I was recently asked to assist in the definition of what a “Partner Program” would look like for netlogx. It is a natural step in the evolution and maturity of a consulting organization to consider partners as part of their business development strategy. I thought that this would be a fairly straightforward task until I tried to put pen to paper and define who a good partner would be for netlogx.
I started by trying to identify what problems netlogx would be trying to solve with a partner program. What I thought would be a list of 2 or 3 clearly defined problems quickly turned into a tangled web of “what if” and “one off” scenarios. After staring at the laundry list of topics I realized that I was only looking at things through a netlogx point of view. A true partnership is only sustainable if the two parties enter into it with shared risks and rewards. My list of items was assembled based on what “We” would be getting out of the relationship. Once I recognized this, I went about my task in a different manner. Some of the parameters that I outlined for a netlogx Partner Program include:
- Partnerships must be mutually beneficial
- Partnerships can be easily explained
- Partnerships exist because our capabilities align with our partner’s capabilities or complement a gap in their capabilities
- Partnerships should have expectations that are tracked and measured from both sides
- Partnerships should align with our Core Values/Operating Principles
2014 was an exciting year for netlogx and 2015 is full of potential as well. I am sure as we look at new partnering opportunities for the company we will be able to state why we would be entering into the partnership and what it will require from netlogx to be a good partner going forward.
