Kickstarter program:
Partner sales for B2B grown-ups and start-ups
Why partner sales?
Partner sales as a core scaling lever for B2B grown-ups and start-ups
Companies quickly reach their limits if they rely solely on their own contacts for growth. This is especially true during internationalization or when expanding target groups, where internal competencies are often lacking, making rapid expansion difficult. Partner sales is an effective scaling strategy to enter new markets and grow from a start-up to a grown-up. Most start-ups cannot avoid this with their specific business model. However, sales through partners is not a sure-fire success. Partnerships often bring organizational and strategic challenges, leading to underutilization. Acquiring partners is one challenge, effectively activating them and generating revenue is another.
Support across all partner models
Holistic
Our Kickstarter program covers the entire range of partner models. A partner model can consist of one or more partnertypes, each with different management requirements and value creation potential.
Practice orientated
The program helps you find the right partner model or the optimal combination of partners and then supports you in selecting and effectively activating the right partners. Choosing the right partner requires a careful assessment of their capabilities, market knowledge and synergies with your products. This can make the difference between stagnant growth and sustainable success.
1SIs = Software Integrators
The challenges for grown-ups and start-ups are:
01
Lack of experience of the founders regarding highly complex partner sales setups and the creation of effective partner programs
02
Knowledge asymmetry regarding the target group (end customers) between experienced partners and inexperienced grown-ups and start-ups
03
Unclear value proposition towards partners in a partnership (“give & gets”)
04
Ineffective or costly incentive programs for partners (“copy & paste” of less complex affiliate partner approaches not effective) and the lack of activation
05
Results or lack of results show up with a significant time delay & impatience from investors
06
Costs and workload of partner sales can quickly get out of hand and be significantly more extensive than initially assumed
Partners complement direct sales channels and support success in lucrative segments. Our program offers a solution for this: It ensures a professional and well-thought-out approach in building a partner sales network and provides conceptual support to make the implementation secure and effective.
Target Group
Who is this program for?
Are you leading a growing B2B grown-up or start-up and facing the challenge of building or optimising an effective partner sales network? We understand that making the leap from direct sales to building a robust partner network can be a huge challenge, due to the complexity involved in planning and implementation.
Building partner sales
Your company does not yet have any sales partnerships but would now like to build this sales approach? We help you with strategic planning to identify the partners that fit your business model. Our program provides step-by-step instructions on how to implement a partner sales model, including contract design and incentive models. We ensure that your partner network is solidly built and activated to achieve sales success right from the start.
Optimising partner sales
Or are you part of a grow-up with existing partners whose sales potential is not yet being fully utilised? A major challenge lies in activating and managing the partner network, as many partners do not show the desired activity level and corresponding sales success. From a customer project, we know we can increase the activation rate from 6% to over 40%. Companies in our program have access to this know-how. Our specially developed program reduces the complexity of designing and implementing partner sales strategies, providing practical, tested solutions. Our approach guides you systematically through partner development phases, from selecting the right partners to effectively managing and optimizing partnerships.Let's master the complexity of partner sales together and take your grown-up or start-up to the next level.
The Quick Check:
Grown-up or start-up
Business model: B2B in the tech or software sector
Direct sales are stable
Building or optimising partner sales
Program participant: Person responsible for sales
Value of Participation
A market-tested approach with clear deliverables – specifically for B2B grown-ups and start-ups
Our program offers you not only a proven plan for implementing a successful partner sales network but also specific knowledge and strategies necessary for building such a network. We guide you step by step through the complex world of partner sales. We show you how to identify and select the right partners, onboard them, train them on your solutions, build a pipeline together, and much more.
This helps you avoid costly experiments and promotes sustainable and scalable growth for your start-up. Additionally, we help you make better use of your valuable time. Besides providing the "right" direction, our program saves you approximately 2-3 months of valuable work time. Summarized in key points we offer you:
Access to holistic expertise from A-Z in partner sales, based on a variety of successfully implemented and developed partner sales strategies.
Through, e.g. the "Business Case Template" or the "Golden Partner Pitch", you save valuable time and work directly with best practices.
Benefit from specially developed dashboards and analysis tools that help you monitor the performance of your partners in real-time and make data-driven optimizations.
Become part of a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and sales leaders. Take advantage of the opportunity to build valuable contacts and exchange experiences and best practices.
- Optional: 1:1 Exchange with our partner sale Experts
These clients rely on MRC’s partner sales expertise:
Module Overview
In 5 modules for successful partner sales
Module 0: “Partner sales” assessment tool
Content: This module provides an initial assessment to evaluate the attractiveness and feasibility of partner sales for your company. You will learn how to identify the potentials and challenges of partner sales specific to your business model.
Deliverables (excerpt):
Business Case Template for Partner Sales: Discover how to quantify the financial impact of your partner sales. Our Business Case Template provides you with the appropriate framework to simulate revenues, costs, and the ROI of your sales partnerships in advance.
Individual assessment of the attractiveness & feasibility of partner sales for your company: This tailored analysis evaluates whether a partner sales program is useful and feasible for your company. We consider specific aspects such as your product offering and target market to provide you with a clear overview and practical steps for the potential implementation and scaling of partner sales.
Effort: Approximately 1 hour of learning content + 2 hours of active processing time
Module 1: Partner Identification & Recruiting
Content: Learn how to identify and approach potential partners. This module covers strategies for identifying and selecting optimal partners that support your business goals and strengthen your market position.
Deliverables (excerpt):
Partner Profiling Template for selecting the "right" partners: Strategically choose the best partners with our profiling template. Our template helps you efficiently evaluate potential partners and ensure they align ideally with your business goals and market position.
Pitch Deck Template for acquiring new partners: A compelling pitch deck is the foundation for acquiring new partners. Our template provides you with a proven structure to effectively communicate your company's vision and the value proposition of a partnership.
Effort: Approximately 1 hour of learning content + 18 hours of active processing time
Module 2: Partner Onboarding
Content: This module focuses on effectively integrating new partners into your network. You'll learn how to design onboarding processes that enable quick and efficient integration.
Deliverables (excerpt):
SLA template for partner sales: A core task of every partner is providing direct customer support (1st Level). Our Service Level Agreement ("SLA") template provides a clear framework for agreements on the quality and speed of service provided by you and your partners.
Guide to selecting the right Partner Relationship Management (PRM) system: Find the PRM system that fits your needs precisely, enabling you to digitally manage your partners without additional resource overhead. Our guide compares features, benefits, and drawbacks of leading systems and advises on selecting the right solution for your startup—from simple freeware to comprehensive platform solutions.
Effort: Approximately 1 hour of learning content + 8 hours of active processing time
Module 3: Partner Enablement
Content: Strenghten your partners through targeted training and support measures. This module helps you develop the skills of your partners so they can successfully market and sell your products or services.
Deliverables (excerpt):
Partner Business Plan Template: An essential tool to assist your partners in clearly defining their business objectives within the partnership and developing a strategic plan based on common goals. This template covers relevant components such as goal setting and budget planning, enabling a clear, shared view of sales goal achievement.
KPI Definition Template for Partner Programs & Dashboard Templates: Keep track of your partner program's success at all times. With our KPI Definition Template, you establish the right performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of your partner distribution. The accompanying dashboard in Microsoft Power BI allows you to analyze this data visually and in real-time.
Effort: Approximately 1 hour of learning content + 12 hours of active processing time
Module 4: Partner Engagement & Growth
Content: Learn how to build long-term relationships with your partners and foster mutual growth. This module covers strategies for continuous engagement enhancement and identifying growth opportunities within your partner network.
Deliverables (Excerpt):
Partner Marketing Plan Template: This template assists your partners in creating a comprehensive marketing plan specifically tailored to promote their products or services. It includes a clear overview of marketing activities including channel selection, budgeting, and scheduling to ensure all marketing activities are coordinated and targeted.
Partner Marketing Dashboard: A dashboard based on Microsoft Power BI that depicts the performance of your partners' marketing activities. This dashboard provides insights into campaign successes, lead generation (MGL, MQL, SQL, and Opportunity), as well as campaign ROI, enabling your partners to quickly adapt and optimize jointly defined marketing strategies to achieve the best results.
Effort: Approximately 1 hour of learning content + 18 hours of active processing time
Sign up now
We appreciate your interest in our "Kickstarter Program: Partner Sales for B2B grown-ups and Start-ups," which we are specifically developing for grown-ups and start-ups. The program is currently open for applications. Register and we will contact you regarding the next steps.
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Note:
Access to the program is by application only.
Why?
- On the one hand, it is a special offer for start-ups and grown-ups that we at Mücke Roth & Company implement in order to strengthen the start-up ecosystem in Germany alongside our involvement as an investor. It is therefore a subsidized program, the contents of which are shared with our medium-sized and corporate clients as part of comprehensive consulting projects
- On the other hand, we want to make sure that you as a company are in the right phase to benefit from the program in its entirety
Application.
This is how you apply
Our program aims to support grown-ups and start-ups in building a successful sales organization. To ensure that all participants get the most out of our program, we have established an application process.
Here's how our application process works:
Personal meeting: After your non-binding registration, we invite you to a short introductory phone call. This gives us the opportunity to delve deeper into your situation and better understand your company. At the same time, you can learn more about our program and how it can help you achieve your goals.
Confirmation of participation: Following our conversation, you will receive an assessment, and if appropriate, confirmation of your participation. Once you have paid the participation fee, you will gain access to the system and can start immediately.
What does the program cost?
The Kickstarter program consists of five modules (Modules 0-4) and provides you with a structure to systematically implement partner sales. The offer includes full access to all learning content, numerous supportive materials, and the option to exchange ideas with like-minded individuals to effectively implement the content in practice.
If it turns out that partner sales are unexpectedly not relevant for your grown-up or start-up, we offer a "money-back guarantee." In "Module 0," we provide an "Assessment Tool" to evaluate the relevance and the right time for building partner sales. If partner sales are not a core scaling lever, we offer you an almost full refund and only charge €500 for the insights gained.
The total participation fee is €8,750 plus VAT. Access to the program is limited to one year and a maximum of five users per company.
How much effort does the program require?
Grown-ups and start-ups typically approach building partner sales through a trial-and-error model. A model that can work well in all other areas and even in direct sales can be tricky in building partner sales. It takes a lot of time for errors to become apparent, money is burned, and partners may even turn away. This is because results in partner sales are indirectly achieved and show up over time. The grown-up or start-up loses valuable time to demonstrate results, which are essential for funding, for example, and loses revenue potential. The reason for this: lack of know-how about the sales model and understanding of the partners. This is exactly where our model comes in. Estimate of effort for the Kickstart program:
1. Consumption of learning content: 5 hours (one hour of video material per module)
2. Application of learning content to your grown-up or start-up: approximately 55-65 hours depending on the level of detail and existing materials
We recommend that the person responsible for sales (Head of Sales, Head of Growth, or CEO) personally goes through the program. Additional individuals can be involved in the elaboration of their own content to provide support.
FAQ
Still have questions?
Who can apply for the program?
The program is aimed at grown-ups and start-ups in the tech and software sector who want to build or optimise their partner sales.
How are participants selected?
Participants are selected as part of our application process. We aim to support the grown-ups and start-ups that can benefit most from the program. The program is not intended for corporates or medium-sized enterprises. We are happy to support these companies as part of a Mücke Roth & Company consulting project.
What happens if I miss a session?
All content is available on-demand for you 24/7. You can go through the program at your own pace and according to your availability. The only exception: Our regular live question-answer sessions. We will likely record these or share the content with you in writing.
I'm not suitable for the program - what now?
You are not a grown-up or start-up in the tech and software sector, but still interested in partner sales? Feel free to send us an email at info@muecke-roth.de or contact us via our contact form.
Can I expect consulting services by participating in the program?
It is important to emphasize that the program's content consists solely of self-learning materials, which are available as needed and should not be equated with individual support. Optional 1:1 consulting sessions can be booked for a fee.
Julian Busch
Senior Consultant
Julian is a Senior Consultant in B2B Software Sales & Marketing. His main focus is on the development, activation and scaling of indirect sales strategies via partners to generate sustainable business success and thus achieve scalable growth.
Fee Gunkel
Investment Manager
Fee is an expert in start-up investments and responsible for the MRC start-up portfolio. She is always on the lookout for potential new start-up investments, cross-regional exchange in the start-up ecosystem and supports the MRC investments in their growth. She is also deeply committed to bringing German SMEs closer to start-ups.