Yesterday, one of the Hubspot Partners that I'm working with introduced me to their Channel Account Coordinator and Partner Strategist with this email.
The Hubspot rep 'replied all' with, "This is great news! As always, please let me know how I can help along the way."
Don't get me wrong. Isn't that reply what you would expect. It's polite. It's reassuring, but the reply got me thinking....
When was the last time that they spoke? When will the speak again? Will the agenda be set by the rep or the Hubspot Partner? Will the call hit the ground running or will they have to do, "Hey. How's it going? Social nicety. Social nicety." Will they talk about real life or what everybody wishes would be true?
How many Hubspot Partners get treated that same way? How many Hubspot Partners could be doing so much better than they are?
OK. So here are the five questions that I'd ask about 2015 if I were a Hubspot Partner.
Experience - Do my HS contacts have the experience that I need them to have? Do they have the sales experience (if that's what you need)? Do they have experience in the industry that I'm targeting (if that's what you need)? Do they have experience building or running a business (if that's what you need)?
Example - Are my HS contacts an example of what I and my clients need to be? How many blog articles have they read and/or commented on today? How many leads have they generated? Is their LinkedIn profile optimized and real? Are they active on LinkedIn? Are they the model of Inbound that they want you and your clients to be or are they suggesting that you do what they cannot do themselves?
Availability - I talk with every one of my clients 3-4 times a week, every week. I'm essentially available 24/7. It's numbers. I have a lot fewer people making demands on my time.
Accountability - Does your rep give you a list of things to do? Then say, "Call me when you've finished." You hang up thinking, "OMG. Where will I start? Well I can't think about that right now. I've got a client meeting to get ready for." Short frequent phone calls effect change, one change at a time. When we agree that you will do one thing before we talk tomorrow, it gets done. It's not about holding each other accountable, it's about management of priorities and accomplishing tasks one at a time.
Self/Other Oriented - What is their primary motivation for working with you? Your goals? Their goals? Hubspot's goals?
If you are a Hubspot Partner and you are meeting your goals and living your dreams, this probably doesn't apply to you, but you should feel free to forward it to a friend that might appreciate it.
If you are a Hubspot Partner that has an awesome HS rep and are happy with your answers to these questions, congratulations! Work hard. Work smart. Change the world!
If you're upset, I apologize. It was not my intention to slam Hubspot, or any of their employees. I love Hubspot and Inbound. I think everybody should use Hubspot and practice Inbound. I think that everybody should make $250K/year unless that would be a cut in pay. The fact is that digital natives are by definition, typically younger and less experienced in the world. Digital immigrants tend to adapt their experience to the new world. So, if I got you thinking, I'm not going to be at Inbound14, but you can read what I'm up to and ask questions about My 2015 vs Your 2015.