Help users build strategic partnerships and business development deals. Use when someone is pursuing a partnership, negotiating a BD deal, working with platforms like Google or Facebook, or trying to build distribution through partners.
Help the user build strategic partnerships and business development deals using insights from 9 product leaders.
When the user asks for help with partnerships or BD:
Ayo Omojola: "Very often the way to make things happen is network-dependent, not necessarily about the merit of the thing itself. There are companies that exist because the founders know the CEO of every major payer." In industries like healthcare, finance, or enterprise, relationships matter more than product. Determine if your business is network-dependent early.
Adam Grenier: "Let me into your alpha, because I have five years of experience buying mobile ads. If you get us to work, we're a killer case study for a category you want to grow." When partnering with major platforms, show how your success helps them prove their business model. Offer to be an alpha tester for new features.
Keith Yandell: "We'll build you a product so you won't need to ask us every time. Then you'll know the parameters in which you can negotiate." Effective BD teams work with Product to create self-serve platforms for partners rather than negotiating one-off integrations. This increases velocity and reduces engineering load.
Jason Droege: "McDonald's approached us and I said 'No.' I pushed them off for four or five months. It ended up being a net benefit because we got a great deal." Don't rush into partnerships just because of the partner's size. Initial resistance can lead to better terms or exclusivity.
Jen Abel: "The problem with channel partnerships is there are a hundred of you on the list and you're expecting them to sell on your behalf. They're not visionaries, they're consultants." Don't expect Accenture or Deloitte to evangelize your product. They lack the founder's vision-casting ability.
Julia Schottenstein: "Use that corp dev team to your advantage. Take that meeting, say you're not interested in acquisition yet, but push them for an introduction to someone who could sponsor the deal - usually someone in Product or a GM." Corp dev teams are gateways to internal sponsors even if you're not looking to sell.
Meltem Kuran: "VCs ask portfolio companies 'What platform do you trust for hiring?' So people go to their VCs for that kind of question." The best partners are those your target audience already consults at the exact moment the problem arises.
Tobi Lutke: "Being a good partner is like a corporate marshmallow test companies tend to fail. The correct way to play iterated prisoner's dilemma is coordinate for both sides - it's way more valuable over long periods." Resist pulling future profits forward at the expense of a partner. Long-term coordination always beats short-term defection.
Keith Yandell: "We should have tested this at one hotel with hacky operations before asking for product resources." Validate partnership hypotheses with manual operations before committing engineering time. Dream big, start small.
For all 11 insights from 9 guests, see references/guest-insights.md