Partnership Proposal Skill

This skill produces a complete B2B partnership proposal covering the partnership rationale, mutual value, partnership model, commercial terms, governance, and a joint go-to-market plan. Output is ready to share with a prospective partner or use as the basis for a business case to internal stakeholders.

Required Inputs

Ask the user for these if not provided:

• Your company — name, what you do, and the audience you serve
• Prospective partner — name, what they do, and their audience
• Partnership type — technology integration / co-marketing / reseller / referral / strategic alliance / OEM
• Partnership goal — what does each party get? (new customers / revenue / product capability / market reach)
• Proposed commercial model — revenue share, referral fee, licensing, co-investment?
• Urgency or context — is there a specific event, product launch, or competitive reason for this partnership?

Output Structure

Partnership Proposal: Your Company] × Partner Company]

Prepared by: Name, Role at Your Company] Date: Date] Partnership type: Technology / Co-marketing / Reseller / Referral / Strategic Alliance] Proposal status: Initial proposal / For negotiation / Final]

Executive Summary

3–5 sentences. Answer: what are we proposing, why now, and what does each party stand to gain? Write this so a busy executive can understand the proposal in 60 seconds without reading further.]

Headline value for Partner]: > One sentence — the most compelling thing this partnership does for them]

Headline value for Your Company]: > One sentence — the most compelling thing this partnership does for you]

1. The Opportunity

Market context: Why does this partnership make sense now? What's happening in the market that creates a window for this to work?]

Shared customer: Describe the customer both organisations serve — the overlap that makes this logical. Include size of the shared addressable market if you have it.]

Problem neither of us solves alone: What can't either party do for the shared customer independently that the partnership would enable?]

2. What We're Proposing

Partnership model:

| Element | Description | |---|---| | Type | Technology integration / Co-marketing / Reseller / Referral / OEM] | | Scope | What specifically are we partnering on? — product features, joint campaigns, distribution, etc.] | | Exclusivity | Exclusive in region/segment] / Non-exclusive / Right of first refusal] | | Duration | Initial term — e.g. 12 months, renewable] | | Geographic scope | UK / EMEA / Global / Specific markets] |

What this looks like in practice:

3–5 bullet points describing what the partnership actually means day-to-day. Make it concrete and operational — not abstract. e.g.:]

• Our product will natively integrate with Partner's product] — the integration will be live in timeframe]]
• We will co-market to each other's customer bases — joint webinar, co-authored content, shared newsletter placement]
• Each company will train a dedicated partnership contact who manages the relationship]
• Partner] will list Your product] in their marketplace / app directory / referral programme]

3. Value Proposition — What Each Party Gets

For Partner]

| Value | Evidence / Basis | |---|---| | New customer reach] | e.g. Access to Your Company]'s X,000] role] customers — X%] of whom have expressed interest in Partner's category]] | | Product capability] | e.g. Partner]'s product gains capability] that X%] of their customers have requested — based on source]] | | Revenue opportunity] | e.g. Estimated £/$/€ X] in referral revenue in Year 1 based on X%] conversion from shared pipeline] | | Market differentiation] | e.g. The integration creates a meaningful competitive moat vs Competitor] who lacks this capability] |

For Your Company]

| Value | Evidence / Basis | |---|---| | Distribution] | e.g. Access to Partner]'s X,000] customers in segment] — a segment where we currently have X] customers] | | Credibility] | e.g. Association with Partner]'s brand accelerates enterprise sales cycles — Partner] is trusted by X] of the Fortune 500] | | Revenue] | e.g. Target X] referral customers in Year 1 at average ACV of £X] = £X ARR]] | | Product] | e.g. Partner]'s data / capability enhances specific part of our product] — improving user outcome]] |

4. Commercial Model

Proposed commercial terms:

| Term | Proposal | Notes | |---|---|---| | Revenue share | e.g. X%] of ARR from customers referred by Partner]] | Standard in this category: X–Y%] range] | | Referral fee | e.g. £X] per qualified lead that converts] | Or: flat fee per introduction vs % of closed deal] | | Licensing / access | e.g. Partner] provides API access at no cost in exchange for integration and co-marketing] | ...] | | Co-marketing investment | e.g. Each party commits £X] to joint marketing activities per quarter] | ...] | | Minimum commitment | e.g. X] qualified referrals per quarter / £X] GMV per year] | Optional — only if there's a meaningful minimum that makes sense] |

Payment terms: Monthly / Quarterly in arrears / Annual true-up]

What we're not proposing: Be explicit about what's off the table — e.g. equity / exclusivity in all markets / upfront payment]

5. Joint Go-to-Market Plan

Phase 1: Foundation (Months 1–2)

| Activity | Owner | Timeline | |---|---|---| | Technical integration scoped and resourced | Engineering at both companies] | Month 1] | | Partnership launch announcement drafted | Marketing at both companies] | Month 1] | | Joint customer case study identified | CSM at both companies] | Month 2] | | Partner enablement — each team trained on the other's product | Partnership lead, both sides] | Month 2] |

Phase 2: Launch (Month 3)

| Activity | Owner | Timeline | |---|---|---| | Integration live in both products / marketplace | Engineering] | Month 3] | | Joint press release / blog post / email announcement | Marketing] | Month 3] | | First joint webinar | Both companies] | Month 3] | | First joint pipeline reviewed | Partnership leads] | Month 3] |

Phase 3: Scale (Months 4–12)

| Activity | Owner | Cadence | |---|---|---| | Co-sell on named accounts | AE at both companies] | Monthly] | | Joint content (blog, webinar, case study) | Marketing] | Quarterly] | | Pipeline and revenue review | Partnership leads] | Monthly] | | Partnership QBR | VP level, both companies] | Quarterly] |

6. Success Metrics

How we'll know the partnership is working:

| Metric | Year 1 target | Measurement | |---|---|---| | Customers referred (each direction) | X] | CRM tracking — tagged as partner-sourced] | | Revenue from partnership | £/$/€ X ARR] | CRM + finance reporting] | | Integration adoption | X% of mutual customers using integration] | Product analytics] | | Customer satisfaction with integration | NPS ≥ X] | Post-integration survey] | | Joint pipeline generated | £X] | Quarterly pipeline review] |

Review cadence: Monthly partnership lead check-in + Quarterly business review at VP level

7. Governance & Operations

Partnership contacts:

| Role | Your Company] | Partner] | |---|---|---| | Partnership lead (day-to-day) | Name, email] | TBC] | | Executive sponsor | Name, title] | TBC] | | Technical lead | Name] | TBC] | | Marketing lead | Name] | TBC] |

Decision-making:

• Day-to-day partnership operations: partnership leads
• Commercial term changes: VP-level approval from both parties
• Partnership termination: CEO/MD sign-off + X days] written notice

Legal framework:

• ] Partnership agreement / MOU to be drafted by Company]'s legal team
• ] Data processing agreement (if personal data is shared)
• ] NDAs: already in place / to be signed before detailed discussions]
• ] IP ownership: Clarify who owns jointly developed materials, integrations, content]

8. Risks & Mitigations

| Risk | Likelihood | Mitigation | |---|---|---| | Partnership champion leaves Partner] | M | Ensure VP-level sponsorship; build multiple relationships | | Integration takes longer than planned | M | Scope technical work in Phase 1; set realistic launch commitment | | Low adoption of the integration | M | Include in onboarding for both products; co-market to existing customers not just new | | Partner signs with our competitor | L | Discuss exclusivity options; prioritise quick launch to create switching costs | | Commercial model becomes imbalanced | L | Quarterly review with clear exit terms if targets are consistently missed |

9. Proposed Next Steps

| # | Action | Owner | By when | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Partner] reviews this proposal and provides feedback | Partner name]] | Date] | | 2 | Both parties sign NDA (if not already in place) | Legal, both sides] | Before next meeting] | | 3 | Technical discovery call — assess integration feasibility | Engineering leads] | Date] | | 4 | Commercial terms negotiation | Partnership leads / VP] | Date] | | 5 | MOU / partnership agreement drafted and signed | Legal] | Date] | | 6 | Integration and launch planning begins | Both teams] | Date] |

Quality Checks

• ] Value proposition for the partner is written from their perspective — not yours
• ] Commercial model includes specific numbers, not just structure
• ] "What we're not proposing" section prevents misaligned expectations
• ] Go-to-market plan has named owners and dates, not "TBD"
• ] Success metrics are agreed bilaterally — not set unilaterally
• ] Risks section includes the most uncomfortable risk (partner signs with a competitor)

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Write a partnership proposal for Company] to partner with Partner]"
• "Draft a co-marketing partnership brief between us and Partner]"
• "Create a reseller partnership proposal for Company]"
• "Build the business case for a strategic partnership with Partner]"
• "Structure a technology integration partnership proposal"

Anti-Patterns

• ] Do not write the value proposition from your own perspective — the "For Partner" section must be written from the partner's point of view, in the language of their goals and their customers
• ] Do not leave commercial terms as structure without numbers — a proposal that says "revenue share" without stating the percentage is not a proposal, it is a conversation opener
• ] Do not omit the "What we're not proposing" section — leaving unstated assumptions creates misaligned expectations that derail negotiations later
• ] Do not set success metrics unilaterally — metrics that only your company controls or cares about will not earn partner commitment
• ] Do not write a go-to-market plan with "TBD" owners — every activity must have a named owner on at least one side before the proposal goes out