In this episode of the Unlearn podcast, hosts Asher Mathew and Kelly Sarabyn sit down with Mekaela Davis, Chief Partner Officer at Trintech.
With experience at both Big 4 consulting firms and enterprise software companies, Mekaela shares her unconventional journey to becoming a CPO. She discusses the diverse skills required and importance of executive-level accountability. Mekaela also offers insights into building a partner-first culture, optimizing ISV partnerships, and translating qualitative partnership impacts into compelling narratives. Mekaela is also recognized within the VISTA Equity portfolio as a trailblazer in the CPO role, responsible for scaling partnerships across her organization.
00:00 - Partnerships and alliances in scaling companies
04:40 - Career paths, including engineering, surgery, and partner operations
08:39 - Path to Chief Partnership Officer role
13:54 - Partnerships and integrations between tech companies
20:15 - Partner management challenges and solutions
26:52 - Partnerships, strategy, and becoming a Chief Partner Officer
31:00 - Partnerships, alliances, and 360-degree relationships in professional services
34:58 - Career progression and leadership role evolution
39:52 - Changes in role from SVP to CPO, including new responsibilities and expectations
44:37 - Leadership roles in partner programs, challenges faced by SVPs, and benefits of becoming a Chief Partner Officer
48:37 - Importance of CEO buy-in for partnership success
52:33 - Partner management and culture with a CEO and their team
Mekaela emphasized how crucial it is to establish a solid foundation for data analysis and decision-making. She pointed out that sales operations play a key role in fostering smooth collaboration between different teams and partners. She also shared her unique journey to becoming a Chief Partnership Officer (CPO), which included varied experiences in accounting, marketing, and business development. Asher added to the conversation by suggesting that CPOs are fundamentally business people who focus on solving business problems through partnerships, rather than merely tackling revenue issues.
Asher underscores how crucial partnerships are for driving revenue and scaling businesses. Mekaela talks about her diverse experience with different types of partnerships, such as GSIs, SSIs, and referral partnerships. She highlights the importance of ISP work, mentioning a successful collaboration with a software company owned by Next World Now. Mekaela also sees potential in taking a proactive approach to working with other tech companies to optimize integration and enhance customer experience.
Asher points out that customers want help managing multiple apps rather than figuring out their roadmaps, and that analysts prefer purpose-built solutions over generic ones. Mekaela highlights the importance of internal change management and cross-functional collaboration in partner leadership roles. She emphasizes building a culture that is partner-friendly and partner-first, and staying attuned to the changes and needs of partners across different channels.
Asher suggests focusing on persona-based marketing over use cases, and Mekaela agrees, seeing the value in this approach. Mekaela emphasizes the importance of triangulating efforts between the organization, partners, and customers to achieve better outcomes and then shares their journey to becoming a Chief Product Officer (CPO), offering valuable insights based on their experiences.
Mekaela describes her decision to leave a big consulting firm to join Trintech as "walking into the unknown," which she found attractive because it offered the chance to make a quick impact and work with a female CEO. She wanted to apply her skills and experience to a different scenario and level of maturity in an organization, with a strong focus on the people involved. Mekaela also discussed her career progression with her boss, Darren, and they agreed on a path for her advancement. Asher asked about the differences between the SVP and CPO roles, and Darren expressed gratitude for the opportunity to create a new role.
Mekaela highlights how partner relationships positively impact their business by increasing exposure and visibility, and creating opportunities for collaboration and learning. Kelly underscores the importance of effectively managing these relationships within a scaled ecosystem, noting the need to be the face of the program and maintain a strong network. Mekaela adds that formalizing the Chief Partnership Officer (CPO) role changes the dynamics, emphasizing the significance of partnerships. She also mentions that the CPO designation brings more seriousness and weight to partnership conversations.
Asher discusses the role of a Chief Partnership Officer (CPO) in balancing advisory and execution responsibilities, especially during board meetings. Mekaela highlights the opportunities for growth and learning within the partner ecosystem. Asher also emphasizes the importance of board meetings for prioritization and decision-making.
Asher mentions that board meetings require a different mindset, and KPIs alone aren't enough. Kelly adds that it's important to find ways to tell a compelling story around KPIs that resonate with the C-suite. While the CEO values partnerships, alignment with the CRO and CMO is crucial for success.
Mekaela highlights the importance of reinforcing the term "partner" throughout the organization through repetition. She and her team adhere to best practices and guidelines to ensure they provide the right information and support to the CEO. Mekaela also stresses the significance of listening and understanding in partnerships. Asher and Mekaela then delve into the importance of bookings targets as a measure of business success.
“Companies that get funded, say, here's a use case, and go sell it to one department, meaning one person. Then they go find other departments or other people in the same company and sell the same use case. So that's one way to build your business. The other way to build your business is you find a persona, and then you do everything for that person and make them look like a hero.” - Asher Mathew
"Building a truly partner-first culture requires constant reinforcement from the top down. As CPO, I work closely with our CEO to ensure partners are part of every communication, from company-wide emails to press interviews. It's about repetition so that partner-focus becomes second nature for our entire organization." - Mekaela Davis
"As someone who has worked at both startups and larger enterprises, I've seen it work both ways depending on the situation. At a young startup, focusing intensely on a niche persona is often the best strategy to quickly gain traction. But for a more established company, expanding into new use cases once the core product is established can also drive significant growth. It really comes down to understanding your unique market and customers at each stage of the business." - Kelly Sarabyn
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