Christie Hickman: Turning Partner Enablement Into Pipeline (Real GTM Playbook)

Why Aircall & HubSpot Keep Winning Co-Sell Partner of the Year

In this episode of the Partnership Mastermind Podcast, Chris Lavoie sits down with Hami Nasari from Aircall and Russell Bradley-Cook from HubSpot to break down one of the strongest co-selling partnerships in SaaS. Aircall and HubSpot have won Co-Sell Partner of the Year three years in a row, and this conversation gets into what actually makes a co-selling motion work beyond the usual “strategic alignment” talk. Hami and Russell share the real operating system behind successful co-selling: product usage, sales alignment, partner trust, customer value, integration adoption, internal enablement, and the hard work required to turn a partner relationship into a repeatable GTM motion. This is not a vague conversation about ecosystem theory. It is a practical breakdown of how two leading SaaS companies built a co-selling motion that drives real revenue, real product adoption, and real customer outcomes. In this episode, we cover: * What co-selling actually means in a modern SaaS partnership * Why Aircall and HubSpot’s partnership has been so successful * How Aircall became the most installed voice solution on HubSpot * How HubSpot doubled Aircall installs from 7,000 to 14,000 in three years * Why HubSpot contributes 15–25% of Aircall’s new business every quarter * The difference between referrals and true co-selling * Why platform reps need to actually need your product for co-selling to work * Why most companies try to co-sell with too many partners * How to know if your company is ready for a real co-sell motion * Why integration usage matters more than marketplace installs * How Gong call transcripts and partner mentions can become leading indicators * Why partner managers cannot be the only bridge between two companies * How sales, marketing, product, and leadership all need to participate * Why trust is not a soft skill, but operating speed * How AI, usage-based pricing, and outcome-based models may change the future of co-selling This episode is especially useful for partner managers, alliance leaders, tech partnership teams, PartnerOps teams, SaaS GTM leaders, CROs, founders, and anyone trying to build a serious co-selling motion. Guests Hami Nasari, Aircall Russell Bradley-Cook, HubSpot Host Chris Lavoie, Founder & CEO, Partnership Mastermind Subscribe to the Partnership Mastermind Podcast for more tactical conversations on SaaS partnerships, co-selling, partner management, partner operations, ecosystem strategy, and modern go-to-market execution.

Partner Ops Is the Hidden Revenue Engine with Antonio Caridad

Most partnership teams do not fail because the strategy is wrong. They fail because the operating system underneath the strategy is broken. In this episode, Chris Lavoie sits down with Antonio Caridad, Senior Director of Partner Revenue Operations and Strategy at LogicMonitor, for a sharp, tactical conversation on what actually makes partner revenue scalable. Antonio breaks down why partner ops is not “admin work.” It is the infrastructure that allows partner teams to prioritize the right partners, track the right data, build trust with Sales, improve attribution, and create a better partner experience. The conversation gets into why bad data is more dangerous than no data, why “partners signed” is one of the worst vanity metrics in partnerships, and why loud, needy partners are often not your best partners. They also unpack Antonio’s 4+1 Partner Ops framework: systems, programs, metrics, and enablement, all leading to partner experience. Key topics covered: • Why bad data leads to bad decisions • Why “partners signed” is a vanity metric • How to know when you need dedicated partner ops support • Why internal alignment is the first domino • Where attribution breaks down in partner programs • How partner ops creates leverage across the revenue org • Why partner experience drives customer experience • How AI can help partnerships, if the data foundation is clean • Why partner ops may become one of the most important roles in modern GTM Core takeaway: If partnerships want to be treated like a serious revenue function, they need to operate like one. Not from six spreadsheets. Not from vibes. Not from “trust me, this partner is strategic.” From clean data, clear systems, strong enablement, and a partner experience that actually supports revenue. Guest: Antonio Caridad, Senior Director, Partner Revenue Operations and Strategy at LogicMonitor Host: Chris Lavoie, Founder of Partnership Mastermind Learn more about Partnership Mastermind: https://www.partnershipmastermind.com/ [https://www.partnershipmastermind.com/]

Jen Kalant on The Real Timeline to Make Partnerships Work | Sanguine Strategic Advisors

Most companies treat partnerships like a shortcut to pipeline. Jen Kalant breaks down why that approach fails — and what it actually takes to build a partner program that drives real revenue. In this episode, Jen (President & Chief Partnerships Officer at Sanguine) shares a clear, operator-level view on how partnerships really work: starting with the customer lifecycle, choosing the right motion, and building the infrastructure required to scale. If you’re trying to turn partnerships into a predictable growth engine, this episode will recalibrate how you think about the entire function. 🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS * Partner strategy should start with the customer journey, not partner logos * Most teams choose partners before choosing the right motion * The fastest way to kill a program is chasing too many partners * Partnerships need structure, sequencing, and clear expectations to scale * You should operate partnerships like a roadmap, not a side project * Real pipeline from partnerships takes time — and a deliberate build phase 🧠 WHAT WE COVERED * Jen’s path from Customer Success to building a partner program from scratch * The biggest early mistake: misreading executive buy-in * How to choose the right partnership motion for your business * Why most partnerships never become a reliable pipeline source * The role of enablement across different partner types * How to manage and prioritize a portfolio of partners effectively * Why Jen joined Sanguine and the rise of Partnerships-as-a-Service 👤 ABOUT JEN KALANT Jen Kalant is the President & Chief Partnerships Officer at Sanguine Partnership Solutions. She’s built and scaled partnership programs across SaaS companies including Reputation, Searchspring, and Clio, with a focus on turning partnerships into measurable revenue drivers. She now leads Sanguine’s Partnerships-as-a-Service model, helping companies design and execute scalable partner programs from the ground up. 🔗 CONNECT WITH JEN LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenkalant/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenkalant/] 🚀 ABOUT PARTNERSHIP MASTERMIND Partnership Mastermind is a global community for SaaS partnership operators focused on building real pipeline, not just activity. 📌 SUBSCRIBE Follow the Partnership Mastermind Podcast for weekly conversations with top partnership leaders across SaaS.

Gabrielle Backman on Why Partner Selection Shapes Everything | Teamtailor Partnerships

In this episode of the Partnership Mastermind Podcast, Chris Lavoie sits down with Gabrielle Backman, Head of Partnerships at Teamtailor, for a sharp conversation on one of the most overlooked drivers of partnership success: Partner selection. Gabrielle makes the case that many partnership problems people try to solve downstream, like weak execution, low accountability, poor internal credibility, and unpredictable results, actually begin much earlier with the wrong partner choices. They also get into what makes a great partner manager, why partnerships needs to stop communicating activity and start communicating impact, how to make the function more predictable, and why too many leaders still fall into a victim mindset instead of building a real business case internally. This is a practical episode for anyone building, scaling, or leading a partnerships function inside a SaaS company. What you’ll learn in this episode: * Why partner selection shapes more than just pipeline * How poor partner selection creates downstream execution problems * Why great partner managers think more like leaders than account managers * How to communicate impact internally instead of just reporting activity * What it takes to make partnerships more predictable and defensible * Why low-energy teams are harder to fix than broken partner motions * How Gabrielle leads partner teams across global markets * Why partnerships leaders need to stop playing the victim and start earning trust About Gabrielle Backman: Gabrielle Backman is the Head of Partnerships at Teamtailor. She has built and led global partnerships teams across markets, with a strong reputation for combining commercial rigor, accountability, and people leadership. Her approach is direct, metrics-minded, and grounded in building partnerships as a serious go-to-market function. Listen and subscribe: Search Partnership Mastermind on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube for the full episode and future conversations with top operators in SaaS partnerships.

Christie Hickman: Turning Partner Enablement Into Pipeline (Real GTM Playbook)

Most partner teams are busy. Very few are actually driving pipeline. In this episode, Chris Lavoie sits down with Christie Hickman (Head of Partnerships at ClearCompany) to break down what it actually takes to turn partner motions into revenue. The core shift is simple but uncomfortable: Stop treating enablement as the outcome. Start treating it as the starting point. Christie walks through the exact play her team uses, “Rep-Centric Opportunity Mapping,” where instead of hoping partners remember your pitch, you bring them real accounts, real context, and real ways to win. The result is simple: more trust, more deal involvement, and more pipeline. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN * Why most partner enablement doesn’t translate into pipeline * The difference between activity and actual impact in partnerships * How to build partnerships from existing revenue, not hypothetical ICP overlap * What “Rep-Centric Opportunity Mapping” actually looks like in practice * How to use tools like Crossbeam, 6sense, and CRM data to identify real opportunities * Why fewer, deeper partnerships outperform broad ecosystems * How top operators align directly to rep incentives and quota KEY TAKEAWAYS * Partnerships don’t scale through content, they scale through shared pipeline * More partners is often worse, not better * If you’re not bringing value to specific reps, you’re replaceable * The best partner leaders can clearly explain how their work creates revenue CHAPTERS 00:00 – Intro 02:00 – What makes a bad partner fit 06:00 – Where to start when building a partner motion 10:00 – Activity vs. pipeline (and why it matters) 15:00 – The myth of enablement 22:00 – Rep-Centric Opportunity Mapping (deep dive) 30:00 – Building trust with partner reps 36:00 – Depth vs. breadth in partnerships 42:00 – Leadership, accountability, and team performance 50:00 – Hiring great partner managers ABOUT CHRISTIE HICKMAN Christie Hickman leads partnerships at ClearCo and is known for building disciplined, revenue-driven partner programs. Her approach focuses on: * Aligning directly with partner reps * Bringing real opportunities to the table * Driving measurable pipeline and closed-won revenue CONNECT & LEARN MORE Follow Chris Lavoie for more insights on building high-performance partner motions, GTM strategy, and modern partnerships.