Partner Powerplays - Episode 1

Transcript

Hi, my name is Karai. I'm the managing director of the ecosystem practice at Spur Reply. We've been doing partner strategy for over 20 years. This is a dynamic and daunting time for partner professionals. We work with the top ISVS in the industry, so we've seen a lot. And so based off of what we're seeing in industry, here's the three partner program incentive trends you need to be on top of in 2026.

Trend number one, the best partners are evolving and they need even more flexible programs and engagement models. The top service partners are productizing AI agents and right now they're picking the platforms they want to build their practices around for low code and no code development for their customers. SI are expanding to manage services and dedicated resell teams to expand the value ad to their enterprise customers. This trend has been ongoing for a while and it's only accelerating. Those rigid partner type- based engagement models already aren't working and they're going to create even more friction for your highest momentum partners. Leaders are using competency based value motion and/or points based programs. Yes, it takes investment in your ecosystem tech stack, but it provides scale without heavy team expansion investments every time your partner ecosystem grows. And the best ecosystem automation vendors are already accommodating this in their solutions. You don't need or want homegrown tech to d

Trend number two, everything needs to be self-funding. Partner teams are fighting for their existence, post-pandemic tech mania, and overhiring spree. Everyone's budget is being cut. It's a tough time out there. We all know it. Every finance conversation needs to be about self-funding incentives and programs. It doesn't have to be partners explicitly paying for stuff, although like Microsoft's model, it can. However, it does need to explicitly tie back to revenue outcomes and ultimately get defunded quickly if not effective. Gone are the days when you could hire one senior headcount for every subscale program that you wanted to pilot or new investment vehicle. But it is an opportunity to take a hard look at the ROI of your programs incentives and who you're investing in overall and ensure that every single one of your investments tie very directly to outcomes. And again, you're staying adaptable to the results that you're truly seeing from your partners.

And finally, trend number three. You can't sell AI as part of your solution and still provide a poor digital experience to your partners or not even use that AI for your partners. Use the partner experience as the proof point of your own AI solutions to customers. If you're an AI search, resource location should be an incredible experience. AI data partners should get rich AI-driven insights on how to optimize their business with you. AI support partners should have a delightful desking experience. Treat the design and rollout of your AI-driven ecosystem tooling with every bit but as much care as you would a customer deployment. Savvy partners are skeptical of vendor AI claims. They're scoffing at the marketing that's out there. So this is a chance to get mind share with partners you want as your evangelists who are going to move your business forward.

So in conclusion, want to learn more? Reach out to me directly. I'd love to take 30 minutes to chat. getting your ecosystem strategy set for 2026 and beyond. Thanks for your time.