The Rise of Partnerships-First Growth: How Payro is Winning with Strategic Alliances
- Summer Poletti
- Mar 18
- 8 min read
In a rapidly changing digital landscape, small businesses can no longer afford to rely on traditional organic Google search and LinkedIn social media reach to drive revenue. The rise of AI-driven search has disrupted organic visibility.
Google is still king of the internet, leading all searches with a whopping 18% (yikes)
LinkedIn’s algorithm updates have cut engagement by up to 66% for many users
For businesses that used to depend on inbound leads from search, referrals, and occasional paid ads, the game has changed. Working together is no longer just a “nice to have”. It’s a survival strategy.
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, small businesses are grappling with diminishing returns from traditional marketing channels. The once-reliable avenues of organic search and social media engagement are no longer yielding the same results, leading to widespread frustration among business owners, investors, and sales and marketing leaders.
The Decline of Organic Search
The landscape of search engine optimization (SEO) is undergoing significant changes. With Google rolling out over 12 algorithm updates daily and the emergence of platforms like TikTok and AI tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, traditional SEO tactics are becoming less effective. B2B marketers' magic wands - case studies and e-books, also show declining engagement. This evolution necessitates a shift from conventional strategies to more adaptive approaches.neilpatel.com
Challenges with Social Media Engagement
Similarly, social media platforms like LinkedIn have experienced shifts in user engagement. While LinkedIn has reported "record engagement" in recent periods (as a prolific user, I have evidence this isn't true), some users and businesses have observed fluctuations in reach and interaction, prompting discussions about the platform's evolving dynamics.socialmediatoday.com
With the fractured state of search, with many professionals sticking with tried and true B2B buying tactics, and many others engaging in emerging tech trends - you basically have to market everywhere. And all platforms have different algorithms and different audiences. It's dizzying!
The Resulting Frustration Among Stakeholders
These shifts have led to palpable frustration across various business stakeholders:
Investors and Boards: Diminished growth has left investors questioning current strategies (and teams), leading to increased pressure on company leadership.
Sales and Marketing Leaders: Facing declining performance metrics, these leaders are under increased scrutiny to identify and implement solutions that can reverse negative trends.
Business Owners: With traditional channels underperforming, many are desperate for effective strategies that can rejuvenate growth and engagement.
Many teams are still using 2023's revenue growth plays, and the game has completely changed.
The Overlooked Solution: Structured Partner and Referral Programs
Despite these challenges, a surprising number of businesses lack structured partner or referral programs. Instead of solely increasing spending on platforms like Google, which continues to command a significant, albeit consistently declining, share of web traffic...
Businesses should consider the untapped potential of strategic partnerships.
Such collaborations can offer alternative avenues for growth, leveraging shared resources and audiences to achieve mutual success. By recognizing the limitations of traditional channels and embracing structured partnership programs, businesses can navigate the current digital disruption more effectively, turning challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth.
Remember when omni-channel meant website, email, social media (LinkedIn)? Ancient History!
Why Partnerships are the Future of Growth
I’ve long been a believer (and witness) that partnerships are one of the most underutilized revenue channels in B2B. And yet, they're often thought of as an add-on, something that might bring in extra leads but isn’t essential to growth. Something you'll plan out later when you have more time, But what if they were your primary growth strategy?
Companies that treat partnerships as a core go-to-market motion, rather than just an opportunistic referral channel, consistently see:
Shorter sales cycles (warm referrals move faster than cold outreach).
Higher deal values (because there’s already built-in trust).
Lower customer acquisition costs (since partners act as an extension of your sales team).
Yet, despite the upside, 50% of partnerships fail within the first two years. Why? Because most businesses don’t have a structured partner program that aligns incentives, expectations, and execution.
If you want partnerships to be a real growth driver, you need:
Clear goals and defined success metrics.
Partner enablement and training.
Consistent communication and accountability.
How I Build Revenue-Driving Partner Programs for My Clients
When I start working with a new client, my first priority is figuring out what’s actually driving revenue—and what’s getting in the way. Every business is different, but my process follows a proven framework that ensures partnerships aren’t just an afterthought, they become a predictable, scalable revenue channel.
Step 1: Dig Into the Sales Data
Before making any changes, I analyze the numbers:
Close ratio - how many deals are actually converting?
Sales cycle length - how long does it take to close a deal?
Why people buy, and why they don’t.
Lead sources for closed deals - where are the best customers coming from?
This tells me what’s working, what’s not, and whether partnerships could be a major growth lever.
Step 2: Prioritize the Right Fixes
Most of my clients are entrepreneurs looking to take their business to the next level—which means there are usually multiple areas we could work on. But if partner leads aren’t coming in and closing (and often, they aren’t), that’s where we start.
A strong Referral & Partner Program can create a steady, high-quality pipeline of leads with shorter sales cycles and higher deal values.
Step 4: Build the Referral & Partner Program (Custom for Every Business, But Always Following These Steps)
Identify who would make a good partner - not just who could, but who should.
Define an Ideal Partner Profile - who aligns best with your business, industry, and goals?
Clarify how you and your partners help each other win - it’s not just about leads; it’s about mutual success.
Develop the referral program campaign - this means getting Marketing & Customer Success aligned with Sales, so the program works across the whole buyer journey.
Integrate it into the Sales Success Plan - so it’s not a side project, it’s a core part of sales strategy.
Launch, coach, measure, and tweak - this is where most referral programs fail.
Ongoing coaching and iteration make all the difference.
Bonus: If you’ve worked with me to create a Smart Sales Playbook, you also get a tool that:
Finds potential partners for you (so you don’t have to guess).
Helps sales teams prepare for partner meetings (so they make the most of every conversation).
Your Sales Team Actually Uses! Follow me on Linkedin, I will be sharing proof.
And 90 days after launch, we review what’s working, what’s not, and then I bring creative strategies to amplify your team’s superpowers. Because no two businesses are the same, but every great partnership program follows a structured approach.
Payro: A Partnerships-First Success Story
One company that has fully embraced partnerships is Payro, a payroll financing solution that has built its business by aligning with payroll providers, offering them a tool to solve a problem their clients don’t always anticipate. Cash flow shortages.
Before we move on, let me be completely honest here. I experienced them during my last business. Once after the slow season, when I was confident business would pick up. If I only had a couple more days! Paying people on a Friday when you're busiest on the weekends is a real challenge.
And another time almost a year later, in the middle of the slow season, when I knew it would take a miracle for the shop to earn enough to cover payroll. And by then I was a year into a fledgling business, meaning I had spent my liquid assets. I would have rather gotten on the scale in the doctor's office than tell someone I needed help. If only I had known about Payro when I was getting all my ducks in a row before I opened the shop!
When you're an entrepreneur defining your category, your target market not only doesn't know about you, they might not fully understand the problem you solve. Yet.
Instead of chasing direct sales, Payro has grown by becoming an essential partner to payroll service providers. By embedding themselves into the trusted advisor role that payroll companies already play for small business owners, they’ve created a win-win-win model:
Payroll providers offer more value by giving clients a financial safety net.
Small businesses avoid cash flow crunches and never miss payroll, and also avoid having to admit they need help when they're at their lowest!
Payro scales by aligning its success with its partners’ success.
🎧 Sneak Peek: My Interview with Payro
In my upcoming podcast episode, I sat down with the leadership team at Payro to talk about how they built a partnership-first business model, why it works, and what other B2B companies can learn from it. And as a reader, you always get the goodies first!
💡 One key takeaway? The best partnerships solve a problem your customers don’t even know they have yet.
Payro understood that payroll service providers weren’t just vendors, they were trusted business advisors. By giving them a way to help clients avoid cash flow issues, they didn’t just win partners, they built a revenue-driving ecosystem where everyone benefits. Founder and CEO Morris also understands that business owners don't even want to tell their trusted partner when they're having cash flow challenges, and that the best play is to proactively anticipate whatever might go wrong and setup the resources you don't think you need.
I learned about Payro after I closed my shop and I doubt it would have changed my mind, but there were 2 or 3 weeks in 2023 when I would have slept a lot better if I had known this option was out there.
Side Note: I learned of Payro because I have been connected with CRO Greg Javins for many years - we met during a partnership deal between our former employers. The partner thing has a ripple effect if you do it right!
The episode drops on March 20, subscribe now so you don’t miss it!
How AI + HI Can Strengthen Your Partnerships
Strategic partnerships work best when both sides actively engage, but that takes time. AI can help streamline and scale your partner program, but the human element is what makes it thrive. And this is exactly what I work on with my clients - ensuring that partners are truly strategic and not just "business friends".
AI for Partner Identification → HI for Relationship Building: AI can scan your CRM and find companies that already work with your ideal customers. But a partnership isn’t just about data—it’s about trust. AI gives you a list. You build the relationship.
AI for Co-Marketing → HI for Personalized Engagement: AI can help generate co-branded content with your partners at scale, but your voice needs to be in it. AI can draft the framework, but you (or your partners) refine the messaging.
AI for Tracking Partner Performance → HI for Managing Success: AI can show you which partners are referring the most deals and which ones need support. But only humans can have the real conversation that turns an underperforming partnership into a thriving one.
AI for Sales Enablement → HI for Training & Execution: AI can create partner playbooks and training materials so your partners know how to sell your solution. But real partnerships require ongoing conversations and collaboration—that’s where HI takes over.
Coming Soon: AI-Enabled Sales Team Case Study + Smart Sales Playbooks
If Payro’s success has you thinking about how to level up your partnership strategy, stay tuned. I’ll be sharing a deep dive case study on a client project, another business that’s winning by aligning its partnerships strategically.
And if you’re wondering how to apply this to your own sales efforts, my upcoming Smart Sales Playbooks will give you a step-by-step framework to make partnerships a key part of your revenue growth.
Want early access? Sign up and get the first look.
Final Thoughts: Build Partnerships That Work for You
In a world where organic reach is tanking and B2B sales cycles are only getting longer, working together isn’t optional anymore, it’s the smart move.
Payro got it right. Are you next?
What's Next?
Is your sales process leaving partner revenue on the table? If referrals and partnerships aren’t a major driver of your revenue today, let’s fix that!
Book a free 15 minute strategy session to see if a structured partner program could help your business scale, without increasing overhead costs.
Not ready to chat? Here are some more resources inspired by client projects that will help guide your partner program:
Rise of Us is a practice run by Summer Poletti, specializing in revenue growth: sales, strategic partnerships, customer success, marketing alignment. We generally work with financial services and SaaS companies from $2MM - $10MM ARR and help them plan and execute for their next stage of revenue growth. We concentrate on strategy, coaching, and organizational alignment.
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