---
title: "The Future of Partner Marketing: 6 Takeaways from the webinar Webinar"
description: Discover the future of partner marketing with insights on AI, digital touchpoints, co-selling, and trust from industry experts in our webinar recap.
---

[Sherpa Insights ](https://www.thesherpagroup.com/insights)

# [The Future of Partner Marketing: 6 Takeaways from the webinar Webinar](https://www.thesherpagroup.com/insights/the-future-of-partner-marketing-6-takeaways-from-the-webinar)

 Written by [Thomas Harrison](https://www.thesherpagroup.com/insights/author/thomas-harrison) | Aug 21, 2025 12:43:49 PM

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

- 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 he 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, 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. 

[View full post](https://www.thesherpagroup.com/insights/the-future-of-partner-marketing-6-takeaways-from-the-webinar)

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