The Joe Reis Show The Playbook for Building Winning Partnerships in Data & AI with Eleanor Thompson
Aug 27, 2025
Eleanor Thompson, a partnerships guru from London and founder of Branchworks, dives deep into the art of building thriving partnerships in the data and AI spheres. She highlights her '4A' framework—Alignment, Ability, Audience, Accountability—as essential for choosing partners wisely. Eleanor also unveils how AI can pinpoint ideal collaborators and predicts their future success. Moreover, she draws intriguing parallels between entrepreneurship and high-intensity fitness, emphasizing the mental resilience essential for both.
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Partnerships Multiply Reach And LTV
- Partnerships massively expand go-to-market reach by adding partners' sales teams and regional capabilities.
- Partner-driven leads commonly convert better and have higher lifetime value than direct leads.
Delay Partner Hiring Until Product-Market Fit
- Wait to pursue partners until you have ~15 paying customers, product-market fit, and a couple of salespeople.
- You must know your objections, fit, and positioning before you can train partners effectively.
Use The 4A Framework For Partner Fit
- Define an Ideal Partner Profile using Alignment, Ability, Audience, and Accountability.
- Use that 4A framework to pick partners who share goals, skills, customers, and communication expectations.