How to help internal champions close your deal
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KIT (THE EMAIL FIRST OPERATING SYSTEM)
Welcome to Partnership Wednesday #103 featuring ideas you can use to create partnerships faster, with less guesswork, and confidently close 6-figure deals.
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A LESSON TO BUILD ON
In 2019 Bayer, one of the world’s largest agricultural science companies, partnered with Planet Labs, a leader in daily satellite imagery. Together, they embedded real-time crop monitoring into Bayer’s digital platform, FieldView, across 170M+ acres. Daily images gave farmers early crop stress alerts, optimised input use, and improved yields. Bayer sped up seed R&D and secured global supply chains.
In June 2022, Planet Lab announced an expanded strategic relationship with Bayer, adding products to support sustainable agriculture and optimise seed production on a large scale.
Leadership Lesson: Don’t build the future alone. Embed it and partner upstream to add value downstream.
AN ANSWER TO HELP YOU MOVE FASTER
How do I make it easier for my internal champion to help me close our partnerships deal? I was asked this question from the crowd this week. Here’s my answer:
When pitching a partnership, you’re not selling to one person. You’re equipping a champion to sell it internally and when you’re not in the room.
Building that internal momentum requires tools, language, and structure (not just excitement).
Use these four approaches to arm your champion with what they need to help you close the deal.
1. Intent Deck To Turn Interest Into Internal Alignment
Goal: Help your advocate articulate the strategic why, shared intent, and clear path to trust so they can secure buy-in.
Tool: The Intent Deck, a 5-slide co-created deck that sets vision, builds trust, and outlines next steps.
Structure:
Slide 1: Who We Are – Your edge, values, and why now
Slide 2: Why This Partnership Makes Sense – Shared opportunity + 2 benefits per partner
Slide 3: Collaboration Principles – How you'll work together, not just what you’ll do
Slide 4: Three Steps to Build Trust – Specific actions to earn confidence early
Slide 5: Next Steps – Project plan + First Win in 30–90 days
Why it Works: When most executives get pitched a partnership they don’t see enough clarity to say “yes.” The Intent Deck provides a level of clarity and conviction to take the next step because it helps your advocate tell the right story the right way.
We cover this tool set extensively in The Partnership Lab.
2. Narrative Brief To Give Them the Right Words
Goal: Equip your champion to confidently explain the deal in hallway conversations, steering committees, and quick updates without losing your message.
Tool: A 1-page Narrative Brief answering the 5 most likely internal questions.
Tactics:
What’s in it for us? (Use metrics, not marketing)
What’s it going to cost us? (Time, people, risk not only financial investment)
Why now? (Connect to strategic priorities or industry shifts)
Why this partner? (Signal trust, credibility, aligned values)
What happens if we don’t act? (The risk of inaction)
Why it Works: Champions use their language to pitch your value. This tool lets them speak from their own voice while keeping your message sharp, strategic, and repeatable.
3. Side Door Memo To Preempt Internal Objections
Goal: Help your advocate navigate informal resistance .
Tool: A confidential Side Door Memo that arms your advocate to respond to objections with maturity and clarity.
Tactics:
List 3 likely objections + smart responses (e.g. brand risk, timing, complexity)
Show what’s flexible vs. fixed (your “dealbreakers” vs. negotiables)
Include external proof: similar case studies, testimonials, or sector analogues
Address political landmines: “This isn’t like [past failed initiative] because…”
Why it Works: It gives your champion the confidence to coach colleagues, not just carry your message.
4. Decision Pack To Make the Internal Ask Easy
Goal: Give your champion a frictionless way to get decision-maker approval without rewriting your value prop.
Tool: A forwardable email with everything needed to green-light next steps.
Tactics:
3-sentence summary:
→ What we’re asking for
→ Why it matters now
→ How success will be measuredAttach the Intent Deck and Narrative Brief
Include a link to book a joint alignment call
Add a “Next Best Alternative” to show maturity and calm nerves
Why it Works: Don’t force your champion to write the pitch again. Great partners write the email they’d send to their boss and then hand it to them.
Did this help? If YES, leave a testimonial, it’s the best way you can help my work.
THIS WEEK’S MOMENT
What if Apple’s rebirth didn’t start with Steve Jobs but with a factory swap in Singapore?
In this 8-minute episode:
How to identify what to outsource, not by failure, but by strategic irrelevance
How to create proximity in partnerships that drives speed, trust, and results
How to design partnerships that scale with you without becoming a liability
Get every episode of the Partnership Playbook on your next commute or workout. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Youtube!
KNOW PEOPLE WHO FEEL STUCK?
Want to share this issue of Partnership via text, social media or email? Just copy and paste this link:
https://philhsc.com/partnership/16-july-2025
Until next Wednesday,
Phil Hayes-St Clair - Executive Coach
When you're ready, there are three ways I can help you:
1. The Partnership Lab (Applications for the August cohort close 31 July): The Partnership Lab is an AI-fuelled system for sales and marketing leaders who need to close 6-figure partnerships—fast.
2. The Partnership Decision Sprint: 45-minute sessions built for leaders facing high-stakes partnership decisions. Invite up to three people from your team and walk away with clear, actionable next steps.
3. Leadership Events: From Cochlear and Lifeblood to military leaders, I have shared inspiring stories and practical frameworks and insights that shift how leaders leverage partnerships for growth. Book me to speak at your next conference, offsite, or leadership event.
Looking for something different? Send me an email.
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