Fill in the canvas together with the partner. Start with shared value: if that is not clear, stop. Finish with success criteria and exit: if those cannot be discussed, stop as well.
01
Partner Profile
Who is the partner: type of organisation, size, market position, financial health, culture, and motivation for working with you. Do not underestimate the cultural side; many partnerships fail on it.
Questions that help
- ·Which of their strategic priorities do we fit into?
- ·How financially healthy are they?
- ·How well do we match culturally: speed of decision-making, openness, appetite for risk?
Example
An ERP vendor with 300 FTE, Dutch market, market leader in SME construction, recently acquired by a private equity fund (pushing for growth). Culture: slow decision-making (committees), but very loyal to partners once signed.
Common mistake
Looking only at what the partner can do, not at whether they want to and fit culturally.
02
Shared Value
The joint outcome that justifies the partnership, for the customer and for both partners. No woolly wording ('synergy'), but a concrete benefit both parties nod along to at the table.
Questions that help
- ·Which customer outcome can we deliver together that neither can alone?
- ·What does partner A gain, concretely (revenue, market, retention)?
- ·What does partner B gain, concretely?
Example
Customer: end-to-end construction planning plus financial processing in one flow (8 hours saved per project). Us: distribution to 800 SME construction firms. ERP vendor: higher stickiness through deeper workflow integration (churn down 3%).
Common mistake
Vague 'win-win' talk. Good shared value can be explained in two bullet points per partner.
03
What We Bring
Concretely what we contribute: assets, channels, knowledge, customers, IP. Including an estimate of its value. It helps make the balance of contributions explicit.
Questions that help
- ·Which unique assets do we bring?
- ·Which customers or market reach do we deliver?
- ·What is that worth, estimated in euros or in time?
Example
Product integration (estimated development cost €120K), distribution to our 800 active customers (estimated revenue value €600K a year), construction domain expertise (4 senior consultants).
Common mistake
Overstating our contribution, or downplaying it compared with the partner's. Sooner or later it cracks.
04
What They Bring
The mirror of the previous block: what the partner contributes, also in terms of value. Put it in writing; nobody wants to hear later 'I thought you were going to do that'.
Questions that help
- ·Which assets, channels or customers does the partner bring?
- ·What is that estimated to be worth?
- ·Which commitment in time and people?
Example
Distribution to 12,000 ERP customers through their account managers (revenue potential €2.4M a year), one product manager allocated at 50%, a €80K marketing budget for co-marketing.
Common mistake
Not verifying assumptions about the partner's contribution. Ask for hard commitments and put them on record.
05
Joint Activities
What do you actually do together: co-marketing campaigns, product integration, joint propositions, shared fulfilment, joint sales processes? Clarity prevents 'waiting for the other side'.
Questions that help
- ·Which 3 to 5 activities will we carry out together?
- ·Who takes the lead on each activity?
- ·Which deliverables per activity, and in what time frame?
Example
1. Product integration (lead: us, ready in Q2). 2. A webinar series for existing customers (lead: them, 4 sessions in 6 months). 3. A joint presence at 2 trade fairs. 4. A joint pricing package for cross-selling. 5. A monthly sales sync.
Common mistake
Activities without an owner or a deadline mean nobody does them.
06
Risks & Dependencies
What could break: cannibalisation (of our other channels), key-person dependency (the partner's champion leaves), IP issues, reputational risk, lock-in. A mitigation or escalation plan for each risk.
Questions that help
- ·Which strategic risk does this partnership introduce?
- ·Which dependency is becoming too large?
- ·What do we do if the partner changes strategy or is acquired?
Example
Risk: the ERP vendor is acquired by a competitor → an exit clause in the contract. Risk: their champion leaves → a second contact person required. Risk: cannibalising our own channel → co-selling only to customers with more than 50 FTE.
Common mistake
Hiding risks to keep the deal running smoothly. They come back twice as hard later.
07
Governance & Agreements
How the partnership is steered: who decides what, which meetings at what cadence, which escalation path. Plus the commercial agreements: contract, margins and discounts, exclusivity, term.
Questions that help
- ·Which steering group, how often, with whom?
- ·Which decisions are taken at which level?
- ·Which contract: term, exit, exclusivity, margins?
Example
A monthly operational sync (4 people). A quarterly steering group (the CEOs plus the alliance leads). Escalation to the CEOs within 5 working days. Contract: 3 years, 6 months' notice, non-exclusive, 20% revenue share for the partner.
Common mistake
No escalation path. At the first conflict it goes to the CEOs, who have no time for it, and it drags on for months.
08
Success Criteria
Which measurable results within 6 to 12 months prove it works, and which threshold says 'keep building' versus 'evaluate' versus 'stop'. Also define explicitly what 'failed' means.
Questions that help
- ·Which 3 to 5 KPIs measure success?
- ·Which threshold means keep building, which means adjust, and which means stop?
- ·When is the first evaluation point?
Example
12-month goal: 80 new joint customers, €1.2M ARR through the partner channel. Keep building: more than 60 customers and more than €800K. Adjust: 30 to 60 customers. Stop: fewer than 30 customers after 12 months. First evaluation in month 6.
Common mistake
Not agreeing an exit criterion. 'Strategic partnerships' drag on for years without results because nobody dares pull the plug.
