--- name: partnerships-architect description: > Design strategic partnerships — technology, channel, co-marketing — and the programs that scale them. Use when evaluating a partner, picking a partnership type, designing a partner program, structuring a deal, or modeling ROI. license: MIT + Commons Clause metadata: version: 1.0.0 author: borghei category: commercial domain: business-growth updated: 2026-05-27 tags: [partnerships, strategic-alliances, channel-strategy, tech-partnerships, partner-program, partnership-design, gtm] --- # Partnerships Architect End-to-end strategic partnership design and scaling: partnership type selection (tech integration vs channel vs OEM vs strategic), deal structures, partner program design (tiers, benefits, requirements), partner evaluation, and ROI modeling that justifies (or kills) a partnership investment. This skill is provider-agnostic and works across SaaS, infrastructure, marketplace, and platform companies. --- ## When to use this skill | Situation | Skill applies | |-----------|---------------| | Evaluating a potential partner | Yes — use `scripts/partner_evaluation_scorer.py` + **evaluation framework** | | Picking partnership type for a specific opportunity | Yes — see **partnership type decision tree** | | Designing a partner program from scratch | Yes — see **partner program design** + `scripts/partner_program_designer.py` | | Structuring a specific partnership deal | Yes — see **partnership deal structures** | | Modeling partnership ROI | Yes — `scripts/partnership_roi_modeler.py` | | Auditing existing partner portfolio | Yes — use evaluation scorer across all partners | | Per-deal partner economics | Use `business-growth/channel-economics` | | Per-deal partner approval | Use `business-growth/deal-desk` | | Writing the partner contract | Use `business-growth/contract-and-proposal-writer` | --- ## Partnership types — the decision tree Five primary partnership types. Different goals; different structures; different success metrics. ``` What's the primary goal of this partnership? Grow our distribution reach ├── Customer-pays-them, they-pay-us → Reseller / Distributor / VAR ├── Customer-pays-us, we-pay-them → Affiliate / Referral └── Joint sale to mutual customer → Co-sell Embed our product in their offering ├── Customer doesn't see us (white-label) → OEM ├── Customer sees us as embedded → Embedded ISV / Powered-by └── We're an option in their marketplace → Marketplace listing Combine our product with theirs (better together) ├── Pre-integrated, certified → Tech / Integration Partner ├── Bundled offering → Solution Partner └── Joint product (rare) → Joint Venture Build market presence together ├── Joint events, content, PR → Co-marketing Partner ├── Industry positioning → Strategic Alliance └── Standards / consortium → Standards Partner Achieve a specific strategic goal ├── Block a competitor → Defensive partnership ├── Enter a new market → Market entry partnership └── Acquire capability → Strategic alliance (often pre-acquisition) ``` See [references/partnership-types.md](references/partnership-types.md) for each type in depth: economic structure, contract patterns, KPIs, when each works / fails. --- ## Partner evaluation framework Not every potential partner is worth the investment. Use this framework before committing. ### Six evaluation dimensions | Dimension | What to assess | Score (1-5) | |-----------|----------------|-------------| | **Strategic fit** | Does this partnership advance our strategy? Customer base overlap / vertical / region? | | | **Economic potential** | Realistic pipeline / revenue contribution over 24 months? | | | **Partner credibility** | Brand, financial stability, technical capability, customer references | | | **Mutual commitment** | Are they investing equally? Senior sponsor on their side? Resources committed? | | | **Operational fit** | Can our systems / processes / culture work together? | | | **Exit-ability** | If it doesn't work, can we wind down cleanly? Are we creating dependencies we can't reverse? | ### Scoring rubric - 5 — strong yes - 4 — yes with minor caveats - 3 — mixed; substantial uncertainty - 2 — weak; significant concerns - 1 — no; deal-breaker **Total 25-30**: green-light; invest with confidence **Total 18-24**: yellow; structure carefully; small pilot first **Total < 18**: red; decline or substantially restructure Use `scripts/partner_evaluation_scorer.py --partner partner.yaml` to score a specific potential partner. ### Killer questions to ask Before signing any significant partnership: 1. **What does success look like in 12 months?** If both sides can't articulate the same answer, you don't have alignment. 2. **What's their commitment level?** Headcount assigned? Budget? Executive sponsorship? 3. **What's the realistic pipeline in next 12 months?** Specific accounts? Or vague "we have customers"? 4. **Who's the day-to-day owner on each side?** Names + tenure + reporting line. 5. **What happens if we don't hit our shared metrics?** Course-correct? Wind down? Renegotiate? If you can't get clear answers, the partnership is wishful thinking. --- ## Partnership deal structures Different deal types call for different structures. Standard patterns: ### Structure A: Standard reseller agreement - **Term**: 1-3 years, auto-renew - **Discount**: per published tier matrix - **Exclusivity**: usually non-exclusive - **Termination**: 90-day notice both sides - **Use when**: typical channel relationship ### Structure B: Co-sell agreement (mutual customer) - **Term**: 1-2 years - **Compensation**: shared commission OR referral fee - **Joint marketing commitment**: optional - **Use when**: complementary offerings; existing or target shared customers ### Structure C: OEM agreement - **Term**: 3-7 years (long; relationship-heavy) - **Royalty / rev-share**: % of partner revenue OR per-instance fee - **Exclusivity**: often partial (specific use case / market) - **Source code escrow**: usually required - **Termination**: complex (typically 12-24 months notice; transition rights) - **Use when**: deeply embedded technical relationship; high mutual investment ### Structure D: Strategic alliance - **Term**: open-ended; reviewed annually - **Resources committed**: explicit (e.g., 2 FTEs per side, $X budget per year, joint roadmap session quarterly) - **Governance**: steering committee (executive sponsors meet quarterly) - **Specific deliverables**: joint product features, joint customer wins, joint thought leadership - **Use when**: 5+ year strategic relationship; not transactional ### Structure E: Tech / integration partnership - **Term**: 1-3 years - **Compensation**: typically none direct; mutual value from joint customers - **Certification process**: defined (testing, documentation) - **Marketplace listing**: typically included - **Co-marketing**: optional but common - **Use when**: integration creates joint customer value; no direct revenue flow See [references/partnership-deal-structures.md](references/partnership-deal-structures.md) for the full deal-structure templates with negotiation guides. --- ## Partner program design When you scale beyond a few partners, you need a program. ### Three pillars of a partner program | Pillar | Components | |--------|------------| | **Recruitment** | Target partner profile; outreach motion; intake / qualification; onboarding | | **Enablement** | Training; certification; technical resources; sandbox; partner portal; marketing materials | | **Activation** | Deal registration; lead sharing; MDF / co-marketing; co-selling motion; quarterly business reviews | ### Standard program elements - **Partner agreement** (master): tenant-of-the-relationship - **Tier structure** (Authorized → Silver → Gold → Platinum): different benefits + requirements per tier - **Deal registration**: protect partner-developed opportunities - **Certification program**: train + test partners on your product - **Partner portal**: deal reg, MDF, training, marketing materials, lead sharing - **MDF (Marketing Development Funds)**: co-funded marketing - **Channel manager(s)**: 1 per 10-15 active partners - **Annual partner conference**: community building + recognition See [references/partner-program-design.md](references/partner-program-design.md) for the full program template including tier definitions, benefit / requirement matrices, and the "Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3" maturity model. Use `scripts/partner_program_designer.py --org-spec org.yaml` to generate a baseline program design based on company stage + ICP + target partner volume. --- ## Partnership ROI modeling Partnerships consume real investment. Headcount, MDF, technology, executive time. Model the ROI before committing. ### ROI model template ``` 3-year cumulative partnership P&L Year 1 (investment year): Revenue from partnership: $X Costs: Partnership manager headcount: $200k Engineering integration (one-time): $300k Marketing / co-launch: $50k Partner enablement (content, training): $50k Travel / events: $30k TOTAL Y1 cost: $630k Y1 net: $X - $630k Year 2: Revenue from partnership: $Y (growth) Costs: Partnership manager: $200k Engineering ongoing: $100k Marketing: $80k Enablement: $30k Travel / events: $40k TOTAL Y2 cost: $450k Y2 net: $Y - $450k Year 3: Revenue: $Z (mature) Costs: $400k (stable) Y3 net: $Z - $400k 3-year cumulative net: ($X + $Y + $Z) - $1,480k ``` If 3-year cumulative net is negative, the partnership doesn't pay back. Common reasons: - Revenue estimates too optimistic - Forgotten costs (executive time, opportunity cost) - Partner under-performs on commitments - Market shift makes the partnership less relevant Use `scripts/partnership_roi_modeler.py --partnership partnership.yaml` for the full model. --- ## Clarify First Before designing the partnership, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume: - [ ] **Partnership goal + type** — distribution, embed (OEM/ISV), better-together (tech/integration), market presence, or strategic (selects the decision-tree branch and deal structure) - [ ] **Single deal vs scaled program** — structuring one partnership vs designing tiers/portfolio (determines deal-structure vs program-design output) - [ ] **Partner specifics for evaluation** — their pipeline expectation, commitment, and credibility (feeds the 6-dimension scorer and green/yellow/red call) - [ ] **ROI inputs** — expected revenue and the real costs (headcount, integration, MDF) (drives the 3-year P&L payback) Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the deliverable. ## End-to-end workflows ### Workflow: Evaluate a new partner opportunity 1. **Initial conversation** with potential partner — understand their pitch 2. **Gather data** for evaluation: their company, their pipeline expectations, their commitment 3. **Score using evaluation framework** — `scripts/partner_evaluation_scorer.py` 4. **If score < 18**: decline or pilot-scope only 5. **If score 18-24**: pilot scope (3-6 months, limited investment) 6. **If score 25+**: standard partnership agreement; full investment ### Workflow: Stand up a partner program 1. **Define target partner profile (TPP)**: ideal partner attributes (size, vertical, region, capability) 2. **Pick partnership types** in scope (resellers? OEM? tech partners?) 3. **Design tier structure** — `scripts/partner_program_designer.py` 4. **Build foundational tools**: partner portal, deal-reg, certification 5. **Recruit pilot cohort** (3-5 partners) — manual, high-touch 6. **Iterate based on pilot feedback** — usually 6 months 7. **Scale recruitment** — content marketing, outbound, partner events 8. **Add channel managers** as portfolio grows (1 per 10-15 active partners) ### Workflow: Structure a specific partnership deal 1. **Identify partnership type** using the decision tree 2. **Score the partner** — `scripts/partner_evaluation_scorer.py` 3. **Pick deal structure** matching the type 4. **Model ROI** — `scripts/partnership_roi_modeler.py` 5. **Draft term sheet** (key business terms) 6. **Negotiate** — alignment on commitment, timelines, exit 7. **Legal review** + contract — `business-growth/contract-and-proposal-writer` 8. **Internal approval** — Deal Desk + CRO/CFO/CEO depending on scale ### Workflow: Audit existing partner portfolio 1. **List all active partners** + key data: revenue, costs, deals, tier 2. **Score each** against evaluation framework — `scripts/partner_evaluation_scorer.py` 3. **Identify low-ROI partners** — bottom quartile by contribution per investment hour 4. **Decide per partner**: - **Invest more** (top quartile, expand commitment) - **Maintain** (middle, status quo) - **Wind down** (bottom; explicit timeline to exit gracefully) 5. **Quarterly review** of portfolio with CRO --- ## Anti-patterns - **"Strategic" partnership that's actually transactional.** If the only thing exchanging is money, it's transactional; call it that. Strategic means joint goals + shared roadmap + executive commitment. - **Partner stack with no portfolio strategy.** Signing every partner that asks. Quality > quantity. 10 productive partners beat 100 zombies. - **No partnership owner.** Partnership exists in nobody's job. It withers. - **Resource asymmetry.** You commit 3 FTEs; they commit 0.5. The partnership skews to their convenience. - **Promises without commitments.** "We'll do joint webinars." When? With what budget? Whose role to organize? - **Open-ended exclusivity.** "Exclusive in this region forever" without performance gates. Lose flexibility for nothing in return. - **OEM deal with no source-code escrow.** Customer-impact risk if your company goes away. - **Strategic alliance with no governance.** No quarterly review = no executive engagement = partnership drifts. - **Partner program with no enablement.** Partners can't sell what they don't understand. - **Tier benefits that aren't worth tier requirements.** Partners don't advance because there's no incentive. - **Co-marketing dollars wasted on activities without pipeline.** Great event, zero attribution. --- ## Tooling outputs | Script | Input | Output | |--------|-------|--------| | `scripts/partner_evaluation_scorer.py` | Partner spec YAML | 6-dimension score (1-5 each), total, recommendation (green-light / yellow / red) | | `scripts/partnership_roi_modeler.py` | Partnership spec YAML | 3-year P&L, payback period, sensitivity analysis | | `scripts/partner_program_designer.py` | Org spec YAML | Recommended program structure: tiers, benefits, requirements, headcount needed | All scripts: stdlib only, argparse CLI, JSON or markdown output. --- ## References - [partnership-types.md](references/partnership-types.md) — 5 partnership types in depth + economic structure + when each works - [partnership-deal-structures.md](references/partnership-deal-structures.md) — deal templates per type + negotiation guides - [partner-program-design.md](references/partner-program-design.md) — full program design with tier matrices + maturity model --- ## Related skills - `business-growth/channel-economics` — per-deal financial mechanics underneath partnership structure - `business-growth/deal-desk` — per-deal approval mechanics for partner-mediated deals - `business-growth/pricing-strategy` — pricing flexibility / floor for partner deals - `business-growth/contract-and-proposal-writer` — partner contracts (MSA, partner agreement, OEM agreement) - `c-level-advisor/cs-cro-advisor` — strategic-level partnership decisions - `c-level-advisor/cs-ceo-advisor` — board-level alliance decisions