How to Win Hearts and Minds in Partnerships

I hate taking red eyes.

This is me on Monday night taking a red eye from LA to NY.

I look pretty happy right? Well...this is before I actually got on the plane...and proceeded to struggle to fall asleep the entire flight. 😵‍💫

So why did I take the red eye?

I was in New York to spend time with our strategic sales team and our #1 services partner and I didn't want to spend too much time away from the family (I have two kids including a newborn).

So why was this trip so important?

It's because I know deep down, the way to win the hearts and minds of others is to show up, connect and to put in the work that drives results. 

Here were 3 key lessons I wanted to share from this trip that can you help you win hearts and minds internally at your company as you roll out your partner strategy: 

1. Partner trainings are home runs when they're stories: Our partner got a chance to present to this Strategic sales team and show them stories and proof points of their client work in the Enterprise and also how they can help them in the sales process. This makes it real for the sales team.  

Forget your 20 bullet points. No one wants to fall asleep. 

Forget the 50 partner overview slides. Too corporate. 

Forget numbers. No one will remember it anyway. 

Focus on stories.

People remember stories. 

How do you format your stories?  Here's a simple framework:

-Customer name + logo

-Problem set

-Solution (with the partner)

-Outcomes 

Combine the framework with a high level of passion and people will remember that story for years. 

Lastly, having a captive audience without any distractions also really allows them to connect with the partner (You can usually see this based on the amount of questions and comments you get during the session). Make sure you check in with your audience through the presentation.

2. Building relationships in person goes a long way - Let's be real.  Zoom is great, but shaking hands and breaking bread together can take trust to a new level.  We're humans. It's how we're wired. Plus, everyone there knows people put in effort to travel out to these, so there's a sense of appreciation for that too!

But don't just "shake hands."

Be genuinely curious about others.

Get to really know them. 

That's how you build genuine connection.

Want an example?  Today, I asked a sales leader (who is a fellow parent like me), what her key principles are for raising her kids? 

Guess what?

I learned a ton as a parent and I got a chance to really get to know a coworker.  How cool is that? 

3. Awesomeness is contagious - By meeting in person, you can celebrate big wins (I literally just did it today in the office!) by giving each other high fives, ringing a gong and congratulating each other. The energy is amazing!

Having fun and being in a positive mood will motivate your coworkers.

Trust me on this one.

Because you know what, awesomeness is contagious.