FOUNDER’S GUIDE TO B2B SALES STRATEGIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT At some point, in addition to normal sales-driven partnering activity, many companies decide to invest in potentially game-changing partnerships, such as: • OEM white label relationships (e.g. NetSuite selling Adaptive Planning) • Strategic investments In certain cases, strategic partners can pave the way for the eventual acquisition of the company by the strategic partner. This so-called “elephant hunting” typically gives access to C-level executives and requires large investments in time and resources, meaning it’s usually best done by a separate team. This avoids priority conflicts between long- and short-term activities that would develop in a single team, and allows the day-to-day partner function to remain highly sales-aligned and accountable. This function is typically run by a direct report to the CEO with a title such as VP of Strategic Alliances, VP of Business Development, or VP of Corporate Development. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PARTNERING • The Ultimate Guide to Channel Sales by Hubspot • 10 Things Technology Partnerships Do Well by Hubspot • Partnerships 101 by Crossbeam • The Top 12 SaaS Channel Partner Programs by Partnerhub SPRING 2023 .49