Building Partnerships

In the U.S., you can grab coffee with a CEO in two weeks. In Europe, it might take two years to get that meeting. I ’ve spent years building relationships across both U.S. and European markets, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: networking looks completely different depending on where you are. The way people connect, build trust, and create opportunities is shaped by culture-and if you don’t adapt your approach, you’ll hit walls fast. So, if you're an executive expanding globally, a leader hiring across regions, or a professional trying to break into a new market-this post is for you. The U.S.: Fast, Open, and High-Volume Americans love to network. Connections are made quickly, introductions flow freely, and saying "let's grab coffee" isn’t just polite—it’s expected. - Cold outreach is normal—you can message a top executive on LinkedIn, and they just might say yes. - Speed matters. Business moves fast, so meetings, interviews, and hiring decisions happen quickly. But here’s the catch: Just because you had a great chat doesn’t mean you’ve built a deep relationship. Trust takes follow-ups, consistency, and results. I’ve seen European executives struggle with this—mistaking initial enthusiasm for long-term commitment. In the U.S., networking is about momentum—you have to keep showing up, adding value, and staying top of mind. In Europe, networking is a long game. If you don’t have an introduction, it’s much harder to get in the door. - Warm introductions matter. Cold outreach? Much tougher. Senior leaders prefer to meet through trusted referrals—someone who can vouch for you. - Fewer, deeper relationships. Once trust is built, it’s strong and lasting—but it takes time to get there. - Decisions take longer. Whether it’s hiring, partnerships, or leadership moves, things don’t happen overnight—expect a longer courtship period. I’ve seen U.S. executives enter the European market and get frustrated fast—wondering why it’s taking months (or years!) to break into leadership circles. But that’s how the market works. The key to winning in Europe? Patience, credibility, and long-term thinking. So, What Does This Mean for Global Leaders? If you’re an American executive expanding into Europe… 📌 Be patient. One meeting won’t seal the deal—you have to earn trust over time. 📌 Get introductions. A warm referral is worth more than 100 cold emails. 📌 Don’t push too hard. European business culture favors depth over speed—respect the process. If you’re a European leader entering the U.S. market… 📌 Don’t wait for permission—reach out. People expect direct outreach and initiative. 📌 Follow up fast. If you’re slow to respond, the opportunity moves on without you. 📌 Be ready to show value quickly. Americans won’t wait months to see if you’re a fit. Networking isn’t just about who you know—it’s about how you build relationships. #Networking #Leadership #ExecutiveSearch #CareerGrowth #GlobalBusiness #US #Europe

Here's the new rule of GTM for 2025: it's about about TRUST not DISTRACTION. In 2024 and earlier, most companies were STILL playing the volume game: More cold emails More ads More noise But here's what I learned building partner programs at WeWork and Amex: 1. Identify Trusted Advocates Customers are more likely to trust recommendations from voices they already know and respect. Who influences our target audience? Who already has their attention and trust? These could be industry leaders, complementary solution providers, or niche communities. Build partnerships with those who already have a strong connection to your ideal customers. 2. Collaborate to Add Value, Not Noise Instead of interrupting your audience with another cold email or ad, collaborate with partners to create meaningful, value-driven touch points. - Co-host a webinar addressing a shared customer pain point. - Develop a joint white paper showcasing both brands’ expertise. - Offer bundled solutions that make life easier for the customer. 3. Leverage Existing Trust to Open Doors Partners are amplifiers AND bridges. They help you cross the “river of distraction” and reach customers without the noise. A well-placed introduction or co-branded recommendation carries far more weight than another outbound message. 4. Measure the Shift from Interruption to Influence If trust-building is your new GTM focus, your success metrics need to change too. Track things like: - Partner-Sourced Leads: Leads generated through trusted partner referrals. - Engagement Rates: How customers interact with co-created content or campaigns. - Pipeline Velocity: How quickly partner-driven deals progress compared to direct sales efforts. Breaking through the noise requires genuine relationships. It's no longer about whose voice is the loudest, it’s whose voice your audience already trusts. The future isn't about interruption and distraction. It's about trust.

I spend 20–25 days a month in the field. Not as a CEO, but as a student. Here’s the uncomfortable truth about building for grassroots India: You can't do it from a glass office. At GROWiT, we don’t treat farmers as customers. We treat them as gurus. Every village teaches me something no Zoom call ever can. Over chai, I discovered that problems are hyperlocal. Alluvial soil in Gujarat behaves differently than black soil in Maharashtra. What works in one village fails in another. **You can’t design solutions unless you touch grass. Here’s what farmers taught me:** They don’t care about pitch decks. But they open up when they see you listening, not selling. So listen with humility. Learn with an open mind. In school, we were taught: “India lives in villages.” – Gandhi At GROWiT, we believe innovation does too. That’s why we don’t “deploy” tech. We co-create it with farmers, not for them. Because when tech is built in isolation, it fails in translation. Even the best-designed product means nothing if it doesn’t speak the language of the land. The brutal reality? Tech doesn’t fail. Rollouts fail when we don’t listen. Because we didn’t keep our ears to the ground. That’s why presence matters. Not just in launch meetings but in the fields, over chai, on repeat visits. I often ask myself: What if I stop showing up on-ground? My team will too. And that golden thread of trust will break. In Bharat, trust > tech. You want to build tech for India? First, build trust in India. At GROWiT, we don’t lead from the top. Tech is step two. Listening to local wisdom is still step one. 🌱 What’s one ground-level insight you’ve learned that no report ever told you?

Not all partnerships are created equal. Too often, partnerships with islands are shaped by outside agendas, timelines, or funding cycles. They tick the boxes but don’t always meet the real needs of communities. The balance of power in these partnerships often sits with the funder, the larger NGO, or the outside organisation. Decisions get made elsewhere, while islands are expected to adapt to frameworks that don’t always fit their context. We see this in conservation and sustainable development all the time. A project gets launched, the donor requirements are met, but when the funding ends the work often stops — because it was never truly embedded in local leadership or values. True partnership feels different. It shifts power. It starts with listening to what communities and governments are saying. It co-designs solutions so that global expertise strengthens — rather than overshadows — local realities. In GLISPA I’ve seen how much stronger outcomes are when island leaders are not just “consulted,” but leading. That’s when solutions last, because they belong to the people who will carry them forward. Authentic partnerships don’t just deliver projects. They build resilience, unlock innovation, and strengthen leadership for the long term. It takes time. It requires trust. And it means being willing to step back so that others can step forward. What does it take, in your experience, to create balance in a partnership?

Most partner programs fail before they even start. Not because the product isn’t great. Not because the partnership isn’t valuable. Not even because of bad execution. They fail because nobody cares. The number one mistake in partner enablement? Jumping straight to training before building awareness and trust. Here's the real real: Your partners aren’t sitting around waiting to learn about your product. Your sales team isn’t automatically excited about working with partners. So, before you roll out certifications, portals, and one-pagers, you need to earn their attention. The Awareness-Trust-Training Framework 1️⃣ Awareness – If they don’t know you exist, they won’t care about your enablement. Do this: Identify keywords and triggers in customer conversations that signal a need for your partnership. Sit in on sales calls, map out common pain points, and make sure your internal and external teams know when to pull a partner in. 2️⃣ Trust – If they don’t believe in the value, they won’t invest their time. Do this: Show your own team the impact of partnerships. Share real success stories. Help your partners’ sellers see how working with you makes their jobs easier, not harder. 3️⃣ Training – Once they’re bought in, then they’re ready to learn. Do this: Only after awareness and trust are in place should you introduce training materials, playbooks, and certifications. At this point, they’ll actually use them. Too many partner teams are throwing enablement materials into a void, wondering why nothing is sticking. If you’re not seeing traction, ask yourself: Do they even know we exist? Do they trust that this partnership will help them win? Or are we just expecting them to care because we built a portal? Start with awareness. Build trust. Then train. That’s how you make enablement stick.

Most partnership leaders think they need fancy tech to scale revenue. They don't. I've built partner programs for 8 years, and as I wait for our breakfast order to come out, here's the truth no one tells you. Tech without trust is useless. Platforms without relationships are worthless. And expensive tools without a clear strategy are just a faster way to drain your budget. The most successful partnership teams I work with focus on one thing first: Building systems that make it easy for partners to add value WITHOUT jumping through hoops. Most partner programs make the mistake of: - Creating rigid processes that partners hate - Building portals no one uses - Requiring complex forms that kill momentum - Measuring activity instead of outcomes - Focusing on volume over value When we flipped this approach, we saw immediate results. We streamlined the experience for partners. We met them where they already work. We made collaboration effortless. Partners started creating content with us. They engaged with our audiences. They shared our message in a genuine way. Partner-influenced deals closed 40% faster. Referral quality improved dramatically. Attribution became automatic, not a battle. Partnership leaders don't need more tools. They need better systems. What's one way you've simplified your partner experience that paid off unexpectedly? P.S. Over the next week, I'll be sharing my best insights on how to transform your partnership program without breaking the bank. Follow along if you want the playbook that's working right now.

In this episode of the "Tell Rana" series, I’m joined by my colleague Uttam Reddy, Head of Partnership Sales - North America at Gen. Uttam brings over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, sharing a wealth of practical knowledge and insights into building successful partnerships. In this episode, I asked Uttam: "From your experience, what are some best practices for sales reps to effectively collaborate with partners and ensure a win-win relationship?" Here’s a glimpse of Uttam’s advice: 🔑 Have the end customer in mind. Understand who the partner’s customer is, what they’re trying to solve for their customer, and align your solution accordingly. By focusing on the common customer, you create shared alignment, a shared service, and ultimately, shared goals 🔑 Embed your offerings into their value stream. A commercial product doesn’t just sell itself. Your solution must integrate seamlessly into the partner's value proposition, messaging, and processes—whether that’s through embedding, reselling, or collaboration. 🔑 Treat partners like an extension of your team. Build trust by protecting deal registrations, collaborating as one unified team in front of customers, and ensuring you're working with partners, not against them. 🔑 Celebrate wins together. Recognize and celebrate successes—highlighting how you worked together, grew your businesses, and aligned on strategic priorities for the future. Show partners you’re invested in their growth as much as your own. So, I ask you: How are you developing high-trust relationships with your partners? Let’s discuss in the comments! 👇 #tellrana; #partners; #sales; #trust

Over many years that I have spent in business, managing top professionals and big teams, I've learned that authentic business relationships are not built through grand gestures. They are built through consistent & ethical actions. Here are the key lessons that have shaped our approach at V-Trans: 1. Trust is Built in Silent Moments  The true test of partnership isn't how we perform during celebrations, but how we handle challenges when no one is watching. Our commitment to ethical practices isn't a promotional strategy - it's our foundation. 2. Reliability is Non-Negotiable  In business relationships, as in life, consistency breeds trust. We've maintained partnerships spanning decades not through complex strategies, but through unwavering reliability in every interaction. 3. Adapt Without Compromising Values  While market dynamics evolve, our core values remain constant. We've learned to innovate and adapt while keeping our ethical compass steady - a balance that has served us well through economic cycles. 4. Listen More Than You Speak  The strongest relationships are built on understanding. Sometimes, the most valuable thing we can offer isn't a solution, but an attentive ear and genuine concern for our partners' challenges. 5. Think Long-term, Act Daily  Every interaction, however small, is an investment in the relationship. It's the accumulated effect of these daily choices that builds unshakeable partnerships. Looking back, our most enduring business relationships weren't built through contracts alone, but through countless small moments of choosing integrity over expedience. This approach has not just built partnerships - it has created a legacy of trust that continues to guide us forward.

Building trust is more important than building technology. When we began Commonlands work in rural Uganda, our first instinct was to focus on the tech — the maps, the certificates, the microloan platform. It made sense. Technology could scale solutions faster, streamline processes, and offer transparency. But without trust, even the most advanced tools are useless. Many had seen outsiders arrive with promises before—only for those promises to vanish, leaving communities worse off. Why should they trust us? We had to earn it. That meant showing up—not just once or twice, but consistently. → Sitting under trees and listening to their stories. → Respecting their skepticism and their pace. → Engaging local leaders to vouch for our intentions. Over time, we saw something remarkable. People began opening up. They shared their stories and their challenges. Only then did the technology become meaningful—it became a tool they could see themselves using, not something imposed on them. This is what made us achieve an incredible milestone: ➜ 2,500 plots documented. ➜ 99% loan repayment rate. Then I realized that trust is slow to build but incredibly fragile. And when you’re working with communities, it’s non-negotiable. Technology might be exciting, but relationships are what sustain progress. Today, every certificate we issue and every loan we facilitate is built on a foundation of trust—not just innovation. And that, I’ve learned, is the only way real change happens. Thoughts? Do you believe a lack of trust can impact the success of a project? Follow 👉 Darius and repost! #communitydevelopment #trustbuilding #socialimpact #sustainability #changemaking

My Top 5 Tips for Managing High-Value Stakeholder Relationships Across Borders Inward investment. International trade. Cross-border partnerships. No matter the project, one constant remains, strong stakeholder relationships are everything. After 25+ years working across the UK, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia, here are my top 5 lessons for managing high-value relationships that lead to real result..: ✅ 1. Lead with cultural intelligence, not assumption. Every handshake, title, or pause in conversation means something different. Understand the context before you present your offer. ✅ 2. Build trust before pitching. International deals don’t move at email speed. Be present, be consistent, and earn credibility first. ✅ 3. Map mutual value early. Successful partnerships align around shared outcomes, not just shared interests. Know what success looks like for them, not just for you. ✅ 4. Communicate with clarity and flexibility. The best communicators are multilingual in mindset, even if not in language. Be ready to adapt your style for who’s in the room. ✅ 5. Always follow up with substance. Send insight, not fluff. Add value in every interaction, especially when building long-term relationships across borders and sectors. True international engagement isn’t about volume, it’s about precision, consistency, and trust. #StakeholderEngagement #InwardInvestment #GlobalPartnerships #InternationalRelations #FDI #CrossCulturalLeadership #EconomicDevelopment #BusinessDiplomacy #WestMidlands #UKTrade