Building Internal Support for Partnership Programs with Christi Williams

In this episode of Partnership Mastermind podcast, host Chris Lavoie sits down with Christi Williams, Principal Partner Marketing Manager for Partner GTM Enablement at HubSpot. As an experienced operator who has been on both sides of the marketing development funds (MDF) table, Christi shares her journey from IT consulting and digital marketing to leading ecosystem go-to-market strategies at one of the most partner-led companies in SaaS. She discusses the creation of HubSpot's Partner Growth Accelerator, a program that has become a powerful collaboration engine for the company's ecosystem. Christi reveals how she overcame initial pushback from leadership to launch this initiative, offering valuable lessons on internal advocacy and executive storytelling. The conversation delves into the intricacies of MDF allocation, partner enablement, and the importance of data-driven decision making in partnership programs. Christi also emphasizes the significance of building a strong internal support network and external community for professional growth. Whether you're new to partnerships or a seasoned pro, this episode is packed with actionable insights on scaling partner programs, fostering ecosystem collaboration, and navigating complex organizational structures. Don't miss this masterclass in partnership strategy - tune in now and level up your ecosystem game!Christi Williams---------------Learn more about Partnership Mastermind https://partnershipmastermind.com/ Connect with Chris on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lavoie-phd-aaaa4111b/Chris Lavoie is a leading voice in B2B SaaS partnerships, known for building programs that deliver real, measurable results. As the founder of Partnership Mastermind, he equips professionals with actionable tools, training, and mentorship. After building multiple partnership programs, he launched Partnership Mastermind.