I had a meeting with a VP of Sales discussing potential partners.

One partner they had been looking at as promising, but he said that the partner's technology that would complement theirs wouldn't be ready yet.

So he said they wouldn't be a good fit.

This is a very common approach to partnership: they look at partners from a product-fit / product-enhancement perspective. That's because, typically, they are done that way.

However, I then asked:

"So do the sales reps of this partner call on the same kind of companies yours do?"

"Yes."

"What's your primary vertical?"

"Marketing-driven entertainment and gaming industries."

"And they call on those as well?"

"Yes."

"Do they call on the same titles within those companies?"

"Yes. Ah, so they'll just be giving each other names. It might not be a hot-lead."

"True. But do your reps ask pertinent questions such as "Do they have budget? What are they trying to accomplish now if they're aren't ready for the product you're offering?" Would the answers to those questions, if they were asked by your partner, but useful for your reps?"

"I get it. They are a good partner!"

There are other ways to discover good partner fits as we've looked at it other posts and will continue to revisit. The mindset should always be - whom can I exchange contacts, context, and connection with out in the field, sales rep to sales rep. Don't think product compliment!

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This is the blog for Allyforce -- which allows B2B sales reps to securely exchange leads with other reps as easily as using Facebook.

This allows companies to truly leverage their partnerships to find opportunities faster.

It is written primarily by the founder of Allyforce.