As ecosystems evolve, indirect go-to-market motions are becoming more complex, digital-first, and data-driven. Traditional tactics aren’t keeping pace — and channel leaders know it.
In this year’s Sherpa Channel Marketing Leaders Survey, a majority of respondents plan to increase investment in partner marketing. But behind that optimism lies a familiar tension: scaling smarter, not just spending more.
At our recent Future of Partner Marketing event, industry leaders from SAP, Canalys, and Sherpa explored what partner marketing needs to stop doing — and where smart vendors should focus next.
This report is based on insight from senior partner and channel marketing leaders at global technology firms across North America, EMEA, and APAC — including VPs of Partner Marketing, Directors of Channel Strategy, and Regional Marketing Leads.
Their input reveals:
At The Sherpa Group, we believe smarter partnerships are guided by data and delivered by experts. This report brings together market signals and strategic context to help channel leaders shape what’s next — and to inform how Sherpa evolves its Partner Marketing services for 2026.
An overwhelming 97% of respondents cited driving partner-led pipeline as a top strategic focus over the next 12–24 months.
This reflects a clear shift toward performance marketing — where results, not reach, define success.
Sherpa’s take: The pipeline conversation is evolving from volume to value. It's no longer just about generating leads, but enabling the right partners to convert the right demand — with better targeting, content, and sales alignment.
ABM is on the rise:
Sherpa’s take: Without measurement, ABM is just messaging. Partner marketers need frameworks that align content, data, and campaigns — and surface what’s working. Our approach to ABM enables both personalisation and performance visibility at scale.
While 81% are still recruiting, most are targeting specific capability or geographic gaps — not expanding broadly.
Key barriers include:
Sherpa’s take: Recruitment is becoming precision-led. It’s about fit, not volume — and vendors need tools to identify, activate, and enable the highest-potential partners with speed and clarity.
Respondents are beginning to invest in more sophisticated tactics:
Sherpa’s take: AI is not the strategy — it’s the amplifier. From scoring partner potential to streamlining execution, our technology-powered programs help clients work smarter, not harder.
Top challenges to partner-led demand generation include:
Sherpa’s take: These are solvable problems — but only with better orchestration. Our Momentum Methodology connects insight, activation, and delivery, giving partner leaders visibility and control across the entire funnel.
Beyond the big themes, the survey surfaced some surprising signals — areas where partner marketing strategy is evolving fast, or where gaps remain. Here are six stats that should give channel leaders pause — and a reason to act.
But only 16% expect a significant increase — indicating pressure to do more with marginally more budget.
This alignment gap is a major blocker to ABM and demand generation success.
Without this, it’s hard to scale programs or predict performance.
Despite ABM being a clear focus, fewer than half are executing at the most strategic level.
Despite AI and digital channels growing, traditional formats remain a key pillar of partner engagement.
While AI is a dominant industry conversation, actual adoption in partner marketing is still emerging.
The survey confirms what many partner marketing leaders already sense: the fundamentals of ecosystem growth are shifting. Traditional approaches — ad hoc campaigns, generic enablement, pipeline guesswork — are no longer enough.
Here’s what the data tells us you should focus on, and how to turn those insights into action.
It’s not just about generating more leads — it’s about enabling the right partners with the right campaigns. Leaders need structured, scalable demand programs that partners can activate confidently.
Joint programs need more than funding. They need orchestration — clear value propositions, coordinated motions, and aligned execution between vendors, partners, and ecosystems.
Without better insight, you can’t prioritise effectively. Data-driven partner intelligence is the new baseline — for recruitment, enablement, and marketing performance.
Content needs to cut through and connect — not just exist. The winners will build programs that blend digital, creative, and experiential engagement.
Partner teams can’t do it all — and shouldn’t try. Outsourcing execution and providing concierge-style support can free up leaders to focus on strategy and growth.
Every challenge revealed in this survey is solvable. The leaders who will thrive in 2026 will be those who combine data, orchestration, and execution at scale.
Sherpa’s role? To help you get there — guided by data, delivered by experts.
Looking for support? Reach out here and a friendly member of the team will be in touch to help.
The future of partner marketing is clear: leaders must combine data, orchestration, and execution to unlock growth.
The survey shows where the gaps are. The question is — what will you do about them?
Here are four ways to continue the journey:
Most partner campaigns stall. We’ll show you what works. For $25K, Sherpa delivers a full campaign — powered by EdisonAI, built for conversion, and executed end-to-end.
Already 430+ professionals strong, this free community is where partner marketers connect, share, and grow.
73% of partners aren’t ready for advanced programs. Where do yours stand?
The 2025 Partner Marketing Benchmark Report covers 18,593 partners across 177 regions — giving you the data to sharpen investment.
Built from our webinar with SAP, Canalys, and Sherpa, this ungated guide shows what’s changing in the channel — and how to adapt in 2026.
AI and data reshaping prioritisation
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