Mental models (and why they matter)

Mental models are concepts that represent your understanding of how something works in the world.

The way I like to think about mental models is like this: you notice patterns, and then your brain forms stories about these patterns.

Sometimes these stories are accurate and other times they’re not.

Here’s an example of an inaccurate mental model in B2B.

"More leads = more close-won."

Organizations that have experienced success with high-volume lead generation in the past may continue to believe in this approach. This is an inaccurate mental model because it doesn't take into consideration other factors like market conditions and buying preferences.

In contrast, here’s an example of an accurate mental model.

"High-quality leads lead to better sales outcomes."

This mental model remains true regardless of market conditions or buying preferences at a given time. If you've defined your ICP correctly and qualified customers based on this ICP, your sales outcomes will likely show it.

So here's what this means for partner pros:

Evaluate your goals versus your results. Pay special attention to the areas where you fell short.
Reflect on the mental models that led you to make certain decisions.
Learn new information to amend incorrect mental models.

Mental models matter because they make it easy to make quick, strong decisions.

TACTICS

How to find and leverage signals for partnerships

Partner professionals need to leverage signals the way other departments like Sales and Marketing do to enhance their strategies and improve their likelihood for success.

Rob Rebholz (CEO of Superglue) recently shared a step-by-step article on what information is important for partner leaders to keep track of.

He explained it like this:

The old way: Respond to the loudest voices, your favorites, or those partners you think might be helpful.

The new way: Use technology to scan a broad range of signals and engage the right people at the right time.

Tap into the new way by leveraging your data better.

Data like:

Website visits
Marketing content engagement
Portal or LMS logins (e.g. into Magentrix, Allbound, Salesforce PRM, PartnerStack, etc.)
Sandbox or tool logins
Marketplace activity (visits, leads, clicks e.g. via Partner Fleet)
Certifications
Individual lead submissions
Overlap account ownership (e.g.Reveal data)
Last interaction or interaction frequency

Then prioritize based on:

Partner type
Partner tier
Job title or role in the partnership

Rob added the note,

And remember: A lack of signals is also a signal. If someone stops engaging, it’s time to reconnect. For instance, Salesforce tracks the last activity date. If an active contact goes silent for six months, don’t let them slip away—reach out and re-engage!

Click here to read how he'd solve a company's perceived lack of data by adding missing fields to Salesforce.

FROM THE ECOSYSTEM

The Nearbound book club

Check out this awesome partnerships book club!

They get together.

Read the book.

Discuss it.

And help each other think through implementing it.

And they're opening the book club for more people. Leave a comment on this LinkedIn post to join.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Stuff you don't want to miss!

TODAY—June 18th—Too Early To Hire Partner Ops—Join Sonya Jamula (VP of Partnerships at Gusto) and Franz-Josef Schrepf (Strategic Partnerships at StreamYard) to discuss the perfect time to hire partner ops. Register here.
July 22nd-25th—Arcadia Leadership Conference—Discover the best of your partner program and the best of yourself through an intentional gathering in Bozeman, Montana. This is not a conference, this is a fully immersive experience - with luxury glamping, actual fireside chats, fresh mountain air and an elite community to help you tactically scale your program. Register here.
Nearbound Summit 2023 Recordings—The future of GTM is nearbound. Watch the recordings to hear how B2B leaders across departments unite with Nearbound strategies and tactics. Listen here.

You're all caught up.

RECENTLY PUBLISHED ON NEARBOUND.COM

Howdy Partners #75: Prioritizing Operations or Relationships? Striking the Balance in Partnerships with Coriena Hipple Merejo
Nearbound Podcast #166: Pete Caputa’s Return: The Partner Led Startup Story
Breaking Down Silos and Getting a Seat at the Table by Sam Yarborough
Target the Right Leads at the Right Time: A Recap of the Happy Customers Festival by Andrea Vallejo
The GTM Partners x Reveal Partnership by Sangram Vajre
Partnership Value Modeling by Linkon Axon
How CallRail Increased Integration Adoption by 167% Through Strategic Partnership with HubSpot and Reveal by Shawnie Hamer
How to Help Your Sales Team with Intros by Andrea Vallejo
Leveraging Partnership Data To Its Fullest Extent Requires Integration by Shauntle Barley
Howdy Partners #74: Reactive Partner Marketers Are Salary Wasted with Jessica Fewless