Managing overwhelm in partnerships
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BE IN MOTION
Welcome to Partnership Wednesday #87 featuring a lesson, a thought, an answer, and a prompt to sharpen your partnership skills and help you confidently close 6-figure deals.
By the way, if I’ve missed something, or you think this edition could be made stronger, let me know!
A LESSON
When Yara International and IBM partnered in 2019, they focused on reimagining agriculture. Yara brought agronomic depth; IBM brought AI and hyper-local weather tech. Together, they launched digital farming hubs across continents and built a platform that delivered field-specific advice, like the best moment to fertilise before rain. By 2020, over a million farmers were connected, receiving crop nutrition tips, climate alerts, and market insights.
Key Lesson: Build partnerships that solve real-world problems, then co-locate teams to innovate faster, test locally, and scale what works globally.
A THOUGHT
Most people are tired, stretched, and juggling too much. Start with that assumption in partnerships. Why? Because when you do: You make things easier (Clear asks, simple next steps, less friction), you respect their time (Shorter meetings, direct communication, faster decisions) and you become the partner they want (Low effort, high impact wins the game). The best partnerships don’t add complexity. They remove it.
AN ANSWER
How do I know if a partnership is the start of something bigger? I was asked this question from the crowd this week. Here’s my answer:
Short answer: You don’t.
However, a sound assumption about most partnerships is that they could lead to something bigger, like a merger and/or acquisition (M&A) down the road.
In other words, sometimes they’re a test drive.
When a company approaches you for a partnership, they might really be asking:
• Do we work well together?
• Can we create value as one?
• Is this a risk-free way to ‘try before we buy’?
The best M&A deals often start as partnerships because:
→ They de-risk the investment
→ They reveal cultural & operational fit
→ They prove real, measurable synergy
I do wish more people had a mindset of treating partnerships as if they knew they could lead to M&A. While it’s not the only consideration when choosing IDEAL partners, it is an important factor in realising the value you’ve built in your organisation.
THE PROMPT
What’s one thing I could do to help you today? PS There’s a new list of three ways I can help you below.
PARTNERSHIP PLAYBOOK MOMENT
You can listen or watch full episodes of the Partnership Playbook on your next commute or workout. Here’s a short moment that will give you a shot of partnership goodness. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Youtube!
Tap the tile to listen!
KNOW PEOPLE WHO NEED THIS?
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https://philhsc.com/partnership/26-march-2025
Until next Wednesday,
Phil Hayes-St Clair - Partnership Expert & Coach
When you're ready, there are three ways I can help you:
1. The Partnership Lab (Applications for the April cohort close 28 March): 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: 30-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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