a recommendation from them about what you do? A partner whose own work naturally leads to your product has a reason. One who'd be mentioning you out of the blue doesn't.

Then ask what they get from it. It might be a referral fee, a better result for their own clients, or something new they can offer. If you can't say what they gain in one sentence, they probably can't either.

If a partner passes all three, start with a small pilot, not a big programme. Pick a handful of partners you can properly support, agree what each of you will do, and follow up every introduction quickly.

Then measure what matters. Track introductions through to qualified conversations, deals and revenue. Sign-ups and introductions are useful signals, but they aren't proof the channel works.

And if your own sales story isn't landing yet, fix that first. A partner can only pass on a story that already works.