What's the longer term health of having a career in doing partner PMM?

SaaS companies start by selling to customer with their existing sales teams. Partnerships increase product stickiness thus increasing adoption and retention, driving long-term growth. Partner PMM is a requires someone who can wear many hats

1. Product marketing – core product marketing skills including messaging positioning, content creation etc.

2. Partner marketing: Understand co-marketing and be able to build external relationships within the partner ecosystem

3. Collaboration & Execute: Strong ‘can-do’ attitude to collaborate internally with business development, product, rest of marketing and obviously sales/partner sales.

A person who has a strong background with partner PMM is sure to rise and have long career in scaling technology companies.

Opportunities exist in both product marketing and partner marketing. It's rare to find a company without some form of partnership strategy or program nowadays. However, it's important to note that this doesn't always necessitate a dedicated partner marketing role. Keep in mind that a strong partner marketer typically begins with the foundational skill set of a product marketer. With this in mind, you remain open to roles in both product and partnership marketing.

I feel it’s important to do what you are most passionate about as that will translate in your work, and your attitude. There are also many different facets of what a partner marketer may actually do, from managing strategic programs and channel distribution, to focusing on a select few strategic partners for co-marketing to drive results. 

Consider a few questions as you explore your next chapter, and overall career journey:

1. Are you more comfortable working for a startup or an established company?
   
   I've experienced situations where startups, despite having numerous partners, lacked an understanding of partnership marketing. Consequently, they faced challenges in justifying resources due to this lack of knowledge. In such cases, I believe contract roles are preferable to full-time employment, as they offer more stability.
   
   Similarly, I've worked at established companies where the partnership marketing role or team was present but not positioned optimally within the organization to effectively address customer needs.
   
   I share these insights to help you better assess the next company you work for and ask the right questions.

2. What are you most excited about in partnership marketing?
   
   Partnership marketing encompasses various facets, including market research, relationship building, go-to-market planning, external engagement and visibility, messaging, partner strategy, budget management, and more. Take the time to list out the aspects you find most enjoyable and for which you are well-suited. Then, stack-rank them to uncover potential roles related to partnership marketing,