Coterie unveils education academy as partner marketing falls 'even more under threat'

CEO Jo Dunkley tells CRN she thinks the role is under pressure because of ‘low awareness’ and ‘assumptions’ of the required skills

Partner and channel marketing specialist Coterie has launched a new pillar to its business aimed at supporting partner marketing education and boosting skills in the sector.

The Coterie Academy sets out to educate, inform and certify individuals on all aspects of partner marketing.

The academy's launch comes alongside the debut of a dedicated partner marketing book, titled How to be Boundary Spanner, written by Coterie co-founders Helen Curtis and Jo Dunkley.

Coterie is also introducing a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)-recognised training programme and an upcoming development scheme to help fill the skills gap.

Under the Coterie Academy umbrella, the training programme is tailored to anyone from beginners to more experienced marketers and is designed to guide participants through every stage of partner marketing.

There are three levels: Basics of Partner Marketing, Multi-Ingredient Ecosystem Marketing and Practitioner in Partner and Ecosystem Marketing certificate.

Jo Dunkley, CEO of Coterie tells CRN the role of marketers in the channel is facing increased pressures.

"Partner marketing seems to be even more under threat and we think it is because there is still a low awareness of the skills that are required to do the role and an assumption that a generalist will be able to pick it up and run with it, despite the fact that a particular skill set is needed."

She adds that, alongside the University of Huddersfield, Coterie conducted research which found that experience and maturity were crucial, with respondents agreeing a candidate with a varied background who could draw on a wide knowledge base to nurture partnerships, was an effective partner marketer.

"People with little experience are increasingly being placed in roles in organisations that have up to 80 per cent of their revenue going through the channel, so it is understandable that channel marketeers often feel like they are an island.

"Now more than ever, they feel more under threat, unappreciated and unsupported. We really hope that the work we are doing to create training and accreditations will support experienced partner marketers by giving them new ideas, but also those people new in the role who have low level support but yet have huge expectations upon their shoulders."