64% of New Business Came From Partners — How to Build a Partner Program That Compounds

In this Revenue Remix roundtable, Summer Poletti sits down with three operators who've built partner programs at different stages of growth. Pat Ferdig (25+ years in enterprise partner ecosystems), Danny Engels (SalesEQ co-founder scaling through strategic partnerships), and Kathey Palmer (Chief Growth Officer at Innova Payroll - recently acquired by UKG) growing 200% through partner-led revenue) break down why partnerships are the third way when outbound and inbound are broken.Key insight: 64% of Innova Payroll's new business last year came through partnersWhat You'll LearnWhy partner-led growth matters now: Outbound is noisy. Inbound is broken. Warm intros cut the line and get you on the shortlist before buyers even start evaluating.The partnership mistakes that kill momentum: Partners die on the vine when there's no strategy, no onboarding, no measurement. The difference between "partners in name only" and partners that actually refer.How to structure a partner program that scales: Intentional partner selection (ideal partner profile), mandatory onboarding within the first month, monthly cadence check-ins, go-to-market plans written and approved by both parties, partner tiering (A/B/C/D partners), and actual revenue tracking.Why your sales team is the linchpin (and how to support them): AEs are overwhelmed. Remove friction from partner tracking. Automate what you can. Teach reps how to find leads for partners, not just get them.How to measure partnership ROI: Track partner-sourced leads through specific links. Ask how prospects heard about you on sales calls (web leads are often partner referrals). Measure bookings AND revenue generated. If you're not showing the board partner program ROI, you're doing yourself a disservice.The real cost of not having a partner strategy: Companies competing in commoditized industries (like payroll) can't outspend ADP or Paychex on marketing. Partners become the growth engine. Without them, you're grinding harder for slower growth.Topics CoveredPartner-led growth strategy • B2B partnership models • Partner program structure • Ideal partner profile • Partner onboarding • Go-to-market strategy • Partner tiering • Revenue attribution • Sales team alignment • Early-stage partnerships • Enterprise partnerships • Partnership measurement • Partner activation • Growth-stage revenue systems • Outbound vs. inbound vs. partnerships • Founder-led sales • Sales enablement • CRM tracking • Partner success • Scalable partnerships • GTM alignmentConnect:Pat Ferdig LinkedInDanny Engels LinkedInTune in to the previous episode featuring Danny's co-founder discussing why sales intelligence matters. ListenKathy Palmer LinkedInSummer Poletti on LinkedIn