At a glance
| Start | One product and its intended customer |
| The question | Who owns the customer relationship at a relevant buying moment? |
| The disqualifiers | Direct product competitors and companies buying solely for internal use |
| The two buckets | Already offering through a partner, or not offering yet |
| The check | Current company announcements and product information, with unresolved facts flagged |
| The output | Eight to ten initial targets for one product, with the commercial rationale and relevant decision makers |
What is a strategic partner in this guide?
This guide focuses on distribution partners, companies that offer your product to customers they already serve. Brand recognition alone does not make a company a strategic partner. The Partnership Graph is Schwaner & Co.'s method for researching those companies and identifying a practical reason to work together.
How to find strategic partners with the Partnership Graph
Start with one product
Name the product, its intended customer and the problem it solves. Keep that customer separate from the executive who would approve a partnership. A company may fit one product and compete with another, so evaluate each product separately.
Find who owns the customer relationship
Look for companies that already serve the product's intended customers. Identify where they can introduce it, such as a relevant transaction, account review or member offer. If you sell auto insurance, a home insurer is the obvious example, the same customer, an adjacent product and nothing to compete over.
A third-party example is Costco's American Family Insurance program. Costco owns the member relationship and offers access to insurance without underwriting the policies itself.
Remove direct competitors and internal buyers
Remove companies that make or originate the same product. A company distributing another provider's version remains a potential partner. It may have room to add a provider, serve another segment or consider a replacement.
Also remove companies buying solely for internal use. A company licensing the product to offer it to its own customers can be a white-label partner. Evaluate the role it would play in reaching customers.
Separate existing offers from new opportunities
- Already offering through a partner. Identify the current provider and a credible reason the company might add or replace it. Confirm any exclusivity and the requirements for a new arrangement. Existing approvals do not establish approval for yours.
- Not offering yet. Look for a customer need and a reason for the company to add the product. Similar companies' partnerships can inform the case, but they do not prove demand at this target.
Check each company
Review current company announcements and product information for existing partners, competing products, acquisitions and changes in ownership. Record the source and date, and flag anything that needs confirmation. Proposing a partnership the company signed two years ago is the fastest way to lose the conversation.
Absence of a public announcement means the relationship is unconfirmed. It does not prove no partnership exists.
Evaluate each target
Ideal strategic partners combine relevant customer access with a workable offer for both sides. Record evidence for each of these four criteria and mark open questions. A target with no clear answer on partner economics is not ready to be approached.
- Customer access. Who owns the customer relationship and where the product can be introduced.
- Product fit. Which customer need it addresses and why the company would add it.
- Partner economics. What the partner gains and which costs or responsibilities affect the arrangement.
- Launch requirements. The integration, compliance, legal, operational and reporting work both sides need to complete.
Build the initial shortlist
A full engagement works a longer list of 50 to 200 candidates across products and categories. The first call starts with eight to ten priority targets for one product. Eight to ten is a working range, with fit guiding which candidates deserve attention.
For each initial target, record the product, offer status, four evaluation criteria, named decision maker and sources. Keep the customer's buying need and the partner executive's approval role clear.
A hypothetical example
Consider a fintech offering a children's allowance and money-management app. Parents are the customers. Look for a company that already serves those parents and has a reason to offer the app.
Suppose research identifies two community banks. One already offers a third-party youth app. Evaluate whether there is a credible opportunity to add or replace its provider. The other has no youth app confirmed publicly. Establish whether an offering exists and whether the proposed product meets a customer need.
Compare the two candidates using the four criteria. A bank licensing the app to offer it to customers can be a white-label partner. Identify the executive responsible for that offering and the approvals needed. Those findings determine its place on the shortlist.
What comes after the target map?
Creating strategic partnerships starts with testing these assumptions in direct conversations. The partnership strategy and management guide covers discovery, agreements, launch and ongoing management.
We reached 173 people inside one top-five P&C carrier, starting from a cold message with no introduction, and the result was a signed partnership agreement. A good map tells you where to start. Persistence through negotiation, follow-up and approvals is what turns it into an agreement.
Our strategic partnership consulting page explains how we lead the work from target selection through negotiation and launch.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Partnership Graph?
The Partnership Graph is Schwaner & Co.'s method for finding distribution partners. It starts with one product, finds the companies that own that product's customer relationship, removes direct competitors and internal buyers, separates companies already offering through a partner from those not offering yet, checks each company's current announcements, and evaluates every target on customer access, product fit, partner economics and launch requirements.
What should the first outreach message include?
Name the customer need, explain why the company is relevant, state what the partner gains and suggest a specific next conversation. The first message should give the recipient enough context to judge whether the opportunity merits discussion.
What if a contact refers us to another company in its group?
Evaluate the referred company separately. Confirm which entity owns the relevant customer relationship, controls the offering and can approve the arrangement. A useful introduction may change the target record without changing the product you are mapping.
Should we seek an exclusive partnership?
Evaluate exclusivity during commercial discussions. Consider what each side commits, which other distribution options the terms would limit and how performance will be reviewed. The decision should reflect the proposed arrangement and its value to both sides.
Share your product and partnership goals so we can prepare an initial target map for our first call. Discuss your partnership goals.