Ensuring Partnerships Have ‘a Seat at the Table’: Key Strategies and Best Practices

At the 2025 Women in Alliances Summit, Lauren Helstab and Michelle Teo brought their deep experience in partnership strategy and marketing to the virtual stage to challenge a common perception: that partnerships are unpredictable and undervalued channels. Instead, they argued, it’s a perception problem, and the solution lies in storytelling and strategy.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

1. Shift the Perception of Partnerships

Executive teams often see partnerships as less predictable than direct sales or marketing. Lauren and Michelle emphasized the need to reframe this by building structured, data-backed narratives around the value of partnerships.

2. Tell the Right Story

Lauren shared a candid story about her past mistake: focusing too much on personal merit and vague opportunity sizing when requesting resources. The turning point came when she reframed her request as a clear business case: “Here’s what we’ve achieved, here’s the opportunity, here’s what we need, and here’s the outcome if we act now.”

3. Build a Strong ROI Case

The formula:

• Present results from the past 6–12 months.

• Define a tangible opportunity tied to measurable outcomes.

• Map out the resources needed.

• Outline the cost of inaction.

4. Make It Investable

Executive stakeholders don’t invest in abstract ideas, they invest in plans. The speakers advised turning a partner program pitch into something anyone above your manager could champion.

💡 Pro Tip:

When asking for buyin, don’t just emphasize effort or potential. Emphasize value capture, timing, and trade-offs.

Watch on Demand