Building a Partner Ecosystem? Here Are Four Must-Haves to Make It Work
The ecosystem must be greater than the sum of its parts. Often, the heavy lifting of building it cements bonds.
November 11, 2022
By Bob Layton
Bob Layton
Two years into the paradigm shift caused by the pandemic, innovative IT and cybersecurity vendors are embracing the evolution of “channel” into “ecosystem.” Customers are increasingly seeking trusted technology advisers, especially when it comes to security, and dependable communities to guide their decisions. They’re tired of being in a funnel.
For all its tragic devastation, the pandemic slapped a lot of sense into businesspeople. One overarching “aha” moment was that business — whether B2B, B2C, B2B2C, what have you — is about people. Decision-makers and big-ticket buyers at the largest enterprises are still people with hierarchies of human needs and a hunger to feel a sense of purpose in their work.
That’s the backdrop against which the partner ecosystem has risen, and not so much to replace channel but to augment the concept of doing things better together for customers as a trusted network of people and organizations.
But … simply renaming your channel an ecosystem doesn’t make it one. Slapping a new label on an old concept isn’t transformation. Ecosystems offer multiple benefits, and building one requires adherence to best practices — for example, around trust.
As Ronald Reagan memorably advised during 1986 arms control negotiations with Russia, “Trust, but verify.” In ecosystem terms, that means verifying that every organization in any ecosystem under construction can meet bedrock baseline requirements. Here are four must-haves to make an ecosystem work.
#1 – Ecosystem members share their customer relationships.
It’s a measure of trust that ecosystem members get together, share what they know and team up to generate enhanced ecosystem value to offer the end customer. Hesitation to share in specific circumstances raises trust issues, which puts an ecosystem out of balance.
In the ideal partner ecosystem, members’ field sellers know one another, show up at the same events, and promote the entire ecosystem’s value to the same customers and prospects.
This might sound and feel strange to many companies, but ecosystem thinking is the future. An ecosystem must be greater than the sum of its parts, or it’s not worth the trouble to create it.