How Elastic built a best-in-class partner enablement framework

What was the partner experience at Elastic before the Partner Enablement Center?

When I first started at Elastic, how a partner received any enablement depended on the relationship they had with their counterpart at Elastic. Whatever enablement their partner manager or account executive had, it was up to them to push it to the partner. I started right when Seismic was being implemented at Elastic, so I was at the beginning of it all, which was very exciting. I was learning Elastic just as I was learning how our partners need to learn Elastic and receive content.

It wasn't a content issue. It was an ease-of-access issue. When a partner needed something, it depended on them to reach out to an individual, instead of getting it for themselves.

What pain points were partners experiencing?

We noticed some friction from a lot of our channel managers. Partners would reach out and ask, "Do you have any enablement we can use? Do you have enablement that's up to date for this use case or that use case?" A lot of what existed had been built specifically for Elasticians, for our internal team, not for our external partners.

We can make specific content for different partner types, but we also have so many resources that already exist and are ready for partners to use. So the initial light bulb was: if it's good enough for our Elastic sellers, it's good enough for our external partners, so why not let them have access to it as well?

Was there a specific moment when you realized there was a gap?

Yes. One of our partner managers came to me and said, "Hailey, is there anything for partners that we can give them?" because a lot of what we had was internal only. I said, "Yes, there is. All of this content can be for partners. We just need to make a partner version of it so they know they're able to use it."

We put those enablement assets into the Partner Enablement Center, and after that initial ask, so many other people came to me saying, When we opened that little door, a whole flood of asks came. That was really exciting, because it showed this was an untapped problem set, and we creatively solved it.

What is the Partner Enablement Center, and who uses it?

It's a self-serve portal where any partner can go and find enablement content tailored to their partner type and the stage of each sales cycle. They can access accreditations and certifications to become a more knowledgeable steward of Elastic, and they can get all the news, events and updated content they need. It's all self-service. They can go in any time of day, and since we're a global company, that helps make sure partners get what they need quickly.

There are high-level overviews of everything you need to successfully sell Elastic, and then more in-depth, technical content for partners who want to go deeper through the sales cycle. Our internal sellers use it too, so it's become a really great resource for finding deal-ready enablement to help bring a deal to close.

What changed when partners got the same access as Elastic's own sellers?

Giving our partners the same content and accreditations as our Elastic sellers allowed them to stop asking for permission. They can show up with authority and the same knowledge our sellers have, and successfully sell Elastic and deliver our value proposition to customers.

It also gives Elastic full confidence in our partners and anyone secondarily selling Elastic products, because we know they have the most up-to-date content and all the right information, including competitive information.

What impact have you seen?

By delivering partner enablement and setting up partner accreditations, we've seen 50% year-over-year growth in partner-sourced deals. That's awesome, because it shows our partners trust the information we're arming them with, that they feel confident entering deal rooms without being handheld by an Elastician, and that they can go in and close a deal.

It shows we've delivered not just success in deals, but also trust with our partners, because we're giving them the most up-to-date resources and the confidence they need to walk into a deal room and deliver the value Elastic brings.

How has it changed the way partners engage?

Partners can now go out and actively source deals with confidence, because they can proactively pull the resources and enablement needed to support every deal and its unique needs across the sales cycle.They're not waiting for a meeting or a conversation with an Elastician to receive updated information. That helps our partners become more proactive and lean in to selling Elastic, while strengthening the relationship and trust between our Elastic sellers and our partners.

How has it strengthened trust between Elastic and its partners?

It shows we trust them to be stewards of Elastic and Elastic’s value, and to go out into the world and sell as if they were an Elastician. We're treating them as part of our team, giving them everything an Elastician has, and empowering them to represent Elastic confidently.

Our partners have stopped waiting on us and started acting, bringing us into deals. Seismic has helped our partners sell as Elastic, and not just for Elastic.

Congratulations to Elastic! Explore more on Elastic's success story, and other award winners in the Seismic blog.