Module 07 · The partnership deck~20s dwell · weight 7
Why now
Tie the timing of this pitch to something happening in the partner's market right now, not an abstract trend.
HBR's collaborative advantage research finds partnerships move fastest when tied to a specific external trigger the partner already feels; timing slides get a quick but attentive read.
Include
- A specific market shift, competitor move, or mutual customer request
- A date or event that anchors the urgency
- Why waiting has a cost, stated concretely
Cut
- General claims that 'the market is moving fast'
- Urgency language without a named trigger
Red flags a reader notices
- No specific event or date attached to the urgency claim
- The trigger cited is old news the partner has already addressed
Pitfalls behind them
- Manufacturing urgency that the partner's team will recognize as generic
- Citing a competitor move without a source
60-second self-test
- · Can you name the exact date or event behind this timing claim?
- · Would the partner's team already be aware of this trigger, confirming it is real?
Template
[Named event/competitor move] happened on [date]; that shifts [partner metric]; moving now versus [timeframe] costs [partner] [specific cost].
Weak
"The market is moving fast and this is a game-changing moment to act."
Strong
"Deel launched a Slack-native payroll widget in March; three mutual customers already asked Slack's support team for a comparable option in the last six weeks."
Names a competitor, a date, and a specific mutual-customer signal instead of generic urgency language.
Quick quiz
Pick an answer. Nothing is graded, and correct answers stay hidden until you choose.
1. What makes a 'why now' slide credible?
2. Why cite mutual customer requests as a timing trigger?