Luke Seria · Partner marketing leader · B2B SaaS

Your partners should be your best source of pipeline.

I build partner funnels that recruit the right partners, ramp them fast and turn them into a repeatable revenue channel. Four programs built from the ground up, $31M+ in partner pipeline.

See how I build programs LinkedIn

Experience13+ yrs

in partner and channel marketing, 17+ years in marketing

Programs built4×

from zero as the first partner marketing hire, plus 2 established programs scaled

Pipeline$31M+

generated by partner-led campaigns in my recent roles

Reach3 regions

Global partners across North America, EMEA and APAC

Where I've worked

Member of

Partnership LeadersThe industry association for partnership and ecosystem professionals

How I think

Every partner program runs on two funnels.

Most partner marketing is random acts. A webinar here, a co-branded one-pager there, a referral push at quarter end. Each effort starts from scratch, and none of it adds up to a program.

The programs that grow run on two funnels. The first brings the right partners in and gets them ready to sell. The second gives them a ready-made way to bring customers to you, so selling with you is the easiest thing they do all quarter.

The R5 framework didn't come from a textbook. I built it over 13 years and six partner programs, keeping what produced pipeline and cutting what didn't. Every stage is there because skipping it cost a program somewhere along the way.

Build both funnels, and partners stop being logos on a page and become a revenue channel. That's the system I bring to every program.

To partners

Recruitment, onboarding, enablement and communications that keep partners up to date and get them ready to sell faster.

Through partners

Lead generation funnels that make selling with you easy, through PRM-powered programs partners run to their own audiences.

With partners

A steady calendar of joint ABM, field events and thought-leadership webinars aimed at shared ecosystem targets.

My framework

The R5 partner program

Every program I build runs on the same five stages, from choosing the right partners to keeping the best ones active. It can be adjusted to fit referral, co-sell, reseller, channel, and technology partner programs.

Research

Decide which partners are worth recruiting and why they'd care, before anyone sends an invite.

Ideal partner profiles and joint value propositions for every partner type
Account overlap data to choose target partners and target accounts
Customer journey mapping, market research and messaging for each partner type
PRM setup and optimization as the central partner hub, with key assets also shared by link and email

IPP + JVPIdentify and attract partners that match your ideal partner profile, then build compelling joint value propositions and better-together stories

Recruit

Lead with what the partner gets, not the contract, and sign partners who match the profile.

Recruitment funnels that attract ideal-fit partners and move them from first touch to signed, using email, referral marketing, events and webinars
Recruitment playbooks that built a partner network from the ground up
Strategic reseller and alliance partnerships with global software platforms

3,000+targeted, ideal-fit partners recruited into ecosystem programs

Ramp

Shorten the time from signed to first referral with onboarding that does the work for the partner.

Launched global partner portals with onboarding journeys, training modules and a central asset library
Partner asset libraries, affiliate guidebooks and ready-to-use partner presentations
Monthly enablement webinars that launch new offerings to partners and keep them current on product updates

1,600+partner accounts enabled through the global programs and PRMs I launched+70%more partner referrals on priority offerings, driven by ready-to-use sales kits and quarterly promotions

Revenue

Give partners offers their whole audience will act on, then turn that interest into sales meetings.

Turnkey lead generation funnels partners can plug into, with research, content and landing pages ready to send to their own audiences
A shared calendar of joint webinars and in-person events that keeps co-marketing steady all year, not just at quarter end
Account mapping in Crossbeam paired with ABM plays that act on trigger events, turning partner overlap into targeted outreach and sales meetings

$13M+in closed ARR from partner-driven pipeline in my recent roles

Retain

Stay useful between deals so partners don't drift to other vendors.

A structured partner communications framework, with webinars and a regular newsletter, that keeps partners informed and engaged between deals
A partner advisory council that keeps a steady feedback loop open, so the program keeps improving based on what partners actually need
Partner recognition programs, from awards to spotlights, that reward top performers and give every partner a reason to step up

400+active partners kept engaged through a steady cadence of webinars, newsletters and recognition

Read the full R5 framework Stage-by-stage playbook, metrics and the problems each stage fixes.

Get in touch

Scaling a partner ecosystem?

I'm always glad to talk with sales, alliance and marketing leaders about building a world-class partner program on a proven framework that turns partners into pipeline.

Connect on LinkedIn

Personal interests

When I'm not building partner programs

Volunteering at RuffPatch RescueFostering homeless dogs until they find their forever homes

501st Legion stormtrooperSuiting up in full armor to volunteer at charity and community events

Road cyclingCache Gran Fondo finisher

F45 workoutsGroup training to start the day

College footballSaturdays in the fall are spoken for

History & biographiesLearning from the leaders who shaped it