In this ITSMA Viewpoint, Mike Harding, head of cross-industry marketing at Steria, one of the top European IT services companies, talks about the third-party relationship options for suppliers interested in working with his company, Steria’s criteria for selecting which suppliers to partner with, why it’s important to talk about expectations upfront, and what makes the difference between good and bad partnerships.

Key takeaways include:

• Partnership is a risk-and-reward relationship based on a common purpose.
• From a marketing perspective, the key question around partnering for a services company is whether the partner can help the company build a successful differentiated service offering.
• Partner briefings can educate potential partners on the company’s market, its solution areas, and how it works with partners.
• A successful partnership requires multiple points of engagement—technical, sales, marketing—all working toward agreed goals.
• Services businesses do not work like resellers; potential partners must consider whether there are sectors or solutions for which they are able to augment the value proposition and create a more compelling solution for the service provider’s customers.