Tool Box

The Value Proposition Map

Successful partner value propositions are Win/Win/Win statements of benefit for partners and your customers. But in delving deeper through many case studies, we have found that successful partner value propositions include a Compelling reason to Buy from the customer perspective, a compelling reason to partner from the financial forecasts, and a compelling reason to sell to drive sales engagement.

The Partnering Alignment Model

An internal alignment and governance approach to partnering incorporating international best practices and standards to achieve collaborative alignment and performance excellence.

Partner Code of Conduct

Your company is committed to treating all workers with respect and dignity, ensuring safe working conditions, and conducting environmentally responsible and ethical operations. You expect your suppliers do the same. By extension you should expect your partners to embrace your values and extend them to their partners and suppliers.  Here we provide a comparison twelve partner Codes of Conduct that you can use as a starting place to develop your own.

Values and Principles of Agile Partnering

The Agile Partnering Manifesto adapts the four foundational values and twelve principles of the Agile approach to partnering.

Quarterly Business Review Agenda

The QBR is a mainstay in the governance cadence of organizations and partnerships.  Here is a sample agenda that can be modified to fit your alliance.

Operational Role Mapping

Collaborations are built on personal relationships and the understanding of their roles and contribution to the outcomes.  This tool leverages the RASCI model in mapping out the operational Responsibilities and involvement of each individual on the partnering team.

Ladder of Trust

The ladder of trust depicts the level of trust between parties based on human behavioral drives. This is a useful tool in calling out the elephant in the room. Where are you on the trust scale?

Executive Sponsor Checklists

Recruiting the right Executive Sponsor and keeping them actively engaged is a critical success factor to an alliance or partnership. This tool outlines some key considerations in recruiting, onboarding and maintaining  effective sponsorship.

Gamifying Partner Onboarding InfoGraphic

Make onboarding engaging, fun, and productive.  Gamify the experience to create a partner journey which will keep them on track from enrollment, enablement, and productive revenue engagement.

Channel Partner Recruitment Considerations Check List

The Buyer’s journey has changed in the past few years.  Has your channel strategy kept up?  Have your partners?  The channel partner recruitment checklist will aid you in asking and answering the key questions in recruiting the right partners for the future.

Peer Mapping Tool

Peer mapping establishes the operational linkages between two alliance partners: the who works with who on daily basis to collaborate and to make mutual decisions.

Build, Buy, Partner Check List

Questions to ask in determining whether the best strategy is to build or grow organically, externally through acquisition or partner.

Stakeholder Alignment Assessment

Tool to visualize stakeholder alignment and levels of influence to lend insight into strategies to gain greater alignment. Read more about using this tool on our blog.

Self-Assessment Tool

A skills inventory tool that will aid you in determining where your strengths, weaknesses and gaps are in alliance management competencies. It is a useful tool when planning for professional development needs for an individual or for alliance teams.

Alliance Team Charter Template

The alliance team charter is jointly developed by the alliance partners to establish a common vision, joint objectives, value proposition and team structure for an alliance. It’s use is more completely described in our Governance and Stakeholder Alignment practice.

Compelling Partner Value Proposition  Templates

Compelling partner value propositions address how benefit is created and measured for customers and for partners. These templates guide you through the process of crafting the customer value proposition: the compelling reason to buy;  the partner business case: the compelling reason to partner; the importance of including a sales value proposition to ensure your joint sales teams and channels have a  compelling reason to sell.

Your First 100 Days as an Alliance Executive

Your first 100 days are critical to your long term success in a new position.  We have mapped the process from the best selling book, Your First 100 Days in a New Executive Job, by Robert Hargrove in a model that will help propell you to success in your new alliance executive job.