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Nearbound Daily #479: Pigment's Kobe Bryant Approach to Partnerships 🏀

To the heights

Imagine you’re standing at the foot of a mountain, looking up. You can barely see the mountain peak, but it’s calling you to ascend.

There’s no turning back. You’re an adventurer seeking the fulfillment of an arduous journey.

With nothing but the resources on your back and the wit in your head, you take your first step.

You, partner pros, are some of the greatest adventurers in the business world.

You look up to that barely visible mountain peak and decide that you will triumph.

A long time ago I was introduced to the phrase "Verso L’alto" and the man most notable for the phrase, Pier Giorgio Frassati, an avid mountaineer.

The phrase means, “to the heights,” and he used to say it as a reminder that scaling the world’s peaks is a spiritual exercise as much as an exercise of physical capacity.

As a partner pro, your job is two-fold—

1. Do the hard work to scale the mountain
2. Become the person capable of scaling the mountain again and again

Keep this phrase in your head today as you scale your tough mountains.

Verso L’alto, to the heights.

The Mamba Mentality

One day on a tour that aimed to challenge and inspire young athletes, the late Kobe Bryant came up with a name for his philosophy: Mamba Mentality. 

"I put the kids through so many drills and clinics and I just thought to myself ’Mamba Mentality.’ I actually said it. This is what embodies the brand of what we stand for.”

Mamba Mentality was what Kobe embodied not just in his 20 record-breaking seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, but also in life. 

“Mamba Mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most...it’s the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit."

Knowing this, it’s no surprise that Rohan Batra, Global Head of Partnerships at Pigment, has channeled Kobe’s Mamba Mentality into another framework for succeeding in partnerships: The Kobe Bryant Approach. 

Step #1? Change your mindset. 

"At Pigment we hate the term ’ecosystem’ but we love ’universe.’ ’Ecosystem’ suggests limitations, and a closed-off vibe. But "universe"? It screams endless possibilities!"

Here’s how Rohan approaches his partner universe in the Kobe Bryant Approach: 

• Get focused: Building a partner program requires a clear strategy and goals that align with the company’s overall objectives.
• Get aligned: Collaboration and transparency are essential when working with different departments, such as Sales and Services.
• Get the right team members: Hiring for a successful partner program requires individuals who are collaborative, self-motivated, and constantly learning.
• Get to giving: A healthy partner program allocates resources to partners who drive the most revenue and impact.
• Get clear on metrics: The success of a partner program can be measured by the speed and size of deals, as well as the win rate.

Watch Rohan’s full Nearbound Podcast episode to find your own Kobe Bryant Approach. 

Community done right

Shoutout to Amelia Taylor for exemplifying what it looks like to do nearbound right in a community.

She’s made Slack her #1 revenue-generating channel. How?

Because she...

1. Identified her buyers’ watering holes
2. Defined her zones of genius
3. Made it easy to know when people need her expertise (Slack notifications)
4. Asked questions
5. Went out of her way to connect with others
6. Made it easy for others to connect with her

Read the full post here.

Are you tapped into your buyers’ watering holes like Amelia?

Think about leveraging communities in your 2024 nearbound strategy.

Stuff you don’t want to miss!

• Nearbound Summit 2023 Recordings—The future of GTM is Nearbound. Watch the recordings to hear how B2B leaders across departments unite with Nearbound strategies and tactics. Listen here.
• January 25th— CEO Summit—Join Pavilion and many more companies to be part of expert-led educational sessions, covering top-of-mind issues for CEOs and Founders. Learn about the latest sales insights, building a pricing strategy, and co-selling. Register here. 
• Feb 5-7th in Miami—Impartnercon 2024—Partnerships are the future of growth. Join partner leaders to learn what it means to build the future of business, together.  Register here.
• March 19-20th—Affiverse’s Amplify Summit—Join them for a 2-day virtual event to help affiliate businesses amplify their performance. Learn about digital, partnership, and affiliate marketing. Register here.

Give the gift of Mamba

Tis the season to win, and win big! Share this with a partner pro who is looking to tackle the universe.