The partner's problem, in their language
Reframe the pitch around a problem the partner's team is already measured on, not your roadmap.
Reforge's BD frameworks note that partner teams read decks looking for their own KPI, not yours; skimmers spend more time here if the problem sounds like something they already own.
- The specific metric the partner team owns: retention, attach rate, seat expansion
- Evidence this problem exists in their base, not just in general
- Why your product is a plausible fix, stated briefly
- Your company's mission statement
- Problems the partner has not told anyone they have
- The problem described is your problem (distribution), not theirs
- No named metric, just a vibe like 'better experience'
- Assuming the partner's public roadmap reflects their internal priorities
- Overstating urgency without a source
- · Would the partner's own OKR deck contain this exact metric?
- · Can you point to a public statement or customer complaint that confirms this?
[Partner] is trying to increase [metric] among [segment]; [problem] is a known blocker; we remove it by [mechanism].
"Slack wants to be robust and cutting-edge for enterprise customers, and we can help."
"Slack's enterprise team is pushing seat expansion in HR and finance workflows; contractor payroll is a workflow that currently pulls admins out of Slack into 3-4 separate tools, which we can close."
Names the partner's specific push (seat expansion in HR/finance workflows) and the concrete blocker (3-4 separate tools), not a generic compliment.
Quick quiz
1. Why frame the problem in the partner's language?
- ○ It sounds more polite
- ✓ It maps the pitch to a metric the partner team is already measured on
- ○ It avoids naming your own product
- ○ It shortens the deck
Partner teams filter for pitches that touch their own KPIs first.
2. Which is a red flag on this slide?
- ○ A named metric like seat expansion
- ✓ A problem statement that is really about your distribution needs, not theirs
- ○ A citation to a public partner statement
- ○ A specific workflow blocker
If the 'problem' is your growth need dressed up as theirs, the partner will notice.