Article
|
5
 minutes
Hit the Ground Running in Tech Partnerships (Plus: a 30-60-90 Template For New Hires)
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #091: Try this partnerships hack
Article
|
1
 minutes
Nearbound Weekend 06/24: The early mover advantage
Video
|
31
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #20: 3 Ways to Market with Creators in Your Niche
Article
|
180
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #090: A path to the promised land
Video
|
26
 minutes
Howdy Partners #40: Strengthening The Foundation
Article
|
4
 minutes
Prerequisites for Monetizing B2B SaaS Tech Partnerships
Article
|
3
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #088: Make partnerships stupid simple
Article
|
6
 minutes
How to Communicate Effectively With Your Sales Team About Partnerships
Video
|
43
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #19: The Relationship Focus Most Marketers Are Missing
Video
|
52
 minutes
Friends With Benefits #03:Think Different
Article
|
27
 minutes
Howdy Partners #4: Partner Recruitment
Article
|
3
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #083: A bigger magnet won't cut it
Video
|
45
 minutes
Nearbound Podcast #115: From Go-To-Market To Go-To-Network
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #081: The promise of partnership automation
Video
|
44
 minutes
Neabound Marketing #29: The 5 Phases of Nearbound Marketing (& Why You Need to Start Now)
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #079: Steal this nearbound partner play
Article
|
35
 minutes
Forrester Predicts Ecosystem to Replace Channel and More
Video
|
61
 minutes
Nearbound Podcast #114: Increase Partner Engagement & Grow Partner Pipeline by 26%
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #077: Buy-in guaranteed
Article
|
6
 minutes
How Gainsight Leverages Partner Ecosystems to Supercharge Customer Success
Article
|
1
 minutes
Nearbound Weekend 06/03: The promise of partnerships
Video
|
44
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #17: Forget Employee Advocacy (Do This Instead)
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #075: Trust is the only way
Video
|
11
 minutes
Best Practices for Sourcing Ecosystem Qualified Leads | Connector Summit 2022
Article
|
5
 minutes
The Partner Experience Weekly: Finding Balance as a Creator (Pivot!)
Article
|
4
 minutes
Co-Sell Orchestration: The Ultimate RevOps Solution
Video
|
33
 minutes
Nearbound Sales #17: Beat Your Company's Drum
Video
|
43
 minutes
Nearbound Podcast #113: The Four Lenses of Measuring Partner Impact
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #072: It's all about trust
Article
|
1
 minutes
Nearbound Weekend 05/27: Make better decisions
Video
|
21
 minutes
Howdy Partners #34: Realistic Priority Setting
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #069: Partnerships ecosystem > your GTM strategy
Article
|
3
 minutes
The Partner Experience Weekly: How to Select an Account Mapping Solution
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #068: Don't wait for permission
Video
|
56
 minutes
Nearbound Podcast #112: Unveiling the Secrets to Unbeatable Customer Retention and Win-Back Strategies
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #066: Put your money on partnerships
Article
|
7
 minutes
How Fullstory Builds Their Tech Partnerships Program with Reveal’s Help to Increase Their Renewal Rate by 14%
Video
|
33
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #15: New LinkedIn Ad Feature That Changes the Game (for Marketing with Employees)
Article
|
4
 minutes
The what, why, and how of B2B SaaS tech partnerships: Part 1
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #064: Retention is the new acquisition
Video
|
26
 minutes
Nearbound Sales #15: Get Warm Intros Every Time
Article
|
3
 minutes
The Partner Experience Weekly: Drop the CRM
Video
|
45
 minutes
Nearbound Podcast #111: The Chaos Quotient
Video
|
37
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #14: The Total Account Checklist (& Why You Need One)
Article
|
3
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #060: Get tribal
Article
|
7
 minutes
How to make agencies and tech partnerships work
Video
|
32
 minutes
Nearbound Sales #14: How To Earn the Right To Their Attention
Article
|
5
 minutes
The Partner Experience Weekly: Getting Started with Partner Experience
Article
|
6
 minutes
Transforming Informal Channel Relationships Into Strategic Alliances
Article
|
7
 minutes
Promises Made, Promises Kept: How One VP Enhanced Sendoso's Partner Program
Video
|
45
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #13: 5 Steps to Webinars that Don't Suck
Article
|
5
 minutes
Partner Teams Need Better Positioning - Introducing Co-Selling Teams
Article
|
7
 minutes
Looking for GoToEco Hidden Gems
Video
|
29
 minutes
Howdy Partners #32: Measure What Matters: How To Create Alignment Internally
Video
|
4
 minutes
Alessandra Andrenacci: Programmatic Partner Distribution - Leveraging Verticalized Partner Programs | Supernode 2023
Video
|
33
 minutes
Nearbound Sales #13: 10 Years of Driving Growth Through Partnerships
Video
|
43
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #12: The YouTube Strategy that Actually Works in B2B
Article
|
3
 minutes
Partnerships are Transforming the Auto Industry
Article
|
47
 minutes
Leveraging Ecosystem Clusters to Drive Many:Many Reciprocal Co-Sell
Video
|
48
 minutes
Nearbound Podcast #108: How To Get Fired as a Partner Manager with Jared & Isaac
Article
|
2
 minutes
Getting Dedicated Dev Resources for Integrations is Possible. Here’s How.
Article
|
3
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #046: The partner moment has arrived
Video
|
34
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #11: How Strategic Advisors Help You Live In Market
Video
|
34
 minutes
Howdy Partners #30: Can ChatGPT Replace Us Partnership Folks?
Article
|
3
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #044: Keep your head up
Article
|
4
 minutes
Harness Your Sales Reps as Channel Managers
Video
|
32
 minutes
Nearbound Sales #11: Want To Stand Out From The Crowd Of Sellers?
Article
|
7
 minutes
How to use Reveal for Co-marketing Events
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #041: Don't Be Normal
Video
|
30
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #10: 6 Do's & Don'ts of Partner Marketing You Can't Ignore
Article
|
1
 minutes
Did AI Just Kill SEO?
Video
|
3
 minutes
Brian Jambor: Building a Partner Program From Zero | Supernode 2022
Article
|
4
 minutes
Prove the Value of Your Channel Program Using 7 Critical Metrics
Video
|
20
 minutes
Nearbound Sales #10: Close More Deals With The Secret Partner Sauce
Article
|
4
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #038: Measure What Matters
Article
|
2
 minutes
"The End is Near" For 3rd-Party Data Says Scott Brinker
Article
|
1
 minutes
Weak Economy Equals Nearbound Opportunity says Bain Executive
Article
|
4
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #037: Better Than a Cold Email
Article
|
3
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #036: What Stops Referrals from Scaling?
Video
|
32
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #9: How to Leverage the Weirdos on Your Partnerships Team
Video
|
40
 minutes
Nearbound Podcast #105: Mastering Partnerships Skills Through AI
Article
|
5
 minutes
The Partnering Reference Architecture: Managing Your CRM
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #034: Give Value First
Article
|
21
 minutes
Howdy Partners #3: Ideal partner profile (IPP)
Article
|
7
 minutes
Building a Partner-First Mindset in Your Organization
Video
|
30
 minutes
Nearbound Sales #9: How to De-Risk Your Investment In Partnerships
Article
|
6
 minutes
The Big Bet: Why 23% of Companies are All In on Co-Selling
Article
|
4
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #033: 12 Rules for Partner Pros
Article
|
3
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #032: Use Partnerships to Turn On Easy Mode
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Weekend 04/01: AI Changes Things (or does it?)
Video
|
26
 minutes
Nearbound Marketing #8: The 7-State Jeep Tour That was Partner-Powered
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #030: The keys to unlock your partner program
Article
|
2
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #029: Build a nearbound motion
Video
|
29
 minutes
Nearbound Sales #8: The Best Analogy In Partnerships
Video
|
36
 minutes
Nearbound Podcast #104: When Sales and Partnerships Partner Up
Article
|
3
 minutes
Nearbound Daily #025: The partner motion never stops
Video
|
25
 minutes
Howdy Partners #27: Engaging Internally with Marketing - How to Help Them Do More With Less and Win Together
Article
|
11
 minutes
A Lack of GTM Support for ELG Could Cost You Millions in Revenue
Article
|
4
 minutes
A Partnership Made in Heaven (well, space anyway)
Partnerships and Ecosystems Hub
Your GTM Motion Isn’t Dead — It’s Just Not Partner-Led
by
Andrea Vallejo
SHARE THIS

Boost your GTM strategy with Ecosystem-Led Growth (ELG). Discover 4 proven ELG plays to increase deal velocity, expand reach, and unlock new revenue opportunities. 

by
Andrea Vallejo
SHARE THIS

In this article

Join the movement

Subscribe to ELG Insider to get the latest content delivered to your inbox weekly.

Let’s face it, 2024 taught us a tough but important lesson: we can’t hit our revenue goals alone. Collaboration isn’t just helpful; it’s essential.

LeanData’s 2024 State of Go-to-Market Efficiency Report reveals a staggering reality: 71% of B2B GTM teams found meeting revenue targets challenging in 2023. And in 2024? That number skyrocketed to 96%.

Source: LeanData’s 2024 State of Go-To-Market Efficiency Report

Not exactly the motivational kickoff you were hoping for in Q1, right?

But here’s the good news:

Companies investing in Ecosystem-Led Growth (ELG) are 24% more likely to meet or exceed their 2024 revenue targets.

ELG leads are 24% higher in quality than traditional leads, deals that involve partner collaboration close 38% faster, and they’re 24% more likely to close — numbers traditional GTM strategies often struggle to achieve.

Why?

Because ELG leverages the power of customer referrals, partner networks, and executive involvement to unlock new revenue opportunities in ways siloed strategies simply can’t.

Still skeptical? Just look at the results:

  • Daniel O’Leary, Director of Partnerships at Box, and his team had 27% shorter average deal cycles when involving partners. 
  • According to Allbound’s The Year of Partnerships report, deals are 53% more likely to close when a partner is involved.  
  • Sendoso calculated that partner-influenced deals close 28 days faster on average than non-partnership deals. 
  • Okta Ventures surfaced 60 Ecosystem Qualified Leads for its portfolio companies in just two weeks. 
  • RollWorks reduced churn by 3.5x and expanded account revenue post-sale.
  • Bombora discovered a hidden pipeline and closed $100K in 2 months.
  • Fivetran has incorporated their partner ecosystem into every facet of their Go-to-Market model, in turn growing to over 5,000 customers and surpassing a $5 billion valuation.
  • Intercom rolled out ELG playbooks to create a virtuous cycle of ecosystem development that led to + 30% more sourced revenue.

So, what’s the secret?

It’s all about tapping into the relationships and data that already exist in your ecosystem.

By strategically leveraging your partner network, you’re not just reaching new audiences — you’re accelerating sales cycles, improving lead quality, and unlocking hidden opportunities.

Let’s break it down with real-life ELG success stories from Crossbeam to inspire your next move.

Use case #1: ELG for customer success

Leveraging integrations to increase product adoption

The problem: Crossbeam built an integration with a key partner, but adoption was lagging despite customer enablement and promotional efforts.

Solution: Partner intel 

The play: Instead of guessing, Crossbeam tapped into ecosystem data shared by their partner to identify joint customers who hadn’t activated the integration.

Crossbeam’s account mapping (customers vs customers) with the integration filter. 

This account mapping view helped them identify who from their customers was either unaware of the integration or still leveraging both platforms separately. 

Their next step was to build up a JVP and then empower each CSM to get in touch with their accounts. In the end, they increased adoption, improved retention, and even upsells — all by leveraging insights they already had access to.

In case you want to learn how Fullstory builds their tech partnerships program with Reveal’s help to increase their renewal rate by 14%.

Use case #2: ELG for sales

Closing the deal with a hesitant CRO

The problem: The team secured buy-in from most stakeholders except the CRO, who wasn’t sold on the value of an ELG motion. This particular CRO wasn’t much into the technical process, but wanted to know how exactly his ecosystem was going to help him close deals faster — he needed to see the impact. 

Solution: Ecosystem data

The play: After talking to the account manager and the sales rep in charge of the account, the team decided to get a bit of support from the C-level — that’s right, your colleagues can also be your partners. 

Once they had new insights about the CRO’s pain points, they demonstrated ELG’s impact by showing the CRO a custom report of their top 20 deals.

The report highlighted overlaps and partner involvement, providing a clear picture of ELG’s contribution to revenue growth. They even set up a Salesforce dashboard with weekly performance updates, making it easy for the CRO to track progress — exactly what he was looking for. 

Crossbeam 360 Dashboard in Salesforce with the Source Opportunities Widget.

Ready to unlock the power of ELG for sales? Register now for personalized guidance on building a winning GTM motion!

Use case #3: ELG for partnerships

Growing the network

The problem: After merging with Reveal, Crossbeam discovered dormant customers who had never activated their accounts.

Solution: Partner influence

The play: These customers remained inactive until a couple of months after, when the Crossbeam team started their crossboarding plan, which helped them enable their Crossbeam workspace and understand the features so they could build reports and workflows as closely as possible to what they had on Reveal. 

What boosted their efforts was that besides having 1:1 with the Crossbeam team, some of the customers received guidance and best practices from their existing partners who were on Crossbeam or from the ones who were a bit ahead on the crossbearding process. 

This helped to accelerate network growth and dormant accounts became engaged, expanding reach and driving more connections.

Crossbeam’s network since 2019

As an extra resource, learn from Rachel Fefer, Head of Channel Sales at Bloomreach, the 10 lessons for SaaS orgs transitioning to partner implementations. 

Use case #4: ELG marketing

Expanding your reach

The problem: A co-marketing campaign with a partner fell flat, failing to reach the intended audience and engagement.

Solution: A broader partner network 

The play: Instead of relying on one partner, the Crossbeam team expanded their reach and drove better engagement by collaborating with multiple partners who shared a similar ICP.

They provided ready-made templates to partners for email campaigns, social media, and newsletters — making it easy for them to amplify the message.

This might sound contradictory, and many people would ask why the first attempt wasn’t as successful if they were leveraging a partner. The truth is that the more partners you involve the more chances you have to be successful, in this case, the more they partnered, the more audiences they could reach. 

Source: Crossbeam’s network on partnerbase.com

To keep learning about market expansion with partners, here’s a resource that could be valuable for you: Expanding to a new persona or market? Your partners can help you dive in with grace.

Running ELG plays and winning big

When you incorporate ELG plays into your GTM motion, you’re not just throwing darts and hoping something sticks — you’re leveraging trusted relationships and actionable data to deliver results faster.

With platforms like Crossbeam, you can uncover hidden opportunities, accelerate deal cycles, and drive higher close rates. 

Start with Crossbeam’s free Explorer plan to see partner intel in action — or better yet, book a free ELG Strategy Call to learn proven ELG plays and get step-by-step strategies tailored to your business.

Don’t wait until you’re part of that 96% of companies that can’t reach their goals — unlock the power of partnerships and hit your revenue goals this year.

You’ll also be interested in these

Article
|
4
 minutes
Ben Warshaw: RevOps to the Rescue: The Secret Ingredient to Scaling Your ELG Motion | Supernode 2023
Article
|
4
 minutes
ARReasons to pay for Crossbeam
Article
|
4
 minutes
How BEMO Boosted Meetings by 900% Using Clay, Crossbeam, HubSpot, and Ecosystem-Led Growth