Spotlight on Vesna Arsic
How did you get into partnerships?
Almost 10 years ago, after a long career in business development, strategy, and marketing in global telecom, tech, and retail, I joined EMPIST, a Chicago-based Web Design, Software & Application Development firm. I was responsible for new business development and the Shopify Plus partnership, where we could offer third-party custom software integrations and custom application development via Shopify. There I saw the power of partnerships and the value of daily pipeline via a partner.
What do you love the most about it?
Working in partnerships allows you to interact with many internal cross-functional stakeholders (marketing, sales, finance, operations, etc.) while building an external pipeline of qualified leads that match your ideal partner profile (IPP).
What are the biggest challenges?
Frequently, ELT and senior management initially underestimate the value of a partner sales team and grasp the potential too late when the leads start in mid-sales cycle. Partnerships take time to mature, but when they do, the potential deal-size increase makes them more than worthwhile.
What attributes make you good at your job in Partnerships?
My superpower is that I am an excellent listener. This is a much-undervalued skill set that enables you to be able to understand the nuances of the job required - strategy- strategy process, execution, and diplomacy. I include diplomacy because you are negotiating with the partner and your internal organization to create mutually beneficial outcomes and accountability.
How important is networking and face-to-face in your role?
I prefer face-face, but only after I have vetted the partner. I live in San Francisco, which has one of the highest work-from-home percentages in the country. I make a point of attending industry events weekly to stay connected to the partnership and tech community.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to shift from a different role into partnerships?
I think having direct sales experience is an added benefit. I started out in marketing when it was not as metric-driven and automated. Then, I transitioned into sales within e-commerce and finally market research. My last three roles have been solely in partnerships, where I leveraged my previous skill sets to understand how to work effectively cross-functionally.
How have partnerships changed in the last 5 – 10 years?
As technology continues to rapidly change, the landscape for individual companies becomes more complex, creating endless opportunities for new channels. A plethora of marketing automation tools have also been launched to assist partnership teams in identifying common customers and driving revenue faster, e.g., Crossbeam.
How important do you think partnerships will be in the next five years?
I definitely think most companies will have a partnership strategy to identify net new opportunities in the next five years. It will also be interesting to see how AI will drive partnership identification in the foreseeable future.
How are you helping raise the profile of women in partnerships?
I have been involved in WIA for several years as a participant, but this year, I decided to step it up and joined two committees—for sponsorship sales and rolling out our mentorship programme.
What would your key piece of advice be to colleagues in partnerships?
I recommend always getting management buy-in early and clearly laying out the strategy before embarking on a project that may need ongoing and sustained support from senior stakeholders.
