This is the new era, where productivity reigns supreme, and the ability to automate workflows has become a game-changer for startups and agencies alike. At BlackCube Labs, we understand the dynamic landscape of partnerships and the critical role they play in establishing digital ecosystems that can adapt and thrive. In this post, we'll walk you through a transformative automation process that revitalizes partnership management, streamlining the stages from kick-off to keeping your potential partners engaged with automatic email follow-ups.
Why automate your partnership workflow?
At BlackCube Labs, we boast over 40 partnerships with strategic allies, technical partners, and affiliates we genuinely believe in (you can find all the benefits and perks from our partners here). However, managing these relationships can be quite time-consuming and, at times, overwhelming. Automating the partnership funnel is not just about saving time, but it's also about ensuring that no opportunity slips through the cracks.
This approach is critical for startups and agencies looking to build strategic technical partnerships. Imagine being able to focus on nurturing relationships and crafting compelling value propositions, while automating the repetition of outreach and follow-up task
The building blocks of our automation system
1. Creating Your Partner Database
The first step in this automation is to build a structured partner database. Here’s how we did it at BlackCube Labs:
- Platform choice: we opted for Google Sheets, a highly accessible option for managing data. However, alternatives like Notion or Airtable could also serve as solid databases
- Key Metrics: construct columns that capture essential information such as the partner's name, location, key decision-maker, and email
The quality of your data directly impacts the effectiveness of your automation, so ensure accuracy in this phase.
2. Automating Partner Qualification
Once your database is in place, the next step is to automate the qualification process. This involves filtering the prospective partners based on specific criteria:
- Automation logic: our system analyzes the database to check if certain conditions are met, like company name, email availability, and qualification status. If all requirements align, the system will signal that it's time to reach out.
This filtering helps ensure that you are targeting only the most promising leads, which maximizes your outreach efforts.
3. Crafting the Introduction Email
Once a partner is deemed suitable, the next phase involves crafting an introductory email:
- Using enhanced information: the automation pulls in additional information when necessary to enrich the proposal. This might involve using tools like Perplexity to gather data about the potential partner.
- Draft creation: the email will be generated in HTML code, ensuring it looks professional and appealing
That's not all! This draft will sit for five minutes for a quick review, giving you enough time to add personal touches before sending it. This is done on purpose. In our specific case, we manually move the potential partner from the PROSPECT to the QUALIFIED stage. We want to decide when it's the right moment to initiate a new partnership proposal and send an email about it.
4. Moving the Partner Through the Funnel
When the email is sent, it's key to update the status in your Google Sheet automatically, transitioning the partner from QUALIFIED to PROPOSAL stage. By doing so, you can ensure that the next automations identify where each partner stands in your funnel.
The Follow-Up: Maintaining Engagement
Partnerships thrive on consistent communication, and our automation doesn't stop at the initial email. Automatic follow-ups play a crucial role in bringing partners back to the conversation, ensuring they remain connected.
5. Scheduling Follow-Up Emails
If a week passes without a response, our system automatically triggers a follow-up email:
- Automated checks: it scans your partnership email account to see if any replies have come through. If there hasn't been any interaction, a follow-up email is generated
- Crafting the follow-up message: the follow-up isn't just an easy-to-forget "gentle reminder". Instead, it's a solid reiteration of the proposal's key points, reminding potential partners why the opportunity is valuable
6. Continuous Partner Nurturing
After sending a follow-up email, the automation allows for continuous engagement. If there's still no response, the system keeps track of the date and can generate reminders for additional follow-ups based on specified frequency. Such nurturing is essential for long-term partnerships, as it shows commitment and helps in building trust over time.
Conclusion: The Future of Partnership Automation
Today, startups and agencies can leverage partnership automation to create seamless digital ecosystems that foster growth and collaboration. By utilizing tools like AirTable, Google Sheets and integrating automated systems such as our partnership funnel automation on Make, you too can enhance productivity while ensuring that your outreach strategies adapt to the needs of your potential partners. We made a walk-through video. You can learn more about it here:
At BlackCube Labs, we're open to collaborating with you on developing customized solutions tailored to your unique use case. Automating your partnership funnel could just be the step you need to amplify growth and close more deals. If you're interested in discussing how we can work together, don't hesitate to reach out!
PS. In a world where every second counts, embracing workflow automation could be the key to unlocking new partnership opportunities. So, what are you waiting for? Let's automate, nurture, and thrive together!
