Most partner teams don’t have a demand problem — they have a reporting and attribution problem.

In this episode, Rick sits down with Michael Venman, Founder of The Sales Nerd, to unpack why partner revenue so often gets lost inside CRM systems, conflicting definitions, and undefined SLAs.

Michael shares practical insight on:
• Why deal registration architecture determines whether you can prove ROI
• How misaligned sales and partner teams create attribution chaos
• Where partner data should actually live inside your CRM
• What private equity firms and executives expect when they ask for clean funnel reporting

If you’ve ever struggled to defend partner-sourced revenue, align on who gets credit, or produce reporting leadership actually trusts, this conversation will give you a clearer framework.

This episode is for partner marketing leaders who want attribution that holds up, reporting that’s defensible, and a partner motion that drives measurable pipeline.

Partner collaboration doesn’t fail because partners aren’t willing—it fails because internal teams aren’t aligned. In this episode of Never GTM Alone, veteran partner marketing leaders Christine White and Angela Heenan break down what it actually takes to build collaboration that scales, inside the company and across the ecosystem.

They unpack why internal collaboration with sales, ops, and content teams is often harder than working with partners—and why it’s the foundation for external success. From leading without authority to setting clear cadences, accountability, and expectations, this conversation moves beyond theory into real, repeatable execution.

Listeners will learn how to assess partner maturity, run collaboration like a program (not a one-off), and create trust-driven relationships that drive pipeline, ROI, and long-term impact. This episode is a practical guide for partner marketers who need collaboration to move faster, prove value, and scale without burning out.

Partner marketing isn’t a support function—it’s a leadership role. In this episode, Michelle Zhang shares how she approaches alliances marketing as the CMO of the partner business, owning everything from joint narrative and value creation to internal activation and execution.

Drawing from experience across large enterprises and fast-moving startups, Michelle breaks down what it really takes to build high-impact technology alliances: activating sales and product teams, prioritizing the right partners, and creating “one-plus-one-equals-four” value for customers. She explains why partner marketers can’t wait for permission, how to navigate internal politics, and how to scale programs without reinventing the wheel every time.

The conversation also tackles burnout, ownership, and why the best partner marketers succeed by inspiring the rest of the organization to move with them—proving that you’re never truly going to market alone when alliances are done right.