Two companies may serve similar customers and have connected products, yet their sellers still don't know which accounts to approach together. That can happen when the launch gets more attention than the work that follows.
I start with the customer problem. A merchant may struggle to keep inventory accurate across a storefront and several marketplaces. A 3PL and software partner could help together, especially if one already knows the buyer. They still need to agree on who does what.
Check that the sales, technical, and onboarding teams understand that agreement. I'd look for three things:
Customer
A problem both companies can help solve
Owner
Someone on each side who follows the opportunity
Evidence
A record of what the partnership contributed
What to check after the launch
Can a seller explain when to bring the partner into a deal and how that helps the buyer?
If the answer is vague, walk through the offer. How will the companies handle inventory discrepancies, returns, or an additional channel? Give sellers specific answers, including the limits of the service.
Follow a referral: who qualifies it, contacts the account, and registers the opportunity? Where can the partner see the result? A shared document can work if both teams keep it updated.
A referral partnership may need only a well-informed introduction. An integrated service needs more delivery coordination. Match the process to what the two companies offer.
Include the time spent on meetings, seller training, integration maintenance, and support when reviewing results. If that work isn't helping customers or sales, reconsider the investment.
Four reasons a partnership stalls
Before assuming the other company has lost interest, check these areas.
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The customer benefit is vague
Explain what improves for the merchant: more reliable inventory updates, fewer manual returns steps, or an easier channel launch. Saying "we integrated" leaves the buyer to work out the benefit.
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The sales teams have different priorities
A seller may avoid a partner deal if it earns less credit or puts account ownership at risk. Agree on compensation, account ownership, and referral credit before asking sellers to co-sell.
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Nobody owns the work after signing
Someone on each side needs to train sellers, review referrals, resolve technical questions, and follow open opportunities. Use account records in reviews so people can make decisions without preparing a new presentation each time.
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The team has too many partners
Even a partner producing few leads may need engineering updates and support. Check how many relationships the team can manage and set realistic expectations with the rest.
I help teams address these issues through my partnerships and alliances work.
What the sales teams need
Give both teams the following.
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A shared customer profile. For example: apparel merchants selling through Shopify and a marketplace, using a 3PL, and struggling with order routing or returns. Agree on buying signals and requirements you can meet together.
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A shared account list. Identify overlap, decide which accounts deserve an introduction, and assign the next step. Agree on what information each team can share and how often to review it.
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A contact on each side. Give them time and authority to follow up. They should know the open opportunities, blockers, and pipeline target.
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A tested workflow. If the offer needs an integration, test inventory mismatches, cancellations, returns, and failed updates. Document who handles each issue and tell sales what still needs work.
Measure the contribution to sales
Separate partners that introduce opportunities from those that help existing deals. For the programs receiving significant time or budget, track these measures.
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Partner-sourced pipeline and revenue
Record the partner and introduction date for new opportunities. Follow them through to closed revenue. -
Partner-influenced pipeline and revenue
Record help with existing deals, such as buyer access or technical validation. Keep it separate from sourced credit. -
Win rate on partner-involved deals
Compare similar customer groups and deal sizes. A higher win rate alone doesn't prove the partner caused it. -
Time to close
Use the same starting point for partner and direct opportunities. Check where the partner helped the deal progress. -
Cost to acquire the customer
Include partner fees, sales time, and program costs as well as referral commissions. -
Active partner rate
Define activity as a qualified opportunity or useful customer work during the period. Track introductions and closed deals separately. -
Consistent attribution rules
Agree what earns sourced or influenced credit. Avoid double-counting revenue when both apply to a deal.
A few successful deals don't establish a pattern across the whole program. Review the account records before increasing investment. For examples of my work, see commercial impact across logistics and commerce technology.
Check delivery with the 3PL
A merchant evaluating a 3PL partnership needs to know how orders, inventory, and returns will move between systems.
Walk through the warehouse management system, order management system, storefront, and shipping tools with implementation staff. Identify where a handoff can fail, how the team will notice, and who will fix it.
Include manual reconciliation and integration changes in the cost discussion. If a workflow isn't ready, say so and agree on a plan before selling it.
Ask implementation and support teams to approve the delivery commitments before making a joint offer.
Decide what to keep, fix, or close
Use recent accounts to review each partnership. Start quarterly, then adjust the timing to your sales cycle.
Look for a buyer introduction, a resolved technical concern, or progress to the next sales stage. In a long sales cycle, a useful milestone may be enough to justify continuing.
✓
There is useful evidence
Check whether you can repeat what worked. Agree on the next accounts and confirm delivery capacity.
✗
The relationship has stalled
Assign an owner and date to a restart plan. If neither side can commit the time, reduce the scope or close the arrangement.
Pick one recent referral and follow it from introduction to delivery. Where did it get stuck?
Assign the fix and review it before the next referral reaches that step.
To review your program together, talk with me about your partnership program.