Partner Marketing OS · Recruit
Attract right-fit partners and get them to first value fast. A bloated, dormant partner base is the number-one program failure — prefer fewer, activated partners over a long list of signatures.
The partner equivalent of an ICP. For each target type, define the customers they serve (overlap with your ICP), their business model, capacity, existing stack, and motivation. Apply CoreCMO’s adaptive-ICP logic with the partner as the account, and qualify against it — do not sign everyone.
Inbound ‘become a partner’ page and application; outbound to look-alikes of your best partners; ecosystem and marketplace directories; events; customer-vendor overlap; and competitive displacement.
Treat it as a funnel: Awareness → Application → Qualification → Agreement → Activation. Track conversion at each step and optimize the weakest one.
Equals the partner value proposition plus proof (partner testimonials, economics) plus a clear, low-friction first step. Sell the exchange, not your product.
A partner is activated only when they take the first real action — certify a rep, launch a campaign, or register a deal — not when they sign. Define your activation event and drive to it within 30–60 days, or the partner goes cold and rarely recovers.
‘Become a partner’ page, application plus IPP scorecard, recruitment email sequence, partner value-prop one-pager, and an activation checklist.