When pitching new marketing initiatives, supplement ROI projections with research demonstrating a clear audience need for the content. Framing the project as a valuable service to the customer, rather than just another marketing tactic, is a more powerful way to gain internal support.

To ensure positive Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI), Autodesk's CMO uses a simple rule: a partnership must generate at least three dollars for every dollar spent. This financial discipline forces marketers to pursue only high-impact collaborations that act as a force multiplier for the brand.

The highest ROI for marketing development funds (MDF) comes from helping partners get closer to buyers. Instead of lavish vendor events attended by the same partners, suppliers should fund activities that directly support an advisor's customer acquisition efforts.

To shift from reactive 'order takers' to strategic advisors, partner marketers should first document their sales counterparts' specific goals (e.g., net new logos, deal registrations). This 'working backwards' approach aligns all marketing activities to sales objectives, building trust and ensuring marketing serves as a strategic partner, not just an execution arm.

The ROI of partner enablement is critical but notoriously difficult to quantify. To create a tangible link to revenue, connect enablement activities like training sessions to specific, trackable outcomes like SPIFs or other direct incentives that drive a desired action and can be measured.

To break down silos between sales, channel, and field marketing, partner marketers act as a central hub. This is achieved by operationalizing transparency, establishing a formal communication cadence that replaces informal check-ins, and conducting blame-free reviews focused on future actions.

To prove business impact beyond vanity metrics, define success by aligning with key departments *before* the campaign starts. Executives want pipeline, product wants trials, and customer success wants retention. This prevents a disconnect where marketing celebrates impressions while leadership asks about revenue.

Instead of saying 'no' to partner requests for low-ROI activities like golf events, use data as an anchor. By presenting the past results (or lack thereof), the conversation shifts from a subjective refusal to an objective, collaborative effort to find more effective, pipeline-driving alternatives. This protects the relationship while enforcing financial discipline.

Peacework Puzzles advises that successful brand collaborations require a single, clear objective. Before partnering, decide if the main goal is enhancing brand equity, growing your audience, or driving revenue. Trying to achieve all three at once leads to misaligned expectations and less effective outcomes.