Go-to-Market & Growth
Partner-Led, Sales-Led or Product-Led Growth
There is no right growth model in the abstract. Partner-led, sales-led and product-led are not three degrees of sophistication, but three answers to different markets and products, and choosing one by fashion rather than by criteria is the fastest way to dilute budget and attention. In this article I compare them from the point of view of someone who built a partner-led motion that generated real pipeline, and I explain the three criteria I use to decide which to run.
The three models, in brief
In product-led growth the product itself brings the user to discovery and purchase, usually through a trial or free version: the sale happens with almost no human intervention. In sales-led growth a commercial team guides the potential customer along the path, from first contact to signature. In partner-led growth a third party the customer already trusts introduces the offer into their decision process, putting their own credibility at the service of the sale.
None of the three is superior to the others. They fit different situations, and the same company can use more than one at different stages of its growth.
The three criteria I use to choose
When I have to choose a motion I look at three things, always in the same order. How long the product's sales cycle is. How much trust the market requires before buying. And whether the product explains itself or needs someone to tell its story.
A product-led motion works when the product generates enough perceived value on its own to sell with a trial, and the sales cycle is short. A direct motion works when the sales team can reach the decision-maker quickly and the value needs to be argued. A partner-led motion works when a third party's trust weighs more than any direct argument, typically on enterprise products with high perceived risk.
Why I chose partner-led for Optimizely
In the Optimizely case the answer to the three criteria was readable immediately. The sales cycle of an enterprise experimentation platform is long, the trust required before buying is high, and the product needs to be told in the customer's context. Direct cold outreach would have fought against all three factors; an introduction by a partner the customer already trusted turned them in its favour. It is the motion that then generated €1M in pipeline in six months, and I have told the full execution in the case from zero to €1M in pipeline.
It is not a permanent choice
The initial motion is not a constraint forever. Many companies start sales-led or partner-led to build trust and reference cases, and add a product-led component when the product is mature enough to sell with a trial. The mistake is not changing motion over time, but choosing one at the start without a criterion and then defending it out of inertia. How I build the whole launch strategy around this choice is in the guide to go-to-market.
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