159 - Meet Your Partnerships Mentor - Nelson Wang on First Principles

Nearbound Podcast

Nelson Wang, the Global Head of Partnerships at Airtable, talks about the importance of transitioning from tactics to principles in building successful partner programs. Nelson shares his experience in building partner programs and emphasizes the value of customer interviews and first principles. He also addresses the challenge of long-term thinking in a short-term job market and the importance of assessing customer needs and building trust.
Takeaways

• Transitioning from tactics to principles is crucial in building successful partner programs.
• Customer interviews and understanding their pain points are essential for building customer-centric partner programs.
• Sharing lessons and experiences can help others be more successful and make their lives easier.
• Balancing short-term wins with long-term trust is important in building sustainable partner programs.
• Assessing customer needs and building trust are key components of successful partnerships. Being customer-obsessed is crucial for long-term success in partnerships.
• Helping customers reach their desired outcomes is the key to creating value.
• Saying no and prioritizing key initiatives is essential for success.
• Quality is more important than quantity in partnerships.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Teaser of the Book

01:10 Using Airtable for Workbook Creation

03:06 Transitioning from Tactics to Principles

05:39 The Importance of Customer Interviews

07:17 The Value of First Principles

08:56 Nelson Wang's Motivation to Share Lessons

10:38 Balancing Short-Term Wins and Long-Term Trust

19:17 The Challenge of Long-Term Thinking in a Short-Term Job Market

20:49 Assessing Customer Needs and Building Trust

25:31 Customer Obsession and Long-Term Success

26:27 Setting Up a Partner Program for Long-Term Success

27:04 The Importance of Being Customer-Obsessed

28:01 Helping Customers Reach Their Promised Land

28:29 Making Hard Asks in Pursuit of Customer Outcomes

29:54 Outside-In Approach and Focusing on Customer Outcomes

30:15 Being Bold in Pursuit of Customer Outcomes

31:32 The Importance of Saying No and Prioritizing

32:36 Knowing Your Customers and Partners

33:31 Focusing on Key Priorities at Different Company Stages

34:31 Quality Over Quantity in Partnerships

36:46 Avoiding Shiny Object Syndrome

37:12 The Importance of Making Good Decisions

38:11 The Power of Compound Interest in Partnerships

41:23 Getting Buy-In from Leadership

42:20 Presenting Strategy to CXOs and Boards

44:17 Sharing Strategy and Getting Feedback

46:49 The Importance of Quality in Partnerships