The Future of Partner Marketing: 6 Takeaways from the webinar Webinar

Partner marketing is entering a new era. 

As channel ecosystems evolve, indirect go-to-market motions are becoming more complex, digital-first, and data-driven. For vendors and their partners, this means traditional tactics are no longer enough. 

In a recent webinar exploring The Future of Partner Marketing, we brought together three industry experts to unpack the realities of this shift: 

• Jay McBain (Canalys) 

• Andrew Kisslo (SAP) 

• Tom Perry (Sherpa) 

Together, they explored what’s changing in the channel, what partner marketers need to stop doing, and where forward-thinking vendors should focus next. 

Here are six takeaways that capture what the future looks like: 

1) Most Partners aren't ready for the 28 moments

Buyers now engage across 28 digital and human touchpoints before talking to sales. Yet most partners are only showing up in a handful of them—if any. 

Jay McBain explained: "You can literally map a customer’s journey across these moments and see where partners, hyperscalers, and marketplaces influence decisions long before a salesperson is involved." 

Tom Perry grounded it in the data: “Only 20% of partners have the right material on their websites. If they’re not digitally present, they’re invisible during these key moments." 

2) Ai is a multiplier, but only with strategy 

AI can help partners scale faster and smarter, but only when used with intention. 

Andrew Kisslo shared how SAP is piloting agentic AI tools: “Partners can say, 'I’m in retail, in the Nordics, with X budget' and instantly get tailored campaign plays." 

Tom Perry added: “We use AI to assess partner alignment—not just to produce content but to guide investment decisions." 

3) Marketing doesn't stop at the scale, it starts there

Acquisition is just the beginning in a SaaS world. 

Jay McBain: "Winning a customer is just winning the first 30 days. After that, vendors are expected to renew at 108%." 

Andrew Kisslo reinforced the shift: “We’re measuring account-level engagement—it’s about scoring signals from the full buying group, not just top-of-funnel activity." 

4) Co-sell, Marketplaces and P2P are the new normal 

Channel is no longer just vendor-to-partner. It’s partner-to-partner, ecosystem-to-ecosystem. 

Andrew Kisslo summed it up: “The partner of my partner is now my partner. These relationships extend reach and speed up innovation." 

Tom Perry highlighted the operational shift: “We're seeing real demand for co-marketing enablement. But most partners still need help aligning on message, motion, and marketplace presence." 

5) Partner Marketing Needs Orchestration, Not Guesswork

Data isn’t optional anymore—it’s the baseline. 

Jay McBain shared: "There are only about 1,000 true watering holes in tech. If you know where influence happens, you can prioritise smartly." 

Andrew Kisslo added: “One of the biggest risks is multiple teams showing up uncoordinated. Orchestration matters to protect trust and improve conversion." 

6) Technology can scale, but trust still wins

AI can get you in the room. But trust is what gets you chosen. 

Tom Perry: “We’re seeing more demand for peer-to-peer and community-led marketing. The human element is back in focus." 

Andrew Kisslo: “You’re not buying a million-dollar ERP system with a credit card. Humans still validate strategic decisions." 

Watch the full conversation:

It’s a fast-paced, insight-rich session on what’s next for partner marketing, and how Sherpa, SAP, and Canalys see the landscape evolving. 

Coming soon: the full blueprint

Sherpa will soon be releasing The Future of Partner Marketing Blueprint — a practical playbook built from this webinar and insights from our 2025 Partner Marketing Benchmark. 

It covers: 

• How to address digital readiness gaps 

• Where AI and data can unlock scale 

• How to build lifecycle partner programs 

• Enabling co-sell, marketplaces and P2P 

• Why trust and Partner Concierge models matter 

Contact us below if you want a copy sent to your inbox.