At this year's Catalyst Summit, "Building Modern Businesses Through Partnerships," one message came through loud and clear: partner ecosystems are becoming strategically critical for sustained revenue growth, blending technology, trust, and territory into a single, scalable revenue engine.
Two major forces are driving this shift. First, a new generation of millennial and Gen Z buyers is transforming the B2B purchasing journey. Second, partners themselves are evolving from transactional "order takers" to consultative advisors, expanding their services to include advisory, design, implementation, and upsells and expecting to be rewarded based on the value they create rather than solely on point-of-sale commissions.
Here's how organizations are turning partner ecosystems into powerful, revenue-driving engines, reshaping go-to-market strategies for lasting impact.
The new B2B buyer
Millennials and Gen Z buyers now dominate B2B purchase decisions, utilizing generative AI and AI agents to research options and compile shortlists. Yet AI still faces trust barriers, so these buyers are looking beyond technology for guidance and turning to external voices such as partners, industry analysts, consultants, peers, and influencers.
In 2024, 35 percent of younger buyers reported involving ten or more external voices in their decision-making; Forrester predicts that it will rise to 50 percent in 2025¹. Comfortable with SaaS models, marketplaces, and AI tools, these buyers ultimately rely on ecosystems of trust to validate and finalize their choices. While AI may accelerate information gathering, it is the relationships within the extended partner network that truly shape buying decisions.
Partner-led revenue is the new norm
In today's B2B landscape, roughly 80% of deals involve some form of partner influence. This isn't just about referrals or integrations; it's about strategic collaboration throughout the entire sales process. Traditional direct-only sales motions are being disrupted by co-sell models that bring together vendors, partners, and direct and channel teams to jointly pursue opportunities.
This evolution also changes how value is measured. Instead of looking solely at closed-won deals, businesses are now tracking sourced revenue, attach rates, and partner engagement as key performance indicators. Organizations must redesign their GTM architecture to prioritize partner ecosystems as core revenue engines, not just as supporting functions, to stay competitive.
Navigating complexity with AI and focus
Modern GTM teams face immense complexity managing hundreds of partners, working across vast total addressable markets, and doing it all with lean teams and constrained budgets. Automation platforms are reducing manual workloads across partner onboarding, enablement, and attribution. Meanwhile, organizations are adopting fit-based engagement models that segment partners by strategic value, allowing teams to focus on the relationships that will drive the most impact. The ability to scale without sacrificing quality depends on this blend of intelligence and focus.
Bridging the gap between direct and partner teams
Despite widespread recognition of the importance of partner ecosystems, many companies still fall into the trap of treating partners as an afterthought. The result is a persistent disconnect between direct and partner sales and marketing teams, one that creates friction, slows down deal velocity, and leads to missed growth opportunities.
Solving this requires more than surface-level alignment; it demands a structural shift. Executive teams must drive cross-functional alignment around partner value, with regular GTM planning and shared accountability. Field teams need education and enablement that reflect a partner-inclusive approach. Marketing and sales processes must be configured to serve both direct and indirect motions, from shared campaign assets to integrated attribution models. Ultimately, organizations must strike a balance between the control offered by direct channels and the extended reach enabled by partners, recognizing that success lies in orchestration, not ownership.
Co-marketing as a strategic lever
The modern go-to-market strategy doesn't stop at enablement; it extends into brand building, community engagement, and joint storytelling. Co-marketing has matured to become a powerful lever, with partner-led campaigns generating up to three times more pipeline and significantly higher conversion rates than solo efforts.
Thought leadership, podcast appearances, event collaborations, and social storytelling are now critical marketing assets, not just nice-to-haves. Winning GTM teams are treating partner and channel marketing as a strategic investment, with living playbooks, coordinated content calendars, and a clear narrative that positions their ecosystem as a trusted source of insight and innovation.
¹ Forrester. Buying Networks: Your Buyers’ New Reality. April 1, 2025.
² Salesforce. Tech 2024.
The bottom line
Partner ecosystems are reshaping how B2B companies drive growth. It's not just about more reach — it's about smarter, more trusted, and more connected GTM execution. The companies that win will be the ones that embed ecosystem thinking deep into their strategy, culture, and operations, and design for collaboration, reach, and impact over control.
We're helping clients unlock new ways to drive impact through partner marketing. If you'd like a quick 20-minute overview of our latest thinking (or if you've got a challenge in your Partner Marketing strategy you need to crack), get in touch to set up a session.
