================================================================================ PARTNERNOMICS EDITION SECTIONS & PLAYBOOKS Module 7: System Scanner Pipeline ================================================================================ Complete reference guide to the 4 edition sections and 10 playbooks. Understand the flow, duration, and content coverage for each section. ================================================================================ SECTION 1: PLAN YOUR PROGRAM ================================================================================ Section Purpose: Build your entire partnership program foundation — customer definition, partner profile, strategic plan, and partnership offer — BEFORE talking to a single partner. This is the "Program First, Partners Second" phase. When to run this: Weeks 1-4 of partnership program (intensive pace) Weeks 1-6 of partnership program (normal pace) Prerequisite: Leadership commitment to investing in partnership programs Playbooks in this section: PB1 — Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) PB2 — Ideal Partner Profile (IPP) PB3 — Strategic Partnering Plan (SPP) PB4 — Non-Binding Term Sheet Total Playbooks: 4 QLP Steps covered: Steps 1, 2, 3, 4 (first 4 of the 10-step Quick Launch Program) Book Chapters covered: Chapter 2 (ICP foundational work) Chapter 3 (IPP partner targeting) Chapter 4 (SPP strategy alignment) Chapter 5 (Term Sheet offer structure) Duration Guidance: Intensive pace (if team is available full-time): 2-4 weeks Normal pace (team has other responsibilities): 4-6 weeks Recommendation: Most teams will find 4-6 weeks realistic What you're building: ICP Worksheet with firmographic, demographic, and psychographic depth Ecosystem Map showing 10+ complementary partner categories Ideal Partner Profile (Company and Leader Persona) Strategic Partnering Plan (12-component internal alignment document) Non-Binding Term Sheet (8-component partnership offer template) Success criteria for Section 1: ✓ Partnership type chosen and leadership aligned ✓ ICP built from real customer data (not assumptions) ✓ Partner Ecosystem mapped (10+ company types identified) ✓ IPP Company and Leader profiles defined with weighted criteria ✓ SPP written and ratified by leadership team ✓ Term Sheet template created and reviewed by legal/finance CRITICAL GATE: Complete all of Section 1 before moving to Section 2 (Recruit & Close). Skipping this phase is the #1 reason partnership programs fail. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 1: IDEAL CUSTOMER PROFILE (ICP) QLP Step 1 | Book Chapter 2 | Duration: 3-5 days Single Job: Define exactly who your best customers are at firmographic, demographic, and psychographic depth — so every partnership decision downstream is anchored in real customer data. What you'll need: Historical customer database with financial data Sales team input (who's easiest to sell to? Most profitable?) Customer satisfaction/NPS data (if available) Existing customer segmentation (if any) What this creates: ICP Worksheet with 10+ firmographic attributes, 10+ demographic attributes, and 5+ psychographic attributes (all weighted 1-10) 3-5 named customer personas representing top customer clusters Narrative summary of why these customers are most profitable Playbooks within PB1: 4 plays Play 1: Help me decide which partnership type fits my business Play 2: Walk me through a Partnernomics readiness check Play 3: Compare direct-only vs. partner-driven revenue Play 4: Build my Ideal Customer Profile (the action play) Milestone: "ICP Complete" — Your Ideal Customer Profile is built from real customer data. All partner decisions anchor here. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 2: IDEAL PARTNER PROFILE (IPP) QLP Step 2 | Book Chapter 3 | Duration: 4-6 days Single Job: Identify 5-10 complementary company types serving your ICP in trusted-advisor roles, along with detailed leader personas inside those companies. What you'll need: ICP Worksheet (from PB1) Customer buying journey insight Industry knowledge of complementary players Competitor research (optional) What this creates: Ecosystem Map with 10+ partner company types identified IPP Company Profile with firmographic selection criteria and importance weights IPP Leader Persona with demographic and psychographic criteria Complementarity Analysis (100% complementary, 0% competitive) Playbooks within PB2: 5 plays Play 1: Map our Partner Ecosystem (Before/During/After analysis) Play 2: Build our Ideal Partner Profile — Company Play 3: Define our Ideal Partner Profile — Leader Persona Play 4: Apply the complementarity principle to our business Play 5: Coach me through an IPP interview instead (alternative path) Milestone: "Ecosystem Mapped" — 10+ partner company types found from customer journey analysis. Sourcing targets are clear. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 3: STRATEGIC PARTNERING PLAN (SPP) QLP Step 3 | Book Chapter 4 | Duration: 5-7 days Single Job: Align your entire leadership team around partnership strategy — goals, approach, SWOT analysis, resources, risk mitigation — in a written, ratified document. What you'll need: ICP Worksheet (from PB1) IPP Profiles and Ecosystem Map (from PB2) Company Positioning (A1 ella-ment) Leadership team input and engagement What this creates: Strategic Partnering Plan document (7-10 pages, 12 components): - Executive Summary - Problem Statement - Purpose Statement - Approach Definition - SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) - Assumptions Documentation - Risks Identification & Mitigation - Requirements Definition (personnel, budget, technology, timeline) - 3 S.M.A.R.T. Goals with supporting metrics One-page executive summary of SPP for board/investor reference Leadership team sign-off and resource commitment Playbooks within PB3: 5 plays Play 1: Define clear program objectives the Partnernomics way Play 2: Draft the SPP from a coached interview (the action play) Play 3: Turn a rough partner idea into a formatted SPP (alternative) Play 4: Challenge my assumptions — where are the blind spots? Play 5: Are we skipping steps? Evaluate our "program first" discipline Milestone: "SPP Drafted" (play milestone) or "SPP Complete" (builder milestone) Strategic direction is defined. Leadership is aligned. Ready for offer design. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 4: NON-BINDING TERM SHEET QLP Step 4 | Book Chapter 5 | Duration: 3-5 days Single Job: Build a clear, professional Term Sheet that communicates your partnership offer — gets prospective partners to yes or no in hours, not months. What you'll need: Strategic Partnering Plan (from PB3) Company Positioning (A1 ella-ment) Brand Voice & Partnership Value Proposition (C1 ella-ment) IPP Company Profile and Leader Persona (from PB2) Legal/compliance input for deal terms What this creates: Non-Binding Term Sheet Template (1-2 pages): - Company Section (vision, mission, values, why partnerships matter) - Opportunity Section (partnership type, value prop, use cases, timeline) - Qualifications Section (required vs. preferred partner attributes) - Relationship Goals Section (primary objectives, success timeline) - Team Structure Section (who's on your team, expected partner team structure) - Communication Expectations Section (meeting cadence, format, reporting) - Deal Terms Section (compensation, payment terms, volume expectations, term length, exclusivity, territory, customer responsibility) - For Consideration Section (future topics for discussion) Instructions for customizing term sheet per partner opportunity Companion guide on how to discuss terms and handle objections Playbooks within PB4: 2 plays Play 1: Structure our offer into an 8-component Term Sheet (the action play) Play 2: Translate our goals into terms partners will accept Milestone: "Term Sheet Ready" — Partnership offer is clear. Ready for sourcing. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 1 GATE CHECK Before moving to Section 2 (Recruit & Close), confirm you have: ✓ Partnership type chosen (PB1) ✓ ICP built from real customer data (PB1) ✓ Partner Ecosystem mapped (PB2) ✓ IPP Company and Leader profiles defined (PB2) ✓ SPP written and ratified by leadership (PB3) ✓ Term Sheet template created and reviewed (PB4) If any of these are missing, go back. ================================================================================ SECTION 2: RECRUIT & CLOSE ================================================================================ Section Purpose: Find, evaluate, and sign your first 2-4 partners using systematic sourcing, objective scoring, and value-based negotiation. This phase turns strategy into relationships. When to run this: Weeks 5-11 of partnership program (after Section 1 gate is clear) Prerequisite: All of Section 1 complete Playbooks in this section: PB5 — Partner Candidate Identification (Sourcing) PB6 — Partner Candidate Evaluation PB7 — Partnership Agreement Negotiation & Execution Total Playbooks: 3 QLP Steps covered: Steps 5, 6, 7 (the recruitment and closing phase) Book Chapters covered: Chapter 6 (sourcing and discovery) Chapter 7 (evaluation and scoring) Chapter 8 (negotiation and agreement) Duration Guidance: Typical pace: 3-6 weeks Intensive pace (with dedicated team): 2-3 weeks Recommendation: 4-5 weeks allows time for discovery conversations What you're building: Qualified candidate list (20+ potential partners) Discovery call notes and evaluation assessments Partner scoring assessments and shortlist Negotiation matrices and deal structure analysis Signed partnership agreements (with 2-4 partners) Success criteria for Section 2: ✓ Sourced 20+ candidates from multiple channels ✓ Conducted discovery calls with 10+ candidates ✓ Created objective scoring assessments (not gut-feel decisions) ✓ Shortlisted 5-10 high-probability partners ✓ Negotiated and signed agreements with 2-4 partners ✓ Both parties feel the deal is fair and achievable ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 5: PARTNER CANDIDATE IDENTIFICATION (SOURCING) QLP Step 5 | Book Chapter 6 | Duration: 2-4 days per play Single Job: Source 20+ qualified partner candidates from multiple channels using your IPP as the filter — systematically, not through cold outreach or guesswork. What you'll need: Ideal Partner Profile (IPP Company and Leader from PB2) Non-Binding Term Sheet (from PB4) — have this ready to share 6 sourcing channels: Partner marketplaces, industry directories, referrals, analyst reports, trade events, competitive intelligence What this creates: Candidate List (20+ potential partners with contact info) Qualified target list ranked by fit against IPP criteria Discovery Call Script with proven question sequence Playbooks within PB5: 2 plays Play 1: Generate 20+ candidates from our IPP (the action play) Play 2: Design discovery call questions for first conversations Milestone: None at playbook level (no formal celebration point) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 6: PARTNER CANDIDATE EVALUATION QLP Step 6 | Book Chapter 7 | Duration: 2-4 days per play Single Job: Score and prioritize partner candidates using objective criteria — the Partner Scoring Tool and Partner Preparation Sheet — so you invest time only in high-probability relationships. What you'll need: Candidate List with discovery call notes (from PB5) Partner Scoring criteria and scoring tool Red flag evaluation framework IPP Company and Leader profiles (for comparison) What this creates: Individual partner scoring assessments Batch shortlisting: Pursue / Park / No-Go categorization Red flag evaluation reports High-probability shortlist (5-10 partners to pursue) Playbooks within PB6: 3 plays Play 1: Score this partner from our call notes Play 2: Organize our candidates into Pursue / Park / No-Go (the action play) Play 3: Evaluate red flags for this specific partner Milestone: "Shortlist Finalized" — Top candidates selected. Ready for negotiation. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 7: PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT NEGOTIATION & EXECUTION QLP Step 7 | Book Chapter 8 | Duration: 4-6 days per play Single Job: Negotiate and close partnership agreements using value-trading principles — so both parties commit to a deal that actually works. What you'll need: Shortlist from PB6 (5-10 high-probability partners) Non-Binding Term Sheet (from PB4) — use as negotiation starting point Strategic Partnering Plan (from PB3) — reference for your priorities Legal/compliance review capability What this creates: Negotiation Matrix for each partner (your needs, wants, and limits) Wish List (what you'd ideally like vs. what you must have) Contract review assessment (alignment with Term Sheet principles) Exclusivity analysis (what makes sense for your partnership type) Objection preparation (coaching on common objections) Signed partnership agreements (2-4 partners) Playbooks within PB7: 5 plays Play 1: Build my Negotiation Matrix for this partner Play 2: Teach me value trading and build my Wish List Play 3: Review our draft contract against Partnernomics principles Play 4: Evaluate exclusivity options for this deal Play 5: Role-play objections and coach me on responses (the action play) Milestone: "Agreement Signed" — Partnership terms are agreed. Both parties are committed. Ready for First 90-Days Plan. ================================================================================ SECTION 3: LAUNCH & MANAGE ================================================================================ Section Purpose: Activate partnerships with clear plans and establish ongoing accountability so they generate results from day 1 instead of slow-ramping for 6 months. When to run this: Weeks 1-2 of each partnership (immediately after agreement signed) Ongoing throughout partnership (monthly and quarterly) Prerequisite: Partnership agreement signed Playbooks in this section: PB8 — First 90-Days Plan Launch PB9 — Partner Business Reviews Total Playbooks: 2 QLP Steps covered: Steps 8, 9 (the launch and management phase) Book Chapters covered: Chapter 9 (first 90-day launch strategy and execution) Chapter 10 (ongoing business review discipline) Duration Guidance: First 90-Days Plan: 3-5 days to design (then 90 days to execute) Partner Business Reviews: 1 hour per month (ongoing) Recommendation: Establish rhythm by Month 1, maintain it forever What you're building: First 90-Days Plan (per partner): - Contacts & Governance structure - Goals & Milestones (quarterly breakdown) - Metrics & Dashboards setup - Communication cadence (weekly/monthly/quarterly) - Onboarding & Administration checklist Partner Business Review discipline: - Structured PBR agenda template - Scorecard for tracking partner performance - Monthly health summaries Success criteria for Section 3: ✓ First 90-Days Plan shared 5+ days before partner kickoff ✓ Kickoff meeting held with partner team (Week 1) ✓ Team introductions and role clarity established ✓ Metrics dashboard set up and initial data flowing ✓ Monthly Partner Business Reviews established and running ✓ Partners know exactly what success looks like (not guessing) ✓ Early wins identified and celebrated ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 8: FIRST 90-DAYS PLAN LAUNCH QLP Step 8 | Book Chapter 9 | Duration: 3-5 days (per partner) Single Job: Activate each new partnership with a detailed 6-component plan — roles, goals, metrics, cadence, onboarding — so you generate results from day 1 instead of slow-ramping for 6 months. What you'll need: Signed partnership agreement Strategic Partnering Plan (from PB3) — reference for goals Team rosters from both organizations Initial partner feedback on goals and approach What this creates: Customized First 90-Days Plan (per partner, 3-5 pages): 1. Contacts & Governance (team members, decision authority, RACI) 2. Goals & Milestones (adapted SPP goals into 3-month action plan) 3. Metrics & Dashboards (leading and lagging indicators per goal) 4. Communication Cadence (weekly/monthly/quarterly meeting schedule) 5. Onboarding & Administration (tax forms, access, training, integrations) 6. For Consideration (future opportunities if both parties agree) Role-Based Pairing Map (peer-to-peer relationships beyond primary contact) Optional: Service Partner Implementation Plan (for co-delivery partnerships) Playbooks within PB8: 3 plays Play 1: Build the First 90-Days Plan for this partner (the action play) Play 2: Design the role-based pairing map (peer-to-peer relationships) Play 3: Build client onboarding and implementation plan (Service partners only) Milestone: "Launch Plan Ready" — 90-day roadmap is set. Ready for kickoff. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 9: PARTNER BUSINESS REVIEWS (PBR) QLP Step 9 | Book Chapter 10 | Duration: 1 hour per month (ongoing) Single Job: Establish and run a structured Partner Business Review rhythm — so partnerships stay healthy, performance issues surface early, and both parties stay accountable. What you'll need: First 90-Days Plan goals and metrics (from PB8) Performance data (partner-sourced leads, revenue, activity metrics) Partner feedback and observations Previous month's PBR notes What this creates: PBR Agenda Template (5-component structured format): 1. Lightning Round (quick personal check-in) 2. Headline News (what went well, what didn't, surprises) 3. Scoreboard (review metrics against targets: Red/Yellow/Green) 4. Open Mic (partner brings issues/ideas, you bring issues/ideas) 5. To-Do's (confirm action items, owners, due dates) PBR Scorecard template (visual tracking of metrics) Program Health Summary (3-area framework: Recruiting, Engagement, Revenue) Monthly health tracking to spot trends Playbooks within PB9: 2 plays Play 1: Design my PBR agenda and scorecard (the action play) Play 2: Summarize program health for this PBR Milestone: "PBR Rhythm Set" — Monthly meeting structure established. Accountability discipline in place. ================================================================================ SECTION 4: SCALE & OPTIMIZE ================================================================================ Section Purpose: Measure what matters, identify what's working, and make data-driven decisions to grow from 2-4 partners to 8-10. When to run this: Month 6+ of partnership program (once you have 6+ months of data) Quarterly (ongoing, each quarter) Prerequisite: PBR rhythm established, metrics flowing Playbooks in this section: PB10 — Performance Tracking & Optimization Total Playbooks: 1 QLP Steps covered: Step 10 (the final step: measuring and scaling) Book Chapters covered: Chapter 11 (lifecycle performance tracking, optimization, scaling) Duration Guidance: Dashboard setup: 4-6 days Monthly maintenance: 2-4 hours Quarterly analysis: 4-6 hours (leadership team) Recommendation: Establish monthly and quarterly rhythm What you're building: Partner Program Dashboard (3-area tracking): - Recruiting metrics (candidate pipeline, partners signed, recruitment efficiency) - Engagement metrics (partner-sourced leads, joint activities, satisfaction) - Revenue metrics (partner-sourced revenue, CAC comparison, close rates) Quarterly optimization report (identifying what to do more/less of) Quarterly leadership report (executive summary for board) Partner success stories / case studies (proof for marketing and recruitment) Success criteria for Section 4: ✓ Dashboard created and accessible to entire partnership team ✓ All 3 areas tracked with leading and lagging indicators ✓ Metrics ladder up to SPP goals ✓ Dashboard updated monthly (not quarterly) ✓ Team can quickly identify what's working (green) and what needs attention (red) ✓ Data-driven decisions replace gut-feel decisions ✓ Program scaled to 8-10 active partners with predictable results ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLAYBOOK 10: PERFORMANCE TRACKING & OPTIMIZATION QLP Step 10 | Book Chapter 11 | Duration: Ongoing (monthly/quarterly) Single Job: Build your data infrastructure across Recruiting, Engagement, and Revenue — then use it to make decisions that grow the program from 2-4 partners to 8-10. What you'll need: Partnership Program Vision & Goals (from PB3 / A2 ella-ment) Strategic Partnering Plan goals and targets (from PB3) First 90-Days Plans for each partner (from PB8) — goals and metrics CRM access (to pull partner-sourced revenue, pipeline, close rates) Partner management system or tracking spreadsheet Sales team input on partnership performance What this creates: Partner Program Dashboard (3 areas, multiple metrics each): AREA 1: Recruiting (how many partners are you signing?) - Leading indicators: candidates identified, discovery calls, proposals sent - Lagging indicators: new partners signed, active partner count, retention rate - Targets: new partners/month, recruitment efficiency - Dashboard elements: funnel, growth trajectory, status snapshot, forecast AREA 2: Engagement (how active are your partners?) - Leading indicators: partner-sourced leads, joint activities, training completion - Lagging indicators: deals in pipeline, partner satisfaction, activity level - Targets: leads/month per partner, joint activity targets, engagement %, satisfaction - Dashboard elements: leads per partner trend, engagement heatmap, activity tracker AREA 3: Revenue (how much revenue are partners generating?) - Leading indicators: qualified leads, lead-to-opportunity conversion, sales cycle - Lagging indicators: partner-sourced revenue/month, % of total bookings, CAC - Targets: revenue targets, revenue %, CAC reduction %, close rate improvement - Dashboard elements: revenue trend, top revenue partners, CAC comparison, forecast Optimization Trigger Framework: - RED metrics (30-40% below target): Immediate analysis and action - YELLOW metrics (10-20% below target): Plan optimization and adjustment - GREEN metrics (on-target): Celebrate and analyze scalability Quarterly Leadership Report (executive summary, trends, recommendations) Partner Success Stories / Case Studies (proof of partnership value) Playbooks within PB10: 4 plays Play 1: Build the 3-area tracking dashboard (the action play) Play 2: Identify optimization moves from our data Play 3: Create a quarterly report for leadership Play 4: Build a partner success story / case study Milestone: "Dashboard Running" — Data infrastructure is live. You have visibility. ================================================================================ FLOW SUMMARY ================================================================================ How the 4 sections flow together: SECTION 1: PLAN YOUR PROGRAM (Weeks 1-6) Build your foundation │ ├─ Program First, Partners Second GATE │ SECTION 2: RECRUIT & CLOSE (Weeks 5-11) Find and sign 2-4 partners │ SECTION 3: LAUNCH & MANAGE (Weeks 1+ per partnership, ongoing) Activate each partnership with a clear plan Monthly: Run Partner Business Reviews │ SECTION 4: SCALE & OPTIMIZE (Month 6+, ongoing quarterly) Use data to grow from 2-4 to 8-10 partners Quarterly: Leadership reporting, optimization decisions Total Timeline: 90 days to launch first partners, 12 months to scale to 8-10. ================================================================================ SUMMARY STATISTICS ================================================================================ Total Playbooks: 10 Section 1: 4 playbooks Section 2: 3 playbooks Section 3: 2 playbooks Section 4: 1 playbook Total Plays: 37+ (across all playbooks) Builder plays: 6 Action plays: 21 Sharpening plays: 10+ QLP Steps: 10 (exact 1:1 match) Book Chapters: Chapters 2-11 (all customer-facing content) Typical Timeline: Planning phase: 2-6 weeks (Section 1) Recruitment phase: 3-6 weeks (Section 2) First partner launch: 1-2 weeks (Section 3) Ongoing management: Monthly (Section 3 ongoing) Optimization & scaling: Quarterly (Section 4 ongoing) Total program setup time: 6-12 weeks Ongoing operations: 8-12 hours per month (PBRs, metrics, reporting) Version: 1.0 Date: 2026-02-12 Status: Complete ================================================================================ END OF SECTION GUIDE ================================================================================