Partner Program Strategy

Partnership strategy

by LeadMagic · MIT license · ★ 62 on GitHub

Designs a partner program: partner types, recruitment, enablement, co-marketing, and revenue-share models. Use when the user is starting or restructuring a partner, reseller, or channel program.

---
name: partnership-strategy
description: >-
  Designs a partner program: partner types, recruitment, enablement,
  co-marketing, and revenue-share models. Use when the user is starting or
  restructuring a partner, reseller, or channel program. Triggers on:
  "partnership strategy", "partner program", "channel partnerships", "build
  partnerships", "partner-led growth".
license: MIT
compatibility: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Goose, Hermes, Windsurf, Zed
metadata:
  version: "1.0.0"
  author: LeadMagic
  category: partnerships
  tags: [partnerships, partner-program, channel, co-marketing, alliances]
  frameworks:
    - "Bob Moore — Ecosystem-Led Growth"
    - "Crossbeam — Account mapping"

Overview

Partnerships can become a measurable GTM motion when both sides share a customer or prospect context and define a joint value exchange. Results and economics vary by motion; this skill avoids universal pipeline or CAC promises and covers the operating system needed to test the channel.

Manual install (npx, ZIP)

Claude Codenpx skills add LeadMagic/gtm-skills --skill partnership-strategy -g -a claude-code

Claude Code (degit)npx degit LeadMagic/gtm-skills/skills/partnerships/partnership-strategy#main ~/.claude/skills/partnership-strategy

Claude.ai / desktopZip the folder and upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Codex, Cursor, other agentsPoint them at SKILL.md. The other files are plain text.

Connects with Agent Alley MCP · agentalley.io/mcp

Files included

SKILL.md7.7 KB

Read SKILL.md here

LeadMagic/main1 file shown

SKILL.md7.7 KB

Browse every file on GitHub↗

SKILL.md

Show the full text163 lines

Partnership Strategy

Overview

Authoritative Foundations

Bob Moore — Ecosystem-Led Growth — Put partner ecosystem data at the center of account mapping, co-selling, and attribution; share only approved segments.
Crossbeam — Account mapping — Find overlapping customers and prospects with each partner to decide who to recruit and where to co-sell.
Jay McBain (Canalys) — Partner ecosystem influence — Map every partner type that influences the buyer (referral, reseller, integration, services) before designing tiers and incentives.

When to Use

"Build a partner program"
"Partnership strategy"
"Channel partner program"
"Partner-led growth"

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Partner Type Selection

Integration partners: Your product integrates with theirs. Co-marketing, co-selling. Easiest to start. "Customers who use [Partner] + [You] get [value]."
Referral partners: Agencies, consultants, freelancers who recommend tools. Pay % of first-year revenue. Low-touch to manage.
Reseller partners: Sell your product to their customers. White-label or co-branded. Higher touch; model margin and support obligations from actual unit economics.
Technology partners: Complementary (not competitive) tools. Shared customer base. Joint roadmap, deep integration.
Strategic alliances: Enterprise partnerships. Exclusive. Long sales cycle to set up, massive payoff.

Phase 2: Partner Recruitment

Ideal Partner Profile (IPP): Who has your ICP before you do? Agencies, consultants, complementary tools, industry associations.
Outbound recruitment: "Your clients ask you about [problem] — we solve it. Let's build a referral relationship."
Inbound recruitment: Partner page on your website, partner application form, promote in your network.
Customer → Partner: Your power users often become your best partners.

Phase 3: Partner Enablement

Partner portal: Deal registration, training materials, co-branded assets, pipeline tracking
Certification: Product certification program. Certified partners get higher commissions and better leads.
Sales playbook: How to position your product, who to sell to, objection handling, demo script
Co-marketing: Joint webinars, co-branded case studies, shared booth at events

Phase 4: Partner Economics

Referral: Set a time-bounded fee from contribution margin, attribution, and local rules.
Reseller: Model margin against enablement, support, discounting, and channel conflict.
Agency/Consultant: Monthly retainer + % of influenced revenue
Strategic: Custom deal, equity possible at early stage
Key metric: Partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline as a percentage of eligible pipeline, reported separately with documented attribution rules.

Phase 5: Partner Management

Tier system: Silver → Gold → Platinum based on revenue influenced
QBRs: Quarterly business reviews with top 20% of partners
Partner success manager: Dedicated person at 30+ active partners
Kill criteria: Partners who refer 0 deals in 6 months → re-evaluate or remove

Output Format

Partnership strategy document with: partner types and tiers, IPP definition, recruitment plan, enablement program, economics model, and management framework.

Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

All required sections are complete
Output matches the user's stated need
Named frameworks are cited for key recommendations
No vague claims — every recommendation has a specific action
Deliverable is ready for operational use, not just conceptual

Common Pitfalls

Skipping research. Building output without understanding the specific context. Fix: always gather required inputs before producing deliverables.
Generic output. "Improve your process" without concrete steps. Fix: every recommendation must include a specific action, timeline, and owner.
Missing framework citations. Advice without named authorities. Fix: ground every recommendation in a cited framework from a recognized authority.

Execution Artifacts

references/framework-notes.md — named frameworks, citation anchors, and operating assumptions
templates/output-template.md — copy-paste deliverable structure for the user
scripts/check-output.py — local checklist validator for required sections This skill includes lightweight artifacts the agent can load on demand: Use the artifacts when the user asks for an implementation-ready deliverable, a repeatable workflow, or a quality check rather than generic advice.

Implementation Depth

Use this section when the user asks for a finished asset, not a high-level explanation.

Diagnostic Questions

What is the primary motion: founder-led, sales-led, product-led, partner-led, or lifecycle-led?
Which ICP tier is the output for: small business, mid-market, enterprise, or mixed?
What proof is available today: customer stories, usage data, third-party validation, screenshots, or none?
What system will execute the work: CRM, sequencer, warehouse, support desk, product analytics, or manual workflow?
What decision will the user make from this output: launch, prioritize, route, rewrite, score, coach, or measure?

Framework Application

Map the recommendation explicitly to the named frameworks in this skill:

Partnership Ecosystem Framework: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
Crossbeam Partner-Led Growth: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
Crossbeam — Ecosystem-Led Growth: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.

Deliverable Standard

A strong output from this skill includes:

A crisp diagnosis of the current situation
A recommended path with tradeoffs, not a generic list
A concrete artifact the user can use immediately: table, script, checklist, scorecard, sequence, dashboard spec, or implementation plan
A measurement plan with leading and lagging indicators
Risks and edge cases called out before execution

Adaptation Rules

For small business: reduce complexity, shorten time-to-value, and prioritize owner/operator clarity.
For mid-market: include workflow ownership, handoffs, integrations, and enablement assets.
For enterprise: include governance, risk, procurement, stakeholder mapping, and proof requirements.

partner-programs, co-marketing, integration-partnerships, channel-partnerships, sales-enablement

1	---
2	name: partnership-strategy
3	description: >-
4	Designs a partner program: partner types, recruitment, enablement,
5	co-marketing, and revenue-share models. Use when the user is starting or
6	restructuring a partner, reseller, or channel program. Triggers on:
7	"partnership strategy", "partner program", "channel partnerships", "build
8	partnerships", "partner-led growth".
9	license: MIT
10	compatibility: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Goose, Hermes, Windsurf, Zed
11	metadata:
12	version: "1.0.0"
13	author: LeadMagic
14	category: partnerships
15	tags: [partnerships, partner-program, channel, co-marketing, alliances]
16	frameworks:
17	- "Bob Moore — Ecosystem-Led Growth"
18	- "Crossbeam — Account mapping"
19	- "Jay McBain (Canalys) — Partner ecosystem influence"
20	related_skills: [partner-programs, co-marketing, integration-partnerships, sales-enablement]
21	---
22
23	# Partnership Strategy
24
25	## Overview
26
27	Partnerships can become a measurable GTM motion when both sides share a customer
28	or prospect context and define a joint value exchange. Results and economics vary
29	by motion; this skill avoids universal pipeline or CAC promises and covers the
30	operating system needed to test the channel.
31
32	## Authoritative Foundations
33	- Bob Moore — Ecosystem-Led Growth — Put partner ecosystem data at the center of account mapping, co-selling, and attribution; share only approved segments.
34	- Crossbeam — Account mapping — Find overlapping customers and prospects with each partner to decide who to recruit and where to co-sell.
35	- Jay McBain (Canalys) — Partner ecosystem influence — Map every partner type that influences the buyer (referral, reseller, integration, services) before designing tiers and incentives.
36
37	## When to Use
38
39	- "Build a partner program"
40	- "Partnership strategy"
41	- "Channel partner program"
42	- "Partner-led growth"
43
44	## Step-by-Step Process
45
46	### Phase 1: Partner Type Selection
47
48	- Integration partners: Your product integrates with theirs. Co-marketing,
49	co-selling. Easiest to start. "Customers who use [Partner] + [You] get [value]."
50	- Referral partners: Agencies, consultants, freelancers who recommend tools.
51	Pay % of first-year revenue. Low-touch to manage.
52	- Reseller partners: Sell your product to their customers. White-label or
53	co-branded. Higher touch; model margin and support obligations from actual unit economics.
54	- Technology partners: Complementary (not competitive) tools. Shared customer
55	base. Joint roadmap, deep integration.
56	- Strategic alliances: Enterprise partnerships. Exclusive. Long sales cycle
57	to set up, massive payoff.
58
59	### Phase 2: Partner Recruitment
60
61	- Ideal Partner Profile (IPP): Who has your ICP before you do? Agencies,
62	consultants, complementary tools, industry associations.
63	- Outbound recruitment: "Your clients ask you about [problem] — we solve it.
64	Let's build a referral relationship."
65	- Inbound recruitment: Partner page on your website, partner application form,
66	promote in your network.
67	- Customer → Partner: Your power users often become your best partners.
68
69	### Phase 3: Partner Enablement
70
71	- Partner portal: Deal registration, training materials, co-branded assets,
72	pipeline tracking
73	- Certification: Product certification program. Certified partners get higher
74	commissions and better leads.
75	- Sales playbook: How to position your product, who to sell to, objection
76	handling, demo script
77	- Co-marketing: Joint webinars, co-branded case studies, shared booth at events
78
79	### Phase 4: Partner Economics
80
81	- Referral: Set a time-bounded fee from contribution margin, attribution, and local rules.
82	- Reseller: Model margin against enablement, support, discounting, and channel conflict.
83	- Agency/Consultant: Monthly retainer + % of influenced revenue
84	- Strategic: Custom deal, equity possible at early stage
85	- Key metric: Partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline as a percentage
86	of eligible pipeline, reported separately with documented attribution rules.
87
88	### Phase 5: Partner Management
89
90	- Tier system: Silver → Gold → Platinum based on revenue influenced
91	- QBRs: Quarterly business reviews with top 20% of partners
92	- Partner success manager: Dedicated person at 30+ active partners
93	- Kill criteria: Partners who refer 0 deals in 6 months → re-evaluate or remove
94
95	## Output Format
96
97	Partnership strategy document with: partner types and tiers, IPP definition,
98	recruitment plan, enablement program, economics model, and management framework.
99
100	## Quality Check
101
102	Before delivering, verify:
103
104	- [ ] All required sections are complete
105	- [ ] Output matches the user's stated need
106	- [ ] Named frameworks are cited for key recommendations
107	- [ ] No vague claims — every recommendation has a specific action
108	- [ ] Deliverable is ready for operational use, not just conceptual
109
110	## Common Pitfalls
111
112	1. Skipping research. Building output without understanding the specific context. Fix: always gather required inputs before producing deliverables.
113	2. Generic output. "Improve your process" without concrete steps. Fix: every recommendation must include a specific action, timeline, and owner.
114	3. Missing framework citations. Advice without named authorities. Fix: ground every recommendation in a cited framework from a recognized authority.
115
116	## Execution Artifacts
117
118	- `references/framework-notes.md` — named frameworks, citation anchors, and operating assumptions
119	- `templates/output-template.md` — copy-paste deliverable structure for the user
120	- `scripts/check-output.py` — local checklist validator for required sections
121	This skill includes lightweight artifacts the agent can load on demand:
122	Use the artifacts when the user asks for an implementation-ready deliverable, a repeatable workflow, or a quality check rather than generic advice.
123
124	## Implementation Depth
125
126	Use this section when the user asks for a finished asset, not a high-level explanation.
127
128	### Diagnostic Questions
129
130	1. What is the primary motion: founder-led, sales-led, product-led, partner-led, or lifecycle-led?
131	2. Which ICP tier is the output for: small business, mid-market, enterprise, or mixed?
132	3. What proof is available today: customer stories, usage data, third-party validation, screenshots, or none?
133	4. What system will execute the work: CRM, sequencer, warehouse, support desk, product analytics, or manual workflow?
134	5. What decision will the user make from this output: launch, prioritize, route, rewrite, score, coach, or measure?
135
136	### Framework Application
137
138	Map the recommendation explicitly to the named frameworks in this skill:
139
140	- Partnership Ecosystem Framework: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
141	- Crossbeam Partner-Led Growth: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
142	- Crossbeam — Ecosystem-Led Growth: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
143
144	### Deliverable Standard
145
146	A strong output from this skill includes:
147
148	- A crisp diagnosis of the current situation
149	- A recommended path with tradeoffs, not a generic list
150	- A concrete artifact the user can use immediately: table, script, checklist, scorecard, sequence, dashboard spec, or implementation plan
151	- A measurement plan with leading and lagging indicators
152	- Risks and edge cases called out before execution
153
154	### Adaptation Rules
155
156	- For small business: reduce complexity, shorten time-to-value, and prioritize owner/operator clarity.
157	- For mid-market: include workflow ownership, handoffs, integrations, and enablement assets.
158	- For enterprise: include governance, risk, procurement, stakeholder mapping, and proof requirements.
159
160	## Related Skills
161
162	- partner-programs, co-marketing, integration-partnerships, channel-partnerships, sales-enablement
163