How to navigate tariffs with partners
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PHYLLOME
Welcome to Partnership Wednesday #89 featuring actionable insights to sharpen your partnership skills and help you confidently close 6-figure deals.
Before we begin, the April cohort of the Partnership Lab sold out, and today, applications for the May cohort are now open. Look forward to you joining us!
Apply here.
A LESSON
In 2018, shipping giant Maersk and IBM launched TradeLens, a blockchain platform to digitise shipping documentation. It quickly scaled to 300+ stakeholders, handling 65% of global container trade data and improving clearance times and transparency. Yet by 2023, it shut down due to limited competitor buy-in and governance issues. TradeLens showed that tech can transform logistics—but only with broad industry support.
Key Lesson: When leading industry-wide change, design the platform so competitors feel safe joining it. Shared governance, brand neutrality, and early co-creation with rivals aren't optional—they're essential for adoption.
A THOUGHT
One of the most overlooked drivers of successful partnerships is ensuring there are dual benefits. That means designing two clear, tangible benefits for each side, creating four incentives in total. Dual benefits matter because each partner needs to see not only a return, but a reason to stay committed.
For example, a skincare brand might partner with a wellness platform to boost product sales (benefit one) and reach a new audience (benefit two), while the platform gains premium content (benefit one) and increased customer retention through exclusive offers (benefit two). Without this kind of reinforced mutual value exchange, enthusiasm fades, priorities shift, and the partnership risks becoming transactional, or worse, irrelevant.
AN ANSWER
What’s the best way to understand the impact of tariffs on my supply chain partners? I was asked this question from the crowd this week. Here’s my answer:
The question isn’t if tariffs will affect your partnerships, it’s how you’ll evolve together.
If you’re navigating a changing tariff or trade environment, ask:
• How do we protect joint value?
⤷ Can we shift supply chains or delivery models without breaking trust?
• How do we maintain transparency?
⤷ What changes need to be communicated before they become a surprise?
• How do we stay aligned under pressure?
⤷ What’s our shared playbook for uncertainty?
Here’s a playbook for today.
1. Run a joint impact assessment
→ Sit down with your partner and map the risk. Shared data = smarter decisions.
2. Revisit the terms
→ Flexibility in pricing, volume, or delivery terms could protect both sides.
3. Reconfirm shared goals
→ Are you still solving the same problem, together? Alignment now avoids missteps later.
4. Set a 30-day checkpoint
→ Trade environments shift fast. Frequent check-ins = less panic, more progress.
And remember, strong partnerships aren’t built for calm seas. They’re built to adapt, together.
THE PROMPT
How confident are you at expressing the value you can deliver to a new strategic partner?
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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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 May cohort close 25 April): 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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