In this guide based off the HubSpot Playbooks session – “🖥️ Partnering With Agencies” you’ll learn lessons learned alongside Christy Williams, Head of Solutions Partnerships at HubSpot; Alexis Bonavoto, Senior Manager of Partnerships at G2; and Erin DiVincenzo, Head of Go-to-Market at New Breed. If you’re thinking about Partnering with Agencies to scale distribution, improve retention, and deliver more customer value, this article gives a clear, tactical path—from selecting the right partner to packaging and launching joint offers.

“There’s a secret, there’s a science, there’s ways do it and there’s definitely ways not to do it.”

Table of Contents

• Why Partnering with Agencies Matters
• How to Find the Right Agency Partner
• Which Partnership Model Works?
• Operational Playbook: From Discovery to Launch
• Packaging: Create an Offer Agencies Can Sell
• Enablement, Internal Buy-in, and Change Management
• Real-world Tactics: Events, Co-created Content, and Small Wins
• Culture & Mindset: Leave Egos at the Door
• KPIs & Measurement
• Blueprint Summary: A Lightweight Checklist
• FAQ
• Conclusion

Why Partnering with Agencies Matters

Partnering with Agencies (solutions or implementation partners) is about amplifying customer value first—revenue comes second. Agencies are experts at implementation, change management, and driving usage. When an app partner teams up with an agency that understands HubSpot and the customer’s workflow, customers get more value, retention goes up, and both parties gain access to new market channels.

“HubSpot solutions partners are experts at implementing and optimizing HubSpot… your customers will get more value out of not only HubSpot, but your integration with it as well.”

How to Find the Right Agency Partner

Start by aligning on a mutual Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Look for overlap across these dimensions:

• Personas — Are you targeting the same roles (e.g., SDRs, marketing leaders)?
• Industry — Do you speak the same vertical language?
• Market segment — SMB, mid-market, or enterprise?
• Pain points — Which precise problems does each party solve?
• Geography — Are you operating in the same regions?

Don’t overlook the simplest tactic: ask your customers who they already work with or follow on LinkedIn. That will surface credible agency partners faster than blind searching.

“The most untapped way that you can find the right partners to work with is simply asking your customers.”

Which Partnership Model Works?

There’s a spectrum of partner engagement. Pick a mode that matches your capacity and goals:

• Referral — Agencies recommend your app when they see a fit.
• Co-marketing — Joint webinars, content, events, and social programs.
• Co-selling / Go-to-market — Joint value props, aligned narratives, shared pipeline targets.
• Packaged services — Agency + app offered as a bundled, pre-defined product for a specific use case.

Start with one partner and one replicable framework—prove it, document it, then scale. As Christy says: be selective and rinse-and-repeat.

“Customer value is a key critical factor. It should be at the root of every partnership and the revenue will come.”

Operational Playbook: From Discovery to Launch

Partnering with Agencies is a journey. Here’s a quarter-by-quarter operational flow inspired by a three-way partnership between a data company, an agency, and HubSpot:

1. Q4 — Ideation: Map the “art of the possible.” Create an aviation metaphor: HubSpot = plane, data = fuel, agency = pilots.
2. Q1 — Align & Learn: Conduct discovery to identify gaps, customer pain points, and mutual goals.
3. Q2 — Package & Enable: Build a tailored package for the agency’s customers, create enablement assets (FAQ, sales scripts, a dedicated Slack channel), and pilot internally.
4. Q3 — Soft Launch & Iterate: Run small events, co-marketing, and get feedback. Adjust pricing, scope, and enablement based on real conversations.
5. Q4 — Go-to-market: Scale the motion, run panels, multi-city events, and measure mutual KPIs.

Throughout, keep one North Star: mutual customer value. When you optimize for customer outcomes, pipeline and ARR follow.

“If you think about it that way, all three components are very, very important on their own, but you don’t get very far without all three working well together.”

Packaging: Create an Offer Agencies Can Sell

Agencies need clarity. Package your offering so a salesperson at the agency can confidently explain what buyers get and how success will be measured. That means:

• Predefined deliverables and outcomes
• Clear pricing and timeframes
• Sales enablement (battlecards, email templates, demo scripts)
• Customer-facing content tailored to the agency’s audience

New Breed packaged a product specifically for G2 customers to help them activate intent and account data, enabling quick ROI and measurable attribution—an ideal blueprint for packaged offers.

“We put together a product, a package, just intended for G2 customers only that were looking to activate this incredible data that they have.”

Enablement, Internal Buy-in, and Change Management

Partnerships stall when teams aren’t ready. Plan targeted enablement for different internal audiences—sales, customer success, marketing, and executive sponsors. Use lean channels (external Slack, short internal town halls, FAQs) to keep momentum and surface early wins.

“People need different levels of understanding. What kind of enablement tools should we put together?”

Real-world Tactics: Events, Co-created Content, and Small Wins

Events are high-impact, low-friction ways to build champions. Insert yourself into an agency’s existing events (or vice versa) and co-create content that demonstrates the joint value. Examples include:

• Multi-city thought leadership presentations
• Panel sessions with executive sponsors
• Branded workspaces or lounges at conferences for deeper conversations

These short, public moments build credibility and create internal champions one person at a time.

“They had a ball… the content they’ve co-developed really starts to make the story come to life.”

Culture & Mindset: Leave Egos at the Door

Successful partnerships demand humility. Treat the agency as an extension of your team. Be honest about resources, timelines, and expected outcomes. Be willing to pilot imperfect but valuable motions—“progress over perfection.”

“Leave your egos at the door and just really lean in and go in with a helping mind.”

KPIs & Measurement

Define mutually agreed KPIs up front, and remember they can be project-specific. Typical measures include:

• Influenced pipeline and sourced opportunities
• Close rates and average sale price uplift
• Retention and customer lifetime value
• Customer activation metrics for data-driven programs

“We’re here for mutual customer value… tech partnerships are driven and rooted in mutual customer value.”

Blueprint Summary: A Lightweight Checklist

1. Identify one high-fit agency and validate ICP overlap.
2. Run discovery calls to map customer workflows and gaps.
3. Package a joint offer with clear outcomes and pricing.
4. Create tailored enablement for the agency’s teams.
5. Pilot with small events and iterate quickly.
6. Measure project-level KPIs and refine before scaling.

“You can’t let perfection get in the way of progress.”

FAQ

Q: How many agency partners should I start with?

A: Start with one strategic partner. Build a repeatable framework, document the playbook, then scale.

Q: Should I offer co-selling incentives?

A: It depends on the relationship. Referral or reseller incentives can work, but many successful motions begin as enablement-focused referrals that prove value before adding financial complexity.

Q: How do I ensure agencies can sell my product without deep product expertise?

A: Package the offering, create clear sales scripts, provide short enablement videos, and host live role-plays. The goal is to make the agency’s sellers confident in positioning value and knowing when to bring you in.

Q: What’s the single most important thing to track?

A: Mutual customer value. If customers thrive, revenue and retention will follow.

Conclusion

Partnering with Agencies is one of the highest-leverage moves an app partner can make—when done intentionally. Focus on ICP alignment, package an offer the agency can sell, enable their teams, and start small. Keep the North Star as mutual customer value, iterate rapidly, and use events and co-created content to build champions. Done well, these partnerships increase win rates, average sale prices, and retention—for everyone involved.

“Don’t be afraid to start small, prove the concept out, and build from there. Lean into the gray area and leave your egos at the door.”