Why Every Partnerships Leader Must Read Ecosystem-Led Growth

In 2021, while leading partnerships for Workplace at Meta, I had the opportunity to onboard Crossbeam to Meta as a vendor and collaborate closely with Crossbeam CEO Bob Moore during this process. While working on Silicon Valley partnerships for Workplace for Facebook product, it had became evident that we needed a tool to streamline joint-selling with our partners, as scaling this process was incredibly tedious. For example, Eric Gerstein, who was at ServiceNow at the time, collaborated with us on the go-to-market strategy for the Workplace for Facebook and ServiceNow partnership. We spent a lot of time conducting one-on-one introductions to our sellers, realizing that this process wasn't scalable and tracking deals from introduction to close was nearly impossible.

Recently, Bob Moore, authored a book titled "Ecosystem-Led Growth." Last week, I finally had the chance to read it. He shares how he addressed the challenges faced by partnership leaders in managing joint-selling, allowing us to leverage partnerships for sustainable business growth. Just as he helped me in 2021, Bob Moore explains the complex world of partnerships and introduces the concept of ecosystem-led growth (ELG) as a strategic framework for driving business success.

I appreciate Bob Moore for sharing the story of how, as an entrepreneur, he identified this opportunity and pursued it. The book delves into the definitions and transformative power of partnerships, highlighting their ability to expedite deal closures, diminish churn rates, and unlock fresh opportunities. He focuses on the evolution of partnership dynamics and the rise of platforms like Crossbeam, which facilitate data-driven collaboration among businesses.

Drawing from his extensive experience, he offers practical insights and actionable strategies for establishing and expanding partner ecosystems. He outlines the essential elements of an effective partnership strategy, including identifying ideal partners, nurturing mutually beneficial relationships, and utilizing data to inform decision-making.

At the heart of his approach lies the concept of ecosystem alignment, where businesses synchronize their goals and resources with those of their partners to maximize value creation. He stresses the significance of fostering a culture of trust, transparency, and collaboration within partner relationships to ensure long-term success.

If you haven’t had the chance to read Bob Moore’s book, I highly recommend it. It serves as an invaluable playbook for businesses seeking to harness the power of partnerships for a competitive edge. Additionally, there's a fantastic recording by Roman Kirsanov with Bob Moore that is worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuokUEdkQgw

Furthermore, I hope that major tech vendors like Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, and Google will also consider utilizing platforms such as Crossbeam , WorkSpan , and Tackle.io to assist their partners in joint-selling for first-party solutions, where they have integrated partner solutions like Databricks , NetApp, VMware, etc.