---
title: How to Nail SAP Partnership Management
description: Understand why SAP Partners need to understand how to nail SAP partnership management for maximum benefit to the SAP Partner by setting clear expectations
---

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# [How to Nail SAP Partnership Management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-nail-sap-partnership-management)

 Written by [Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/author/lonnie-d-ayers-pmp) | Thu, Aug, 07, 2014 @ 09:50 PM

## SAP Partner Management

With more than **24,000 [SAP Partners](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/top-10-guidelines-to-choosing-a-sap-partner)** listed out there, I have often wondered if [SAP Partners](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/top-10-guidelines-to-choosing-a-sap-partner) know exactly how they should manage their [relationship](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/are-you-ready-to-think-grow-rich-mindmap) with their assigned [SAP partner](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-secret-tips-to-choosing-sap-consulting-companies) manager to maximize their [SAP partnership value for maximum ROI](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-partnership-advisory-services), which comes at [substantial cost](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/what-is-the-tco-of-that-shinny-new-system-youre-about-to-buy).

It has always piqued my curiosity as to what the [SAP Partners](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/5-things-to-know-about-your-sap-project-manager) actually [expect from SAP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/sap-hana-margin-analysis).  Obviously, they want to make ever [increasing amounts of revenue](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubspot-roi-calculator). 

 

[SAP Partners](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/discover-10-keys-to-selecting-sap-consulting-companies) are expected to prepare a [business plan](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-use-a-project-charter-to-start-a-project) with [quantified business targets](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/seo-roi-calculator), which get [stored ‘in the system in the sky’](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/identifying-cause-of-data-load-error-when-using-a-sap-bw-dtp), but I have never seen the opposite, is there a [business plan](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-improve-sap-profitability-management-the-ultimate-guide) prepared by [SAP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-sem-cpm-risk-register-design-template) that represents a commitment of what [SAP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-improve-sap-profitability-management-p2-the-ultimate-guide) will deliver to the [SAP partner](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/request-sap-functional-consulting-support). In short, what is SAP's obligation with regards to their [partners](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/sap-grants-management).  Does it have a [performance metric](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/learn-what-makes-sap-dfps-solution-different)?

 

For the [amount of money](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/total-cost-of-ownership-tco) it [cost](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/does-pci-dss-compliance-affect-you) to become a [SAP partner](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-partnership-advisory-services) these days, [that seems](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-use-sap-webi-tutorial) like something that could and should be improved.

 

## Types of SAP Partnerships

 

Of course, there [are many](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/learn-7-key-approaches-to-developing-buyer-personas) types of [SAP Partnerships](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/sap-center-of-expertise-sap-coe-approach), including:

- [Service partners.](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/consulting-rate-calculator-whats-your-rate)
- Hardware partners.
- [Application development](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-consulting-support) partners.
- [System Integrators.](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubspot-integrations-sales-sap-chat)
- [SAP Channel Partners.](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/how-to-combine-hubspots-prospects-tool-with-a-linkedin-sales-strategy)

 

and many others. all of whom have their own [unique sales process](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-get-your-sales-roar-on) and sales [methodology](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/10-shortcuts-to-mastering-multi-channel-marketing).

 

## Many SAP partners hold more than one type of partnership. 

 

Few aspiring [SAP partners](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/top-10-strategies-for-maximizing-roi-with-sap-consulting-services) have a dedicated person who ensures they, the partners, are fully [optimizing](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/12-sap-crm-content-management-system-requirements) the [SAP partnership](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-determine-your-fully-loaded-cost-rate).

 

**SAP Partnerships Require Management!**

 

As someone who has put together [many, many](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/develop-a-data-governance-framework) Virtual Account Teams (VATs), including the SAP and non-[SAP partners](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-uncover-sap-services-opportunities) who I thought could help me win the deal, I think I have some insight into how and where a [SAP partner](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/does-pci-dss-compliance-affect-you), whether an old hand operating at global scale or a newly signed [partner](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/discover-project-managers-utopia-with-these-change-management-tips), should focus.

### 10 of those areas include:

 

- SAP Account Executives
- SAP Leadership team
- [SAP Partner Manager](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/sap-support-companies)
- [Industry Expertise](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/get-sap-consulting-support-now)
- Thought Leadership

- [Lead generation](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/how-to-calculate-value-per-digital-lead-online-calculator)

- [Go-to-Market Planning](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/14-sap-business-planning-best-practices)
- Territory Account Planning
- [Event Sponsorship](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-sap-s-hrms) and Activities
- User Group Membership and [Leadership](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/9-epm-sap-strategy-management-how-to-best-practices-to-implement-now)
- [Competitor Positioning](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/4-ways-to-bring-digital-innovation-to-your-company)

 

## Differing Business Partnership Management Expectations

 

In my experience, regardless of [partner size](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-asap-project-review), there are significant differences in both the [expectations of](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/4-ingredients-for-a-successful-direct-marketing-mix-recipe) SAP in each of these areas and the [partners](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/what-do-sap-consultancies-do) with regards to partnership management. 

 

There are also wide, regional differences in both what an individual partner can actually do in each area.

 

## So how can you better leverage your SAP Partnership? 

 

It all comes down to relationship, relationship, [relationship](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/learn-how-to-land-big-customers-using-multi-channel-marketing), and communicate, communicate, communicate.  

 

At the relationship level, it may not be obvious, but you need to ‘adopt’ an [Account Executive](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-leverage-sap-bw-in-a-multi-channel-marketing-campaign)(s) (AE) or Client Engagement Manager (CEM), and make sure you are the first member of the team he wants on his winning team.

 

No matter which type of [SAP partner](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-support-partner) you are or which channel you work in, be it **Large Enterprise (LE)** or **Small and Medium Business' (SMBs)**, direct or indirect, you need to have a clear, executable [strategy](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/8-more-epm-sap-strategy-management-how-to-best-practices) to generate [new leads](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/59-b2b-lead-generation-ideas-to-steal-tips-to-drive-more-sales-leads). This needs to be part of an overall [strategic growth plan](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/strategic-growth-planning) to widen and deepen your relationship with [SAP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-training-courses) as well as your existing customer base.

 

These [leads](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/13-lessons-learned-using-hubspots-workflow-lead-management-system) can be **Net New Customers** or **Existing Customer** based [leads](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/can-you-compute-the-value-of-a-lead-calculator-1), but as a partner, you make yourself more [valuable](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/can-you-compute-the-value-of-a-lead-calculator) by bringing new business to the table, and you strengthen your negotiating position as well as your perceived [value](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-use-sap-value-engineering-services) to [SAP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/why-sap-value-management-is-the-key-to-unlocking-your-businesss-full-potential).

 

As a [Senior Sales Executive](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/inbound-marketing-services/hubspot-crm-implementation-services) with a 20 year history of building out the [SAP Partnership eco-system](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-calculate-sales-funnel-quality-calculator) in some very [dynamic environments](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/enterprise-services/it-services/your-5-year-it-strategic-plan-partners), I believe actionable advice as to how to leverage the SAP Partnership is needed, as well as development of plans to achieve [superior performance](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/42-essential-hubspot-integrations-b2b-marketers-need-to-start-using), is critical.

 

If you already have [more leads and sales than you can possibly deal with](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/8-value-based-questions-for-real-estate-management-software-solutions), then great, you’re ahead of the curve. 

 

However, if you think there is room for improvement in your approach to [SAP partnership management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-partnership-advisory-services), or not quite sure how to leverage all the [tools and resources](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/request-sap-business-planning-and-consolidation-sap-bpc-consulting-support) that you have available to you as SAP Partner, then we can help with our [**SAP Partner Sales Advisory Services**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/sap-services-consulting), focused specifically on helping you leverage up your SAP Partnership.

 

 

 

## **About SAP BW Consulting, Inc.**

 

SAP BW Consulting, Inc. provides comprehensive [SAP solutions](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-best-practices-greenfield-implementations), including SAP Business Intelligence (BI) and [SAP Business Warehouse](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-understand-sap-supply-chain-management-and-bw) (BW) consulting, SAP ABAP development, and project management. Our services also include a [1099 Contractor Invoicing and Payment Management System](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/1099-contractor-payments), Salesforce consulting, and Balanced Scorecard consulting for strategic planning.

 

As HubSpot Certified Marketing and Sales Partners, we specialize in [Google Ads](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/google-ads-management), Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Account-Based Marketing, Content Marketing, and Ecommerce solutions, including Shopify.

 

Ready to optimize your operations and strategy? [Book a meeting with us](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/request-sap-implementation-consulting-support-meeting-request).

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