Partner Enablement 101: The Missing Ingredient in Most IT Sales Strategies

Author: Doug Johnstone, Principal Consultant at Digital Pivot

Date: January 2025

Introduction

I’ve spent the past 8 years helping IT and professional services firms “pivot, differentiate & grow” in an increasingly complex digital age. Through hands-on GTM strategy consulting—leveraging design thinking, rapid prototyping, AI‑enabled frameworks, and deep partner-sales enablement experience—I’ve seen a common and critical challenge arise again and again.

That challenge? Most IT sales strategies launch partner programs and then sit back, hoping for results. But here’s the hard truth: partnerships don’t generate revenue lying dormant in your partner ecosystem. They need structure, training, incentives, and activation—what I call structured “partner enablement.”

In this post—“Partner Enablement 101: The Missing Ingredient in Most IT Sales Strategies”—we dig into the essential shifts required to move partner relationships from passive to proactive. Drawing on success stories (like MSPs tripling partner-generated leads in just six months), I’ll walk you through the five key pillars of effective partner activation—what works, what common pitfalls to avoid, and how to inject intentionality into every step of the partner journey.

If you’re ready to stop relying on hope and start building a repeatable, partner-driven revenue engine, let’s explore how partner enablement can transform your go‑to‑market playbook.

Ships that pass in the night 

After working across multiple partner ecosystems, I’ve seen a recurring issue:

• IT Service Providers struggle to get platform partners to engage and sell their services
• Platform Providers can come across as walking brochures who struggle to solve the whole customer problem.

In short they miss the opportunity to leverage their synergy that leads to mutual growth.

A great example was an AWS partner that had strong specialist technical expertise but struggled to generate demand. Their biggest issue? They weren’t selling their capability to the platform provider. Once they identified a strong value proposition, unique business value and implemented a structured enablement framework—including joint marketing initiatives, targeted co-selling programs, and specialised training—their deal velocity tripled.

Partners respond best to those who can generate demand in white space. In this blog, I’ll break down the missing ingredients in most partner programs and how IT service providers can create enablement strategies that drive real results.

The Status Quo

Many IT service providers invest heavily in partner programs, hoping they will drive significant revenue growth. Yet, most fail to generate consistent sales from their partners. Simply signing up partners isn’t enough—successful partner programs require a structured enablement strategy.

Without proper enablement, partners remain passive, failing to engage in selling your services. To turn partnerships into a scalable revenue engine, IT service providers must focus on training, sales and marketing support, and incentivisation.

Why Simply Signing Up Partners Isn’t Enough

The traditional approach to partner programs assumes that once a partnership agreement is in place, partners will proactively sell services. However, this assumption is flawed. Without an enablement framework, partners struggle to:

• Understand the value proposition of the services they are supposed to sell.
• Articulate key differentiators to potential customers.
• Generate and qualify leads effectively.
• Align their sales and marketing efforts with the provider’s offerings.

The Common Reasons IT Service Providers Fail at Partner Enablement

1. Lack of Product Knowledge: Partners aren’t provided with the necessary training and resources to confidently sell the offering.
2. Poor Sales & Marketing Alignment: There’s no structured process for joint marketing campaigns, lead sharing, or sales playbooks.
3. No Clear Incentives: Partners lack motivation due to unclear or unattractive commission structures and engagement models.
4. Limited Engagement & Support: Without ongoing support, partners lose interest and shift their focus to easier-to-sell services.

The Three Pillars of Partner Enablement

1. Knowledge & Training

Empowering partners starts with education. Providing them with the right tools to understand and communicate your value proposition is crucial. Key components include:

• Comprehensive Product Training: Regular training sessions, webinars, and certifications.
• Industry Insights & Case Studies: Real-world examples demonstrating successful use cases.
• Competitive Differentiation Guides: Clear articulation of what sets your offering apart.

2. Sales & Marketing Support

Most partners lack the resources to independently create marketing materials or execute sales campaigns. Equipping them with co-branded assets and structured sales plays enhances their ability to sell effectively. Best practices include:

• Co-Branded Collateral: Whitepapers, pitch decks, and landing pages.
• Joint Lead-Generation Campaigns: Collaborative email marketing, webinars, and content syndication.
• Sales Playbooks & Messaging Frameworks: Clear scripts and guidance on positioning and objection handling.

3. Incentives & Engagement

Motivation is key to keeping partners invested in selling your services. A structured incentives program should include:

• Attractive Commission Models: Competitive margins for partner-driven deals.
• Joint Business Planning: Collaborative sales goal-setting and revenue-sharing agreements.
• Gamification & Rewards: Tiered incentives, partner recognition programs, and sales competitions.

Real-World Partner Enablement Success Stories

Example 1: Cloud Services Provider Accelerates Growth with Structured Enablement

A mid-sized IT consulting firm struggling with partner-led sales revamped their approach by implementing:

• A structured onboarding process with training and certification.
• A new marketing toolkit, including co-branded content.
• Quarterly joint pipeline reviews with top partners.

Result: A 60% increase in partner-driven sales within 12 months.

Example 2: Managed Services Provider Overcomes Partner Engagement Challenges

A leading MSP noticed that their partners weren’t actively selling their security services. After analysing gaps, they introduced:

• Sales enablement workshops focusing on real-world customer pain points.
• Incentives for deal registration and co-selling opportunities.
• A partner advisory board for ongoing feedback.

Result: A 3x increase in partner-generated leads in just six months.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Overcomplicating the Partner Program: Keep processes simple and easy to follow.
• Ignoring Partner Feedback: Actively seek input and refine the program based on real-world insights.
• Failing to Align Sales & Marketing Efforts: Ensure partners have access to co-branded marketing materials and structured go-to-market strategies.

Next Steps: Is Your Partner Program Set Up for Success?

Ask yourself the following:

• Do my partners understand the value of my services?
• Have I provided the necessary training and marketing support?
• Is there a clear incentive structure to motivate partners?
• Am I regularly engaging with partners to drive collaboration?

If you answered “no” to any of these, your partner program may need a strategic overhaul.

How Digital Pivot Can Help

At Digital Pivot, we specialize in Partner Led Growth strategies that transform passive partnerships into active revenue streams. Our Partner Enablement Program provides:

• Partner & Capability Review: Aligning partner capabilities with growth markets.
• Sales & Marketing Enablement: Building co-branded content and sales playbooks.
• Incentive & Engagement Strategies: Structuring commissions, rewards, and joint business planning.

The 5 key steps to unlocking Partner ecosystem growth:

1. Core Services Pipeline Shrinking? —How Partnerships Can Fix It
2. The Hidden Revenue in Your Partner Network: How to Unlock It
3. Building a Scalable Partner-Led Sales Strategy in IT Services
4. Partner Enablement 101: The Missing Ingredient in Most IT Sales Strategies
5. How to Measure the ROI of Your Partner-Led Growth Strategy