How Do You Assess Partner Readiness for Marketing Collaboration?
Not every willing partner is ready to co-market with you. Assessing partner readiness means looking beyond enthusiasm to skills, systems, alignment, and accountability—so joint campaigns launch smoothly, hit your shared KPIs, and strengthen your revenue marketing engine instead of overloading it.
When partner marketing fails, the root cause is often readiness, not intent. Partners may love the idea of joint campaigns but lack the process, data, content, or people to execute at the level you need. A clear readiness model—grounded in RM6™ pillars of Strategy, People, Process, Technology, Customer, and Results—helps you decide which partners can co-market now, which need enablement first, and where to focus limited budget and time.
Dimensions of Partner Readiness for Marketing Collaboration
A Practical Readiness Assessment for Partner Co-Marketing
You don’t need a 50-page audit to decide who’s ready. Use a simple, repeatable assessment to score partner readiness and decide whether to launch, enable, or pause co-marketing plans.
Align → Score → Enable → Pilot → Measure → Evolve
- Align on shared objectives and ICP: Confirm that you and the partner agree on target accounts, segments, and outcomes (pipeline, opportunities, NRR). If you can’t fill out a one-page alignment brief together, readiness is low—fix that before you plan campaigns.
- Score readiness across RM6™ pillars: Create a lightweight scorecard that rates the partner’s Strategy, People, Process, Technology, Customer, and Results capabilities for co-marketing. Use simple ratings (Red/Yellow/Green or 1–5) to spot gaps that will block execution.
- Identify enablement gaps and priorities: Turn red and yellow areas into a partner enablement plan: messaging workshops, campaign-in-a-box assets, training on your ICP and offers, or help building basic marketing operations so they can run plays reliably.
- Design a focused pilot campaign: Start small with a single, clearly defined play: a webinar, ABM program, workshop series, or customer story campaign. Document roles, timelines, content, lead flow, and success metrics for both teams before you launch.
- Measure results with a shared dashboard: Track joint KPIs—registrations, MQLs, opportunities, win rate, and influenced revenue—and review them together. Use one dashboard or report so you’re discussing the same data in every retro and QBR.
- Evolve the relationship based on evidence: If the partner shows strong execution and impact, expand the collaboration into more plays, segments, or co-innovation. If not, either invest in further enablement or refocus their role in your ecosystem.
Partner Marketing Readiness Matrix
| Dimension | Low Readiness | Moderate Readiness | High Readiness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy & ICP Fit | Unclear overlap in ICP, segments, or value story; campaigns feel generic or misaligned. | Shared ICP in some segments; joint value story exists but isn’t fully documented. | Clear, documented ICP and joint value narrative; mapped to specific revenue plays. |
| Marketing Capability | Limited marketing team or tools; ad-hoc campaigns and inconsistent execution. | Some campaign experience; can run basic programs with guidance and shared assets. | Dedicated marketing resources; can plan, execute, and report on joint campaigns reliably. |
| Sales & Delivery Alignment | No clear process for handling leads; poor follow-up and limited feedback loops. | Some defined handoffs and SLAs, but execution varies by rep or region. | Standardized lead handling, SLAs, and feedback; partner teams are eager for joint pipeline. |
| Data & Technology | No consistent way to track or share performance; manual spreadsheets. | Basic tracking and UTM usage; some reporting, but not fully aligned between parties. | Agreed tracking model, dashboards, and cadence for reviewing joint performance. |
| People & Governance | No assigned owners; co-marketing is “extra work” with irregular touchpoints. | Named contacts but loose governance; meetings and reviews are sporadic. | Dedicated partner and marketing owners, QBRs, and clear decision rights. |
| Results & Learning | Little visibility into impact; decisions driven by anecdotes. | Some metric tracking; lessons learned captured but not always applied. | Consistent measurement of pipeline and revenue; plays are iterated or scaled based on evidence. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the first signal a partner is ready for co-marketing?
The strongest early signal is clarity and alignment. If the partner can quickly align on shared ICP, offers, and target accounts—and assign real owners on their side—you’re far more likely to see campaigns launch and deliver pipeline instead of stalling in planning.
How do we handle partners who are a great fit but not yet ready?
Treat them as a readiness project. Start with education and enablement: messaging workshops, campaign-in-a-box assets, training on your ICP and solutions, and help establishing basic lead management. Then run a small pilot to validate readiness before committing to bigger plays.
Should we ever say no to co-marketing requests?
Yes. Saying “not yet” is often the best way to protect your team and brand. Use your readiness scorecard to explain why: which dimensions are blocking success, what enablement is needed, and what milestones must be met before investing in joint campaigns.
How does partner readiness connect to revenue marketing?
In a revenue marketing model, partner campaigns are judged by the same pipeline, win rate, and NRR metrics as internal campaigns. Readiness assessments ensure you only launch co-marketing with partners who can operate inside that system and contribute to your RM6™ scorecard.
Make Partner Marketing Part of a Revenue-Ready Ecosystem
Assessing partner readiness is easier when you have a clear revenue marketing framework, mature operations, and shared metrics. Build the structure that lets the right partners plug into your campaigns, dashboards, and governance without chaos.