We recently conducted some research into the skills needed for success in partner marketing. In doing this research, we discovered that field and partner marketing teams are being merged and while this may seem necessary due to budget pressures, it’s detrimental to partner teams who require specialist skills to drive success in channel and ecosystem marketing.

We know that career paths into partner marketing aren’t represented as well as field marketing roles, so we wanted to shine some light on the skills needed and the opportunities available in this area for any aspiring marketers out there looking for a pathway into a dynamic and rewarding career.

We spoke to a Distribution & Partner Program Marketing Specialist about their journey so far and the advice they would give to anyone looking to pursue a career in partner marketing.

When did you start working in a partner or ecosystem marketing role, and what was your career path?

‘I started working with partners in my GTM marketing role, mostly with partners aligned to our networking GTM. I struggled initially as I was not clear about how these partners truly fit into our strategy and how we actually added value together; it was relatively light touch – mainly 1+1 = 2. Sell with, with little integration into our true value together.

I joined the partner marketing team, aligned to the Cisco partnership in 2019. There was an open role in the partner marketing team, and I had a colleague in the team who supported this decision and was instrumental in guiding me in the new role. I did some work with Dell Technologies in 2022/2023 and returned to Cisco in 2024.

It was a real learning curve – working with people outside of my organisation, building relationships, really understanding how the partner and our organisation, could add more value, together. Our longstanding partnership with Cisco made this easier – but I struggled at first to really understand how this role was different, how to navigate, finding alignment, and working together.‘

What skills or strengths do you possess that you feel have helped you in your role?

‘Negotiation skills, good interpersonal skills, and the ability to build strong, honest and open relationships. When your objectives with your partner is aligned, it is exciting to work together towards these joint goals. The ability to engage across many different areas, different business areas, globally and in region.’

What advice would you give to anyone looking to pursue a role in partner or ecosystem marketing?

‘Consider the company strategy alignment with that partner. Good alignment with portfolio teams, and alignment in strategy really helps to achieve your partner marketing goals.‘

What do you love about working in this area of marketing?

‘I think partner relationships and GTM opportunities are undervalued. We have huge opportunities to leverage partner market presence and existing client relationships. I have a personal goal to really elevate the internal awareness of our Cisco partnership, within NTT DATA and Cisco in the next 12 months, and this is something exciting and interesting – a great part of the job.’

If you’d love to venture into the world of partner and ecosystem marketing, a great place to start would be our CIM Accredited online courses.

Read our first interview here: Maryam’s Journey to Partner Marketing