Partnership & BD

Scope

Covers

• Defining partnership goals and selecting the right partnership type (platform, integration, channel, referral, co-marketing)
• Building a prioritized partner target list with a scoring model and “finger-on-the-button” decision-maker mapping
• Crafting a clear value exchange (why them / why us / why now), including alpha/beta + case-study angles
• Designing an outreach + relationship system (warm intros + ethical cold outreach + lightweight content plan)
• Aligning internally on a scalable partner offer (avoid bespoke one-off deals; define negotiation parameters)
• Negotiation prep (guardrails, walk-away, patience) and a simple deal process (MAP + pilot)
• Partner launch + operating cadence (enablement, metrics, check-ins)

When to use

• “Create a partnership strategy and a target partner list.”
• “We need an integration/platform partnership—draft a pitch and outreach sequence.”
• “Design a channel/referral partner program for distribution.”
• “Help me negotiate partnership terms and define what’s negotiable vs standard.”
• “We signed a partner—build a launch plan + operating cadence.”

When NOT to use

• You need to define the product/ICP/positioning from scratch (do that first; then return here)
• You want high-volume spam outreach or anything deceptive/manipulative
• You need legal advice or contract language (use this skill for non-legal term framing only; involve counsel)
• You’re doing M&A, fundraising, or procurement/vendor selection (different motion)
• You’re selling directly to enterprises as the primary motion (use enterprise-sales)
• You’re a founder doing early direct sales to validate product-market fit (use founder-sales)
• You want to build a community or developer ecosystem, not a partner channel (use community-building)
• You need to set pricing/packaging strategy for your product (use pricing-strategy)

Inputs

Minimum required

• Partnership objective(s) + success metric(s) (e.g., qualified pipeline, revenue, distribution, integrations shipped)
• Product summary + differentiation (1–2 sentences) and what you can offer partners (API/integration, audience, revenue share, credibility, data)
• Target customer/market and the partner archetype(s) you want (platform, integration, channel, referral, strategic)
• Constraints: timeline, geo/segment focus, compliance/regulatory constraints, exclusivity appetite, budget
• Internal capacity: BD owner, engineering bandwidth (if integration), marketing bandwidth (if co-marketing)

Missing-info strategy

• Ask up to 5 questions from references/INTAKE.md.
• If key data is missing, proceed with explicit assumptions and include an Assumptions & unknowns section.
• For high-stakes commitments (exclusivity, data sharing, regulated claims), require human review and document a safe default.

Outputs (deliverables)

Produce a Partnership & BD Execution Pack (Markdown):

1. Context snapshot (objective, constraints, current baseline)
2. Partnership thesis (why partner, why now, partner types, non-goals)
3. Partner target list + scoring (top 10–30) + decision-maker + intro path
4. Partner pitch kit (1-page pitch + case-study/alpha angle + outreach templates)
5. Scalable offer + negotiation parameters (tiers, what’s standard vs bespoke, guardrails)
6. Deal process plan (MAP/pilot definition, stakeholders, timeline, “walk-away”)
7. Launch + operating cadence (enablement, co-marketing plan, metrics, check-ins)
8. Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)

Templates: references/TEMPLATES.md

Workflow (7 steps)

1) Intake + choose the partnership motion

• Inputs: User context; references/INTAKE.md.
• Actions: Clarify the objective and pick the partnership type(s): platform/integration, channel/referral, strategic/co-marketing. Identify whether the motion is network-dependent (regulated or concentrated buyer markets) and what “success” looks like in 30/60/90 days.
• Outputs: Context snapshot + partnership thesis draft + assumptions.
• Checks: Objective is measurable; non-goals and constraints are explicit.

2) Define a scalable partner offer (avoid bespoke deals)

• Inputs: Product capabilities; engineering/marketing constraints.
• Actions: Draft the “partner package”: what you can reliably offer (integration tier, enablement, support, co-marketing) and what you will not do. Define negotiation parameters and pre-approved ranges to increase deal velocity.
• Outputs: Offer tiers + negotiation parameters sheet.
• Checks: A teammate could run a partner conversation without inventing bespoke promises.

3) Build the partner universe + score + pick the first wedge

• Inputs: Target market; competitor/adjacent ecosystem; any existing relationships.
• Actions: List plausible partners, then score and shortlist based on mutual value, reach, feasibility, and decision velocity. For each top candidate, identify the “finger-on-the-button” decision-maker and the lowest-social-capital intro path.
• Outputs: Partner list table + scoring model + top wedge recommendation.
• Checks: Each top partner has a clear “why them” and a specific next action (intro, email, event, content hook).

4) Craft the value exchange + pitch narrative (case study / alpha angle)

• Inputs: Offer tiers; proof points; partner incentives.
• Actions: Write a 1-page pitch that shows how your success helps their goals. For major platforms, propose an alpha/beta or “flagship case study” angle. Keep the ask crisp and low-friction.
• Outputs: 1-page pitch + talk track + proof points.
• Checks: The pitch answers: “Why now?”, “Why us?”, “What do you want?”, “What’s in it for them?”

5) Outreach + relationship system (warm first, ethical cold second)

• Inputs: Target list; pitch; available channels.
• Actions: Build outreach sequences (warm intro asks, cold emails/DMs, follow-ups) and a lightweight content plan to build credibility. Track outreach as experiments: message → meetings → iteration.
• Outputs: Outreach kit + 2–4 week execution plan.
• Checks: Messages are specific, respectful, and permissioned; each has a single clear ask.

6) Deal process + negotiation (patience + guardrails)

• Inputs: Negotiation parameters; partner priorities; risk constraints.
• Actions: Define a deal path (discovery → pilot → term sheet → launch). Use strategic patience when leverage is asymmetric; be willing to say “not yet” to improve terms. Document walk-away conditions and any exclusivity logic.
• Outputs: Mutual action plan (MAP) + pilot definition + key terms outline.
• Checks: You can explain what you will trade (and won’t) in one minute; the next step is scheduled and owned.

7) Launch + operate + quality gate

• Inputs: Draft pack; references/CHECKLISTS.md; references/RUBRIC.md.
• Actions: Produce a launch plan (enablement + co-marketing + measurement) and an operating cadence (weekly/biweekly check-ins, QBR). Run the checklist and score the rubric. Always add Risks / Open questions / Next steps.
• Outputs: Final Partnership & BD Execution Pack.
• Checks: The plan is executable this week and includes a learning loop.

Quality gate (required)

• Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.
• Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.

Examples

Example 1 (platform/integration partnership):
“Use partnership-bd. We’re a B2B SaaS analytics tool. Goal: 3 co-sell integrations that each drive 5 qualified leads/month by end of Q2. Targets: HubSpot + Snowflake ecosystem partners. Constraints: 1 engineer half-time. Output: a Partnership & BD Execution Pack with partner scoring, an integration-tier offer, outreach sequences, and a launch cadence.”

Example 2 (regulated, network-dependent BD):
“Use partnership-bd. We’re selling into healthcare and need payer/provider partnerships. We have one warm connector but intros are expensive. Output: a prioritized partner list, crisp use-case one-pager, intro asks, and a deal process with walk-away conditions.”

Boundary example: “Write a generic cold email that works for anyone and send 10,000 messages.” Response: refuse spam; ask for a defined partner archetype and a small, ethical outreach experiment plan. If the goal is broad demand gen, use a marketing/content skill instead.

Boundary example 2: “Help me close an enterprise deal with a large customer.” Response: direct enterprise sales is a different motion from partnerships. Use enterprise-sales for deal strategy, discovery, and closing with enterprise buyers. This skill is for building mutual-value partner relationships.

Anti-patterns (common failure modes)

1. Bespoke deal syndrome: Crafting a custom offer for every partner prospect instead of defining scalable tiers. This creates operational debt and makes it impossible to repeat or delegate partner conversations.
2. Spray-and-pray outreach: Sending identical messages to 50 potential partners without scoring, prioritizing, or personalizing. Low-quality outreach damages your reputation in concentrated ecosystems.
3. No walk-away conditions: Entering negotiations without defined guardrails, walk-away points, or exclusivity boundaries. Desperation leads to bad terms.
4. Partnership as press release: Signing a partnership, issuing a press release, and doing nothing else. Without an operating cadence, enablement plan, and metrics, the partnership produces zero value.
5. Ignoring asymmetric leverage: Treating a large platform partner the same as a peer-sized integration partner. Strategic patience, case-study angles, and alpha/beta offers are critical when the other side has more leverage.