Bd Partner Find

Partner Candidate Finder

Find the right partners — not just any partners. This skill produces a curated partner candidate list across multiple partner types, each with a clear mutual value thesis.

Input

• icp-profile.json (preferred) OR business URL OR business description
• Optional: partner type filter (channel / integration / reseller / JV / affiliate / strategic)

If only a URL, WebFetch the homepage to understand product + ICP first.

Process

1. Read business context — value prop, ICP, target market, GTM motion
2. Map partner archetypes — which of the 6 partner types make sense for this business?
3. Generate 15–20 candidate partners across selected types
4. For each candidate, define:

• Why they fit (audience overlap, complementary product, distribution channel)
• Mutual value (what each side gets)
• Risk factors (channel conflict, brand mismatch)
• Contact strategy (warm intro? Direct? Conference?)

1. Prioritize — High / Medium / Low using a weighted score

6 Partner Types (use this as the framework)

1. Channel Partner / Reseller

• They sell your product to their customers (margin or commission)
• Best for: companies needing geographic / vertical reach
• Examples: VARs, MSPs, regional consultancies

2. Integration / Tech Alliance

• Mutual product integration (e.g., Slack ↔ Salesforce)
• Best for: SaaS with complementary functionality
• Examples: marketplace listings, joint integrations

3. Service Implementation Partner

• They implement / consult on your product (you pass leads, they execute)
• Best for: complex products needing services layer
• Examples: SI firms, boutique consultancies

4. Joint Venture (JV)

• Co-build a product / service / GTM motion
• Best for: large bets, new market entry
• Examples: co-branded offerings, regional JVs

5. Affiliate / Referral Partner

• Pay for leads / signups (CPA / rev share)
• Best for: PLG / SMB / consumer-adjacent SaaS
• Examples: bloggers, communities, course creators

6. Strategic Alliance

• Non-transactional brand alignment, co-marketing
• Best for: market education, category creation
• Examples: co-authored research, joint webinars

Output: partner-candidates.json

{
  "version": "1.0",
  "generatedAt": "ISO-8601 timestamp",
  "icpReference": "icp-profile.json or url",
  "totalCandidates": 18,
  "byType": {
    "channelPartner": 4,
    "integration": 5,
    "serviceImplementation": 3,
    "jointVenture": 2,
    "affiliate": 2,
    "strategicAlliance": 2
  },
  "candidates": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "name": "Example Partner Co",
      "type": "Integration / Tech Alliance",
      "domain": "examplepartner.com",
      "category": "Adjacent SaaS",
      "audienceOverlap": "high / medium / low",
      "audienceOverlapNotes": "Both target VP Sales at 200-1000 FTE B2B SaaS",
      "mutualValueThesis": {
        "whatYouGive": "Native integration with our API, joint marketing reach",
        "whatTheyGive": "Distribution to their 5K+ customer base, marketplace listing",
        "winWinScore": 8
      },
      "evidence": [
        "Both serve overlapping ICP (cite specific signals)",
        "They have integration program (cite their dev portal)"
      ],
      "risks": [
        "Channel conflict if they own competing feature",
        "Their roadmap may make us redundant"
      ],
      "contactStrategy": {
        "approach": "Warm intro via mutual investor / ABM via partnerships team",
        "rolesToContact": ["Head of Partnerships", "BD Lead", "Product Marketing"],
        "openingHook": "Specific mutual customer or shared ICP overlap",
        "channels": ["Email", "LinkedIn", "Conference (e.g., SaaStr)"]
      },
      "priority": "High",
      "estimatedTimeToFirstDeal": "3-6 months"
    }
  ]
}

Output: partner-candidates.md

A human-readable report with:

1. Executive summary — total candidates, prioritization rationale
2. Partner strategy overview — which types make sense and why (1 paragraph each)
3. Candidate cards — grouped by type, sorted by priority

• Each card: name, type, mutual value, risks, contact strategy

1. Outreach playbook — how to approach each priority tier
2. Risk matrix — channel conflict, brand alignment, execution risk
3. 30/60/90-day action plan — who to contact when

Rules

• Be honest about what you know. Only list real companies you have public knowledge of.
• Mutual value is non-negotiable. No partnership works without clear value for both sides.
• Flag channel conflict explicitly. If their product overlaps with yours, say so.
• Don't recommend partners who compete. That's not partnership, that's reconnaissance.
• Realistic timelines. First deal in partnership = 3–9 months typically. Don't promise faster.
• Geographic match matters. A US partner won't help a Thai SaaS expand to Europe.

Next steps to suggest

1. /bd-partner-evaluate — score and prioritize partners with weighted criteria
2. /bd-partner-pitch — craft pitch email + 1-pager + deck for top candidates
3. /bd-strategy — fold partnerships into the full BD strategy

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: dongcs52
• Source: dongcs52/claude-bd-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.