READ ON PHILHSC.COM | READ TIME: 3.5 MINUTES | 23 APRIL, 2025

Welcome to Partnership Wednesday #91 featuring actionable insights to sharpen your partnership skills and help you confidently close 6-figure deals.

By the way, if you’re experiencing endless back-and-forth, wasted time, or people who ‘love the idea’ but don’t commit to your partnership idea, consider joining the Partnership Lab.

Applications for the May cohort are now open. Apply here​

A LESSON TO BUILD ON

When Target expanded into Canada in 2011 (with ambitions to scale to 124 stores in two years),it leaned on a web of logistics partners, but rushed execution and misaligned intent sealed its fate. Local partners chased short-term gains while Target sprinted toward scale without groundwork. The result? Empty shelves, angry customers, and a $2B retreat within two years. There were few internal allies, no first win, and no real off-ramp when things went sideways.

Key Lesson: A fast launch without shared intent, early momentum, or local trust is a mistake. Even iconic brands break when partnerships aren’t built to land before they scale.

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AN ANSWER TO HELP YOU MOVE FASTER

How should I be thinking about my go-to-market strategy for my business? I was asked this question from the crowd this week. Here’s my answer:
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Go-to-market is a leadership test and most leaders fail it quietly. I've been there juggling urgency, expectations, and a market that won’t wait.
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On paper, the strategy makes sense but in the real world execution stalls. I’ve come to learn it’s not about effort. It’s about clarity.

Here are 10 high-trust habits to double your go-to-market confidence.

1. Decide who you’re not for: Helps you say no faster, and protect your team's energy.

2. Answer the question, why now? Rallies urgency inside the team, not just outside it.

3. Choose one conversion goal: Makes wins visible and measurable, so your team knows what success looks like.

4. Make your pricing reflect your promise: Reinforces your leadership confidence, so your team can sell without shrinking.

5. Design your GTM like a partnership: Expands your reach without expanding your headcount.

6. Stop building funnels for your org chart: Start designing them for buyers, so your team leads with trust, not pressure.

7. Pick a message and stay loud: Builds a reputation that compounds over time.

8. Write your pitch in bullets, not paragraphs: Makes it easy for others to amplify your story, inside and outside the company.

9. Run one experiment a month: Moves you from second-guessing to momentum, without waiting for perfect.

10. Teach before you sell: Positions you as a generous authority, not just another competitor.

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What would you add? Hit reply to let me know!

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THIS WEEK'S MOMENT (Insight for your commute)

What if I told you that most partnerships don’t fail because they’re a bad idea, but because no one is measuring them properly?

In this 12-minute episode, you’ll discover:

• The exact financial, operational, and strategic KPIs that determine a partnership’s success.
• How to spot and fix underperforming partnerships before they drain your resources.
• A simple framework to consistently evaluate partnerships and ensure they deliver real business results.

Get every episode of the Partnership Playbook on your next commute or workout. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Youtube!

KNOW PEOPLE WHO FEEL STUCK?

Share this issue via text, social media, or email by copying and pasting this link:

​https://philhsc.com/partnership/23-april-2025​

See you next Wednesday,
Phil Hayes-St Clair
Business Partnerships Expert & Coach

​Find me on LinkedIn or Book a 1:1 Call​