Smartsheet's Ecosystem Growth: Powered by PartnerOps Excellence скачать в хорошем качестве

Smartsheet's Ecosystem Growth: Powered by PartnerOps Excellence

The dynamic world of enterprise software demands precision, strategy, and robust PartnerOps for scaling growth and managing complex partner ecosystems. This podcast delves into Smartsheet's meticulous approach to building, evolving, and optimizing its global partner network, revealing how a strong operational framework translates into tangible business success. Sugata Sanyal, Founder and CEO of ZINFI, hosts an insightful discussion with Rachael Travis, Director of Global Programs at Smartsheet. Rachael shares her extraordinary journey from serving in the U.S. Army, including deployment in Afghanistan, to leading partner operations and channel strategy in corporate America. She offers a unique perspective on translating military-grade problem-solving and leadership principles into designing and executing effective partner programs. Discover how Smartsheet strategically pruned and grew its partner base, leveraging data and innovation to meet evolving market demands. Listen to the full episode now to gain actionable insights into developing a resilient and scalable PartnerOps strategy for your business! https://www.zinfi.com/video-podcast/p... Chapter 1: From Military Leadership to Corporate Partner Strategy Rachael Travis leads global partner programs at Smartsheet, bringing forward lessons from six years in the U.S. Army, including her time at West Point and a 15-month deployment to Afghanistan. This experience shaped her leadership style, teaching her to build high-performing teams, operate under pressure, and lead with empathy. Her ability to break down complex goals into actionable steps and influence without authority directly translated to managing strategic partner ecosystems in the corporate world. Transitioning from military logistics to software operations, Rachael recognized similarities in planning, resource deployment, and optimizing for impact. A consulting stint further strengthened her grasp of go-to-market strategy and customer-centric growth, providing a solid base for her PartnerOps expertise. Chapter 2: Designing Strategic PartnerOps: Balancing Effectiveness and Efficiency At Smartsheet, PartnerOps is built around a strategic balance between effectiveness and efficiency. Using a two-by-two framework, Rachael segments tasks by whether they need deep expertise (like program analytics or compensation design) or scaled execution (such as onboarding and deal desk operations). This structure aligns team roles with strengths and ensures operational success. She focuses on aligning partner strategy with sales goals, defining ideal partners, and supporting them through enablement and onboarding. Outcome measurement, using leading and lagging indicators, helps assess and refine both strategy and execution. Chapter 3: Smartsheet’s Ecosystem Evolution Over three years, Smartsheet transformed its partner ecosystem through strategic pruning and regrowth. Initially at 800 partners, it was reduced to 350 core, productive ones, before expanding again to about 775. This growth included tech alliances, ISVs, developers, and GSIs—each bringing unique value. The shift from a generalist, “anything is possible” approach to one centered on high-value areas like PPM, PMO, and digital transformation marked a strategic maturity. Legacy partners still serve flexible use cases, while new partners specialize deeply—e.g., in industry-specific PMO or manufacturing automation. Smartsheet now uses AI tools to surface the right partner expertise to customers and sellers, supporting this specialized ecosystem. Chapter 4: Driving Behavior Through Outcome-Based Incentives Smartsheet reimagined partner incentives to reflect evolving roles. No longer penalizing partners if a deal closed via a different channel, they now track partner activity in Salesforce and reward based on sourcing, transacting, or influencing. Incentives include discounts, rebates, commissions, and SPFs aligned to business models Beyond financial rewards, Smartsheet provides exposure to customers and demand-gen assets, helping partners scale. The PartnerOps team evolved from a lean group to a specialized function, covering enablement, operations, marketing, and partner management by type and region. Chapter 5: AI in PartnerOps: Accelerating Productivity and Go-to-Market Smartsheet integrates AI into PartnerOps to augment—not replace—human roles. Within Salesforce and its “Agent Force,” AI quickly surfaces partner insights to sellers and customers. For example, if a customer builds a solution, AI can suggest a partner with relevant templates or integrations. AI also helps sales reps identify partners by expertise or language. Looking ahead, Smartsheet is exploring generative AI to boost “market through” and “market with” activities, overcoming bandwidth limitations. Automating content and campaign creation will enhance partner-led demand generation, reflecting the company’s commitment to scalable, innovative PartnerOps.