In this episode of Investible Partnerships™, Des Russell sits down with Trevor Burnett, VP of Product Marketing at Impartner, to unpack how leading organizations are modernizing their partner tech to be modular, AI-enabled, and truly partner-first. If you’ve ever struggled to scale your partner program without adding more friction, this conversation is packed with practical insights on how to evolve your stack, your data, and your mindset.

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Key Takeaways

‍00:00 – Welcome + Guest Intro‍

• Des welcomes Trevor (first PRM vendor guest!)
• Trevor shares his journey with Impartner
• Framing the challenge: activity ≠ impact
• Des sets the question: “Why is the traditional partner tech stack broken

If the old way of stacking tools is broken, and activity isn’t the same as impact , let’s dig into how leaders should actually be thinking about modernizing their partner-first stack.

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05:22 – Build vs Buy, Modular vs Platform

• Trevor shares stories of companies overspending on internal builds
• No two companies partner the same way and the need for flexible platforms
• Strategy first , tech is the enabler, not the answer
• Importance of internal alignment, exec support, and clear KPIs

So once you’ve aligned on structure and direction, the next big lever is what powers it and that’s where automation and AI start to show up. But are they actually delivering value?

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09:28 – Where AI & Automation Help and Hurt

• AI can optimize, but overhype leads to misuse
• Clean data = critical enabler
• Early AI wins in summarizing CRM/Gong/Jira data, partner agents in portals
• The future: agents meeting partners in context, with predictive GTM suggestions

Of course, all of that only works if your data isn’t a mess. So let’s talk foundations. How do you get your data and your house in order?

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17:31 – Data Readiness & Common Pitfalls

• Most companies start with spreadsheets, lack feedback loops
• “Logins ≠ engagement” , don’t misread partner behavior
• Track high-performer traits, identify friction
• Segment and personalize based on lifecycle and KPIs

Okay, the data’s clean and your tech is aligned. But that still doesn’t guarantee engagement. So how are companies evolving their partner comms to actually spark relevance and action?

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29:26 – Driving Engagement Through Relevance

• Most companies start with spreadsheets, lack feedback loops
• “Logins ≠ engagement”, don’t misread partner behavior
• Track high-performer traits, identify friction
• Segment and personalize based on lifecycle and KPIs

But even as we sharpen engagement, partner expectations keep changing  and the tech landscape is evolving fast. So Trevor, let’s zoom out: what’s coming next in partner tech?

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36:17 – What’s Next in Partner Tech

• Marketplace inclusion for partners → the new incentive battleground
• Single-pane-of-glass vision
• Shift toward embedded experiences, not forced portal logins
• AI embedded into partner tools, not added on top

So for the leaders listening today, how do they make this real? What’s one piece of advice you’d give them to modernize their stack and make it truly partner-first?

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40:06 – Trevors Top Three Points for Leaders

• Measure ROI of your tech — don’t add friction
• Start with the partner experience: “Walk through it with them”
• Leverage trust, get honest feedback, keep things fresh

43:00 – Partnerships Fast-Five

• Fun close-out with whats on Trevors mind