WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
You have
partner tiers.
But they rank recognition, not contribution.
Gold, silver and platinum describe a partner’s status. They do not tell you which motion can work - or where the next investment belongs.
INDEPENDENT ADVISORY · PARTNER BUSINESS
Your partners
aren’t the problem.
Your partner
business is.
Understand the partner business you have.Design the one your strategy needs.
Explore the Partner Business ReviewTHE REALITY CHECK
Most partner businesses look better than they work.
On paper, it works. In practice, the gaps become visible.
The programme exists. The pipeline is reported. The partners are classified. And still, too much depends on people compensating for what the business has never made clear.
Five signs to look beneath the surface.
You have
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
You have
strategic partners.
But the label carries more weight than the relationship.
No shared opportunity. No distinctive contribution. No reason for the next investment.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
You report
partner revenue.
But nobody knows who created it - or what it really cost.
Revenue is visible. The access, influence, delivery effort and rescue work behind it are not.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
You expect partners
to drive growth.
But take back control whenever the deal becomes important.
Partners are asked to lead - until Sales, Delivery or leadership needs certainty.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
You have
a partner programme.
But the real business happens around it.
Status is rewarded. Contribution, ownership and the next move remain informal.
1 / 5
THE SURFACE IS NOT THE SYSTEM.
The numbers may be green. The business can still be red.
A DIFFERENT STARTING POINT
The missing piece
isn’t another
partner programme.
“A partner programme only works when both sides know what they contribute - and commit to doing their part.”
INDIRECT BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE
Make the business
beneath it visible.
Indirect Business Architecture starts with what the business must contribute to company growth - then connects the motions, partner portfolio, internal teaming, capabilities and investment decisions required to make it happen.
Contribution +
What does this partner actually contribute?Look beyond status and revenue to the access, expertise or delivery capability the partner brings.
Business motions +
How will you win business together?Agree whether the partner introduces, co-sells or delivers - and what each side must contribute.
Economics +
Is the business worth the effort?Weigh the opportunity against the time, investment and risk carried by both sides.
Ownership +
Who is actually doing what?Name the owner of the next move and make sure they have the authority and support to act.
Alignment +
Is your organisation ready to deliver its side?Check whether Sales, Marketing, Delivery and leadership can back the commitments made to partners.
HOW WE WORK TOGETHER
What does your partner
business need now?
Start with the sentence that sounds most like your situation.
CLARITY Start here if the question is still unclear
See it.
We are active - but we do not know what is actually working.
YOU LEAVE WITH
A shared diagnosis and a decision brief.
PROGRESS
Improve it.
We know what is wrong - but execution keeps slipping.
YOU LEAVE WITH
A focused improvement plan, named owners and scheduled decisions on what to continue, change or stop.
ARCHITECTURE
Redesign it.
We know what the business must achieve - but the partner model is not built for it.
YOU LEAVE WITH
A partner-business architecture connecting ambition, motions, partner roles, internal ownership and investment - with a 90-day roadmap.
Proposed engagement formats. Fees exclude applicable VAT. Remote delivery; travel and additional scope agreed separately. Scope and fees confirmed in writing before work begins.
ONGOING EXECUTIVE SPARRING
Not every decision
needs a project.
Executive sparring for the moments when a partner, a motion or the model itself needs a decision.
GSI strategy · Partner communication · Leadership workshops
MEET MATTHIAS
I've been on
your side of the table.
I come from a technical background. A good solution used to be my starting point. Building partner businesses taught me to ask something else: why would a partner invest their people, time and reputation in it?
That question still guides my work. I bring my experience to the table, you bring yours. Together, we work out what needs to change - and how to make it happen with your team.
Global partner management at EASY SOFTWARE. Building the partner business at Automation Hero. Working with GSIs, regional specialists and boutique partners at Blue Prism.
FROM PEOPLE I HAVE WORKED WITH
Trust built in the work.
BOOKS & THINKING
The thinking
behind the work.
Three perspectives on the same question:
what makes partner business really work?
Available soon
RECOGNITION / BUSINESS FABLE
The Watermelon Manager
When healthy numbers conceal a business held together by personal rescue work.
Explore the book
Available soon
ARCHITECTURE / MANAGEMENT
Beyond the Watermelon
How leaders make contribution, commitments and the next investment visible enough to decide.
Explore the book
Work in progress
PRACTICE / PARTNER MANAGEMENT
Escape the Watermelon
The daily work of creating commitment and moving business forward without formal authority.
Explore the book
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR PARTNER BUSINESS
What needs
to change?
You don’t need a finished brief.
Start with what is happening -
and the decision waiting behind it.
A conversation first.
A scope if it makes sense.