What does it take to build a partner marketing function when you're starting from scratch?
Jo Dunkley is joined by Amber Dacres, Global Head of Partner Marketing at DeepL, who has spent the past 18 months doing exactly that.
As DeepL's first partner marketer, Amber has helped grow a new partner ecosystem while building the processes, relationships and internal understanding needed to support it. In this conversation, she shares what she's learned about prioritising partners, scaling a one-person function and using AI to help her do more with less.
We explore four key ideas at the heart of building and scaling partner marketing:
1️⃣ Why partner marketing is a team sport [03:28]
Why successful partner marketing should operate more like a relay than a solo sprint, and why collaboration across the business is essential to making partnerships work.
2️⃣ Using AI to do more with less [06:12]
How Amber is using AI to make a one-person global partner marketing function more scalable, while finding new ways to support partners and the wider marketing team.
3️⃣ Deciding which partners deserve your time [08:35]
How Amber assesses partners based on their potential impact, joint value proposition, marketing resources and ability to create something genuinely interesting in the market.
4️⃣ Why relationships are everything in partner marketing [12:30]
How internal and external relationships have shaped Amber's career, and why understanding how partnerships actually work is essential for anyone looking to build a career in the discipline.
We also discuss DeepL's rapid partner growth, the importance of finding a clear \"better together\" story, and why the biggest partner isn't necessarily the one that deserves the most attention.
Thanks to Amber for joining the show and sharing her perspective.
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👤 Follow the speakers
Jo Dunkley
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-dunkley/
Amber Dacres
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberdacres/
🌐 About Coterie
Coterie is a partner marketing specialist focused on helping organisations turn partnerships into a genuine growth driver.
We work with global technology companies, including vendors, resellers, distributors, systems integrators and MSPs, to build more effective partner strategies, combining insight, structure and practical execution. Alongside this, Coterie Connect brings together a community of partner marketers to share ideas, learn from each other and raise the standard of the discipline.
Through advisory, programmes and events, our focus is simple: helping partner marketing deliver measurable commercial impact, not just activity.