Pioneering Co-Selling & Redefining SaaS Partnerships | Cassandra Gholston | S3E13

Unlocking Hidden Pipeline with Data-Driven Co-Selling:

Many SaaS companies struggle to effectively leverage partnerships because of manual processes, disconnected data, and unclear alignment between partner sales teams.

“Partnerships are about more than just referrals—real revenue acceleration happens when teams are strategically aligned and co-selling at scale.”

Cassandra explains how PartnerTap enables businesses to:

1: Map millions of accounts to uncover new sales opportunities.
2: Identify overlap between partners’ install bases.
3: Automate warm introductions between sales teams.
4: Track co-selling efforts with clear revenue attribution.

The key takeaway? Stop treating partners like commission-only resellers, real partnerships are built on shared pipeline and mutual success.

The Give-to-Get Mentality - Playing the Long Game in Partnerships:

Many companies approach partnerships with a "What can I get?" mindset, which often leads to short-term, transactional relationships. Cassandra flips the script, advocating for a "Give-to-Get" approach.

“You have to give before you get. Partnerships take time to develop, but when done right, they pay off in ways you can’t imagine.”

She shares a powerful example from Dreamforce, where PartnerTap, as a startup, fed leads to a much larger partner, which later turned into one of their biggest customers.

The lesson? Think long-term. Partnerships should be built on trust, not immediate transactions.

Fempire: Creating an Ecosystem for Women in Leadership:

Beyond PartnerTap, Cassandra is passionate about shifting capital toward women-led businesses. She founded Fempire, a growing network of women in leadership, to create opportunities for female executives and founders.

What started as a small dinner with 8 women turned into a movement backed by Microsoft, Nvidia, and ServiceNow.

“Women already have power in their organizations—we just need to remind each other of it and create intentional spaces to collaborate.”

The Fempire dinners help women leaders forge powerful connections, drive new business, and support each other in navigating corporate and startup challenges.

The Evolution of Partnerships: From Resellers to Ecosystem-Led Growth:

Cassandra breaks down how the nature of partnerships has fundamentally changed, shifting from reseller-based models to ecosystem-driven co-selling strategies.

• Old Model: Resellers sell software and receive a commission.
• New Model: Partners actively collaborate on sales cycles, sharing data and pipeline.

“The best companies—Microsoft, Nvidia, Salesforce, have built moats through ecosystem-led growth. If you’re not thinking about partnerships, you’re limiting your potential.”

She emphasizes the need for data-driven partner collaboration to maximize deal flow and influence buying decisions.

Learn more at www.forceandfrictionpodcast.com