Acting as the Ecosystem Strategist, Not the Event Planner

Too many partner marketers are still treated as the team that runs the events, builds the co-branded one-pager, and executes the MDF spend. Nicole Steele wants that definition retired. A marketer who's worked at the intersection of field, digital, and partner at Sage, SAP, Aryaka, and F5 — where 95% of the business ran through partners — Nicole joins Rick to make the case that customers aren't buying products anymore, they're buying platforms, and platforms only deliver when there's an ecosystem behind them. That changes the job. 

In this conversation, Nicole breaks down why field, digital, and partner can't keep running as silos, why the quarterly QBR cadence is killing partner relationships, and the business acumen skills that separate operators from strategists. The closing challenge: stop showing up as a support function and start operating as the ecosystem strategist your GTM motion actually needs.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey, I'm Rick Courier, and this is Never Go to Market Alone. More than a show, it's a community where tech, marketing, and the human connection come together. You're not just a listener, you're a GTM friend. And friends don't let friends go to market alone. Let's go. Hey everyone, thanks for giving the show a listen today. Feel like I'm finally home for summer. Been on the road last three weeks. Last week I was at ServiceNow's knowledge event, spending time with the team there and their partner ecosystem. One thing that really stood out was this: Partner marketers are under more pressure than ever to prove pipeline impact. It's not just about lead volume anymore. In Q1, Partner Vista helped generate nearly 5 million in pipeline, supporting ServiceNow and their partner ecosystem. It reinforced something that we believed in for a long time here at Partner Vista. The old model of just gating content, handing leads over the fence, and hoping for the best, it just doesn't work anymore. What's working is building an engagement-driven nurture journey, one that creates real buyer context for sales teams, especially partner sales teams. That's the engine we've been building. A flexible partner marketing motion that can adapt around new campaigns, marquee events, and priorities without having to reinvent the wheel every quarter. Less time building and launching programs and more time spent with your partners. We're excited to share more of that soon as we build out this case study, including a deeper dive with the ServiceNow team. And honestly, today's conversation with Nicole Steele fits perfectly into that theme. Nicole's built her career at the intersection of field, digital, and ecosystem marketing. And I had such a great time talking with her because she brings a really practical perspective to what it actually takes to align all of those motions and drive real business impact. We got into real operational side of partner marketing. What's changing, what's broken, and what teams need to do differently to build coordinated go-to-market programs that actually create pipeline. Well, I hope you liked today's episode. As always, please give a reading on your favorite podcast platform. Make sure to follow us on YouTube and don't hesitate to reach out to info at partnervista.co. Thanks and cheers. Hey, Nicole. Hi, how are you doing? Good. Thanks for joining me today. We were it was funny, we were just catching up on kids and I think all the fun things outside of our day-to-day jobs. So yeah, yeah, exactly. So I I appreciate you coming on here. I'd love to love to have you introduce yourself and you know, hear a little bit about what what you've been doing as a partner marketer.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Yeah, great. Thank you. Yeah. So, you know what, it's interesting. Like after our first conversation, I was thinking about it and I'm like, okay, well, who am I? You know, and I'm like, you know, I'm like a marketer that sits at the intersection of field, you know, partner and ecosystems. And throughout my career, I've gone back and forth, but I truly feel like that's kind of helped, you know, turn me into, you know, this, you know, this um embarker who just is in love with ecosystems, be it working closely with the field and the field sales or on the channel side. Um so I'm just I'm really excited to have this conversation with you today and and and talk about, you know, ecosystems and and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

So I think it's really timely because I it it's it's it's funny how things just kind of like ebb and flow. And I think from a flow perspective lately, I've been hearing a lot about go-to-market alignment and you know, where I think historically partner marketing has sat in this very siloed, you know, kind of like I'm a red-headed stepchild, so I can say it like a red-headed stepchild, right? And um, you know, but that's changing, it's changing rapidly. And I think a lot of people out there are trying to figure that out. So I think very timely conversation. Why don't we start from the beginning? Like, how'd you get to this point? What tell me a little bit about your background?

SPEAKER_00 3:34

Yeah, yeah, sure. So um, you know, I started out my career when I transitioned to technology marketing because prior to that I was doing marketing for McDonald's. Um, but uh when I came over into technology, I first started on the digital side. And so, you know, really early in my career, I was working on digital and running demand generation programs for global organizations like uh Sage Software and SAP. And that really helped give me a strong foundation in how pipeline is actually created and understanding how the buyers actually move through the funnel. You know, from there I moved into more field marketing roles, which allowed me to be much closer to the sales, uh sales team as well as the customer. And then it was actually during that time I was able to really see how critical partners are in enterprise technology. You know, in many cases, the partner is the trusted advisor and the one shaping the buying decision. So um, yeah, so I guess that's kind of how I got there. And eventually that helped to lead me deeper into channel and market partner marketing. And um, you know, I was at Ariaca where I helped launch and scale a global partner program. And at F5, you know, leading both field and channel marketing, that was really great to like bring it all together. Um, and truly what stood out to me at F5 is that 95% of the business ran through partners. So marketing, there had to be a discipline around the ecosystem and our partners from the very beginning, as opposed to trying to latch on and like you said, like almost have like a secondary thought about the partners.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Is that when you started to see all these functions connect?

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Like, so that's definitely when I had like that big click because prior times I was either running field marketing or running channel marketing, and then having to work with my peers, and that was great. But actually being able to like be at the intersection of all of those places uh really allowed me to have that full insight into everything and just make sure that we're talking to the customer or talking to the prospect the way we need to be talking to them at the points that we need to, and making sure that um, you know, the vendor or F5 is speaking the same way as our partners are speaking, um, as well as our, you know, like the rest of the entire ecosystem. Because when you show up in the org um to our customers, they don't care if they're hearing about F5 from a partner or if they're on our website looking at some content or talking to our partner. It's just we all, every message has to be clear and having that same speak so as to not confuse.

SPEAKER_01 6:33

You you've moved through a couple of different roles there in terms of like digital field, partner marketing. You know, how has that helped you as a partner marketer once you got more ingrained into the latter side of it? You know, how did what kind of advantages do you think you had based on that background you you experienced?

SPEAKER_00 6:49

Well, here's the thing is partners, partners influence pipeline. Um, they influence uh customer trust, trust, sorry, and they influence how solutions get implemented. And so the ability to be able to understand um how customers move through the customer journey and how you start in digital by downloading some content piece and then transitioning to field and going to a field event and seeing the vendor show up there, you know, and then, you know, talking to a partner, that all really helped with understanding how we can have a proper conversation and alignment with them. So um by having the experience of digital, the, the, you know, the content, by talking to the partners and making sure the partners have that proper understanding. And then also, you know, in parallel with the field team, um, that just really helps make a partner marketer and all of us just so much stronger because uh a prospect, uh, a lead, they are not just going to download your content and then they're gonna want to buy, or they're not necessarily just gonna go to the partner only and then decide that they're gonna buy. So by having, you know, attachments with all the various aspects of marketing and making sure that we're all showing up the proper way to the customer, um, it definitely helps not only the customer, but also us. So having that insight um is is extremely valuable.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Yeah, I know. And I talked to a lot of partner marketers like yourself that have that insight and now they're working towards like building this full go-to-market motion, you know, across the ecosystem. That's a whole nother challenge, right? So, what are you seeing in terms of like trying to do that? Like what are what are some of the opportunities to doing a full GTM ecosystem marketing motion? What are some of the challenges there?

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Yeah. Yep, absolutely. So, you know, the customer journey, it doesn't care about how we structure marketing internally. Um, like I mentioned earlier, they might discover us through digital, through a field event, et cetera. But we just have to make sure that, you know, our teams are not siloed. And that's one of the challenges, is some of the organizations, they still structure it as this is gonna be channel marketing, this is gonna be digital marketing, and then this is gonna be field marketing. And then unfortunately, because we have these three silos, they're not always talking to one another. And then we come across almost looking schizophrenic when you're going to market because there isn't that red thread that is looped across to make sure that we are talking all in the same way to um to the customer.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

Now, how has the buyer's perspective changed, do you think, over the years in terms of not only engaging through those different channels, but now there's this giant partner ecosystem, right? So how are the buyer, how is the buying behavior changing with the partner ecosystem as now a role in this buying process?

SPEAKER_00 9:58

Yeah, you know, so here's the thing is the the biggest shift is that, you know, very few companies are just looking to buy products and products alone now. You know, people are looking to buy platforms. And when they're looking to buy platforms, they're looking to a trusted advisor to help them with making that decision on what is the right and correct platform that they should be um that they should be purchasing. And so we have to make sure that, you know, do we do we educate um the partners the proper way on how our product ties in to that platform and make sure that we can educate the partner on how or the benefits of being a part of this platform that the customer is trying to um is trying to purchase and implement within their organization. So, you know, like um Jay McBain um and other analysts have have talked about how we need to be um consistent with messaging the benefits of how our products can tie in to a platform. You know, the majority of purchases that are occurring out there now in technology are going through the partner because it is a partner ecosystem and because um because the partner has that trust that I mentioned earlier. So they're not gonna go and pitch a product that would not tie into what the partner knows the customer is looking to be able to achieve with this platform, but the right thing. And so how do we make sure that we are part of that conversation?

SPEAKER_01 11:43

No, that makes sense. What do you from like a practical standpoint, thinking about a partner marketer who's gotta put all this in action? Like, what advice do you have for them trying to make sure they're leaning into this approach? Like, what does this look like in practice?

SPEAKER_00 11:55

You need to make sure that you're part of the business. You need to understand, understand the strategic needs, not only of your business, but also that of the partner. So at the end of the day, like partners have like, you know, hundreds upon hundreds of vendors or or platform organizations that they are trying to sell. But how do you make sure that you can be tied in closely with the partner? And, you know, a lot of people talk about QBRs. Well, honestly, like between you and me and and the people that are gonna see this, I don't think you have to wait and rely on a QBR. You need to know what is important to the partner and make sure that you are providing that value on a daily, weekly um schedule. Because if you don't have the relationship with the partner and can show the partner how your product is going to make them money and help them increase their share of wallet, then they don't, they don't really care about you. So you can't wait and like once every three months, you're gonna like sit down and and talk for two hours and try and help them figure things out. You need to be an extension of them and vice versa. Um, and that's that is what is key is you don't, as a partner marketer, you're not just the person that's sitting on the sideline doing events. What you are doing is being a strategic advisor to help the partners and those within the partner organization as well as within your organization to help people um so that you can help people find pipeline and also, of course, help close deals.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

No, I think that's that's great advice. And just thinking in those lines in terms of the skill set needed to excel these days as a partner marketer, what skills do you think are are more important now than maybe they've ever been before?

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Um I think I think definitely um having that strategic approach, um, having the ability to go beyond MDF and event support, and truly having the ability to help shape joint GTM strategies that can drive pipeline. You know, like what is that?

SPEAKER_01 14:14

Sorry, but just No, I I love it. I think because that's that's a challenge, right? I think a lot of partner marketers are just they're doing a lot, they're wearing a lot of hats and they're very reactive, right? And it's running from that that QBR to the product launch, the program launch to the next QBR. And it's and I think just being more strategic and taking the step back, but you know, I think it it takes like a purposeful moment to like, I need to take a step back and think about this. And then how do I be proactive in areas? And that can be really hard when constant deadlines and mean I have to be constantly reactive, right? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

Yeah, absolutely. And you know, like you have to make sure that you have that sales alignment, uh, that cross-functional leadership, because like you said, they have they're wearing so many different hats, right? And then also that business acumen. You know, like if you are able to walk in with a partner and you know, you have your partner sales guy with you there, but you're able to go and show the value that you bring and not just, hey, here's some leads that we can generate, but hey, if we do these type of activities, you know, from the analysis that we've been able to leverage, we can show you that you'll be able to increase pipeline by X. Not only will you increase the pipeline by X, but this pipeline will be higher, there will be a higher probability that this will convert because of X, Y, and Z. They want to see this. You know, there's not enough partner marketers going in and talking to the partners enough about this. But as soon as you start showing that you understand their business, understand what pipeline will convert, et cetera, they're they're gonna love you and they're always gonna want to reach out to you. Um, I think something that I'd love to see more partner marketers do is spend more time with either sales operations or marketing operations and really like roll up your sleeves and get those keen insights and those data points so that you can share with the partners because that once again is gonna help you build your relationship. Um and they'll be coming, they'll be coming to you.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Thinking about relationships, you and I last time talked a little bit about mentorship and community. I'd love to get your perspective on why you think mentorship and community is is so important in the world of partner marketing.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Um, here's something that I do love about the channel and is probably why I keep coming back to the channel, is because it is a true community. And, you know, channel marketing is relatively young, and most of the people that I know in channel or partner marketing kind of fell into it. Like I definitely fell into it. And so, you know, what is important is since most of the deals that are going through uh the technology deals that are occurring are going through the channel, we need to make sure that we are continuing to educate people and bring along, you know, the next revolution of channel and partner marketers. And so mentorship is so very important for that. You know, we have all of these people that are in channel and partner marketing that have so much knowledge and they have that, and we need to make sure that we share that with the next generation that is coming up. Um, so it's important because mentorship helps us learn faster and definitely grow the profession. And, you know, um, it's gonna it's needed more so now than than ever before.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

No, I I I I couldn't agree more, especially in a world of just dominated being dominated by technology and AI. It's it's funny at the same time, like how community and relationship and mentorship is almost just as equally important, but in a different area. Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean Oh, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 18:00

No, you go ahead. No, no, no, go for it. This is you're my you're my guest. I can't tell you not to talk. No, you know, I was just gonna say, um, honestly, it I wouldn't be in my position if it wasn't for mentorship. So I um am Canadian. I live in Vancouver, and I have this really great network of men and women who have helped coach me and brought me along. And not only that, like mentorship is great for the aspect of, you know, education in our field. But also if you align yourself with a mentor or a mentee, these are people that can help continue to talk about you when you are not in the room and that can help validate, you know, how amazing you are and all of the great experiences that you've had, et cetera. And so it's just it's so very important to help build up your tribe and your village to help you as as people navigate the the workforce.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

I love it. I think a great way to kind of leave the audience is just this final question on, you know, what what's the one thing you think partner marketers should rethink right now if you had to challenge people in their in their current jobs, something maybe they should be doing differently, or challenge them on a skill set, or just the way to approach things. What's what's your advice for them? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

Um I would say that customers they're not buying products anymore. Like I said, they're buying platforms. And those platforms only deliver when they have ecosystems behind them. And so, you know, the partners, as I've mentioned, partners are the ones that influence how customers buy, implement, and scale. So partner marketers have to stop thinking about themselves as a support function, but instead think of themselves as an ecosystem strategist. Um, and there's a lot of tools, associations and stuff like that out there that can help with that. But, you know, one of the areas is um the Channel Marketing Association, led by Catherine Rose and Amy Bailey. You know, they have some really great stuff out there. There's also the Alliance of Channel Women. Um, that is a really great organization and can't forget Cloud Girls led by uh Rachel. So there's a lot of really great tools, people, and associations and programs out there that our us channel marketers can use to leverage to help us step into the, you know, the next evolution.

SPEAKER_01 20:42

I love it. Well, Nicole, thank you so much for coming on and sharing. It was a great conversation and appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. That's it for this episode of Never Go to Market Alone. If you liked what you heard, subscribe, leave a review, and share with another GTM friend. For new episodes or to see how we're helping partner marketers succeed, visit partnervista.co. Because friends don't let friends go to market alone.