Brendan O'Connor
Insights

Thinking on partners, channels, and growth

Perspectives from 25+ years of building go-to-market engines. Short, opinionated essays on incentives, alliances, channel strategy, and leadership.

IncentivesChannel GTM

Building Partner Incentive Programs That Actually Change Behavior

Most incentive programs reward activity that was already happening. The ones that work are designed to shift behavior toward outcomes the business needs most.

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AlliancesLeadership

What Negotiating a Five-Year AWS Strategic Collaboration Agreement Taught Me About Alliance Building

Strategic alliances fail when they stay in the press release. The ones that succeed get wired into pipeline, account planning, and joint execution from day one.

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Channel GTMLeadership

Why Partner Ecosystems Fail: The Alignment Problem Nobody Talks About

The biggest threat to partner-led growth is not competition or market conditions. It is internal misalignment between sales, product, and partnerships.

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