---
name: partner-activation-planner
description: >
  This skill plans partner activation programmes including co-marketing,
  co-selling, and integration partnerships. Use when asked to design a partner
  programme, plan a co-sell motion, or structure a technology partnership.
  Also consider when exploring channel sales as a growth lever.
  Suggest when partnership discussions begin without a structured plan.
department: sales
agent: business-development
version: 1.0.0
complexity: medium
related-skills:
  - ../partner-activation-executor/SKILL.md
  - ../../../sales/vp-sales/opportunity-framer-sales/SKILL.md
triggers:
  - "plan partner activation"
  - "partner activation plan"
  - "design partner launch"
  - "partner go-live plan"
  - "partner activation strategy"
---

# partner-activation-planner

## Agent: Business Development

L2 business development manager (1x) responsible for partner activation planning and execution.

Department ethos: [ideal-sales.md](../../../../departments/sales/ideal-sales.md)

## Skill Description

Plans partner activation programmes including co-marketing, co-selling, and integration partnerships with defined milestones, revenue targets, and enablement requirements.

## When to Use

- When a new partnership agreement has been signed and an activation plan is needed to generate pipeline.
- When evaluating whether a potential partner is worth investing in and a structured plan is needed to assess ROI.
- When an existing partnership is underperforming and requires a revised activation strategy.

## Workflow

1. **Partner Assessment**: Evaluate the partner across fit dimensions: customer overlap (shared ICP), technical complementarity (integration value), go-to-market alignment (shared sales motion), and strategic value (market access, credibility). Deliverable: partner fit scorecard.
2. **Programme Design**: Design the activation programme type: co-sell (joint pipeline, shared deals), co-market (joint campaigns, content, events), technology integration (API, marketplace listing), or channel/reseller. Define the revenue model (referral fees, revenue share, reseller margin). Deliverable: programme design document with revenue model.
3. **Milestone and Target Setting**: Set quarterly milestones: joint pipeline generated, co-marketed leads, integration completion dates, and revenue targets. Define success criteria for the first 90 days that determine whether to scale investment. Deliverable: milestone plan with 90-day success gates.
4. **Enablement Planning**: Define what each side needs to enable the other: partner sales training, technical documentation, demo environments, and joint battle cards. Assign owners and deadlines for each enablement deliverable. Deliverable: mutual enablement plan.
5. **Governance Structure**: Define the operating cadence: weekly pipeline syncs, monthly business reviews, quarterly executive check-ins. Assign partnership owners on both sides. Deliverable: governance framework with meeting cadence and escalation path.

## Anti-Patterns

- **Partnership without pipeline targets**: Signing a partnership agreement without defining specific pipeline and revenue targets. *Why*: partnerships without targets become logo-exchange exercises that consume time without generating measurable business impact.
- **Equal investment in all partners**: Investing the same resources in every partnership regardless of fit score or revenue potential. *Why*: partner programmes have diminishing returns; concentrating resources on the top 3 partners by fit score produces more pipeline than spreading thin across 10.
- **Skipping mutual enablement**: Assuming the partner's sales team will figure out how to sell your product without training. *Why*: partner reps default to selling what they know; without enablement, your product never gets positioned in their deals.

## Output

**On success**: Produces a partner activation plan containing fit scorecard, programme design, milestone plan with 90-day gates, mutual enablement plan, and governance framework. Delivered to VP Sales and the partner's counterpart for alignment.

**On failure**: Report which planning element could not be completed (e.g., partner unwilling to commit to targets, technical integration infeasible), what was explored, and recommended alternative partnership structures.

## Related Skills

- [`partner-activation-executor`](../partner-activation-executor/SKILL.md) -- Executes the activation plan this skill produces.
- [`opportunity-framer-sales`](../../../sales/vp-sales/opportunity-framer-sales/SKILL.md) -- Provides the sales motion context that partner activation aligns to.