The Best Slide from Crossbeam's Supernode Conference
During two days of speakers at Crossbeam’s excellent Supernode Conference I saw about 200 slides.
I snapped photos of the 20 best slides I saw to review them later.
Today, I want to showcase the very best slide that I saw at Supernode. Why? Because I think your Partnerships team will benefit from this slide (if they don’t already use it).
First, I want to warn you: this slide is going to underwhelm you … at first.
This slide is like an ice cream scooper - so simple and elegant it is easy to overlook how effective it can be.
Mike Stocker is a seasoned partnerships leader who currently leads CallRail’s partnerships team. He shared this slide during a talk called “10 Partner Metrics Every Executive Ought To Know.” His talk focused on how to educate your C-Suite and your Board about the value of the Partnerships team.
Mike begins his talk with a simple premise:
“As a partner leader, you have to define the impact [that partnerships have on the entire organization] and define a cohesive narrative. You have to have a framework for doing that.”
The very best slide at Crossbeam’s Supernode Conference
Here is the slide that Mike uses:
What This Slide Captures
This slide has three columns:
Column 1 - the 10 metrics that Mike uses to quantify partnerships at CallRail.
Column 2 - maps each partnership metrics to an internal team / partner.
Column 3 - maps each metric to a thematic pillar for how the Partnerships team drives impact at CallRail.
Why this slide rocks
There are six reasons why this slide rocks. And these are also six qualities that every Partnerships team should aspire towards:
Measurable - Partnerships should be measurable! Too many partnerships rockstars are currently unemployed because their organization was unable or unwilling to measure the impact of their work.
Cross-functional - Partnerships should not just serve Sales. Or Marketing. Or Product. Partnerships should be a hub at the center of the organization, similar to Strategy or Finance. This slide is a tool to drive alignment across your company.
Transparent - No one within your company should be confused by what the Partnerships team is doing or how they measure their work. Once you have agreement cross-functionally on the metrics that matter, you should share this slide widely so everyone in your company has clarity.
Simple - as Leonardo da Vinci said “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Board-facing - When done right, partnerships can transform companies. But doing so requires alignment with other teams and support from the C-Suite and the Board. This slide drives that alignment and accountability up, down and across the company.
One more great slide from Mike’s talk
There’s another slide from Mike’s talk that is worth highlighting.
In the quote above, Mike emphasizes having a cohesive narrative for the Partnership team. His metrics in the slide (above) quantifies that impact.
In the slide below Mike captures the Partnership team’s mission and the pillars of their impact. This slide sets up the C-Suite and the Board for the partnership metrics above.
More Useful Content from Crossbeam
Last year I highlighted Maureen Little’s Supernode presentation, where she outlined step-by-step how she scaled Okta’s partnerships team. It is an excellent talk delivered by a pro.
Last week, Crossbeam launched Crossbeam Insider, a portal to house their treasure trove of partnerships content. That includes Supernode videos of Mike Stocker’s presentation as well as Maureen Little’s presentation as well as other research and analysis from Crossbeam. Strongly recommended.
If you’re not familiar with Crossbeam, you should get familiar. They provide a data collaboration tool to uncover joint customers with your partners.
