Why I’m Convinced the CRO Shouldn’t Own Partnerships

A newsletter about partnerships strategy &
operations by Bernhard Friedrichs

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Hey there!

As you maybe you know besides writing this newsletter I’m also a partnerships consultant, and I’ve spent years chatting with all kinds of folks at companies—CEOs, founders, CMOs, product leads, CFOs, and, yep, CROs too. My job is to help businesses figure out how to team up with other companies in ways that make everyone better off—think co-marketing, integrations, or even just sharing customers.

But here’s the thing: every time I sit down with a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), something feels… off. I couldn’t put my finger on it at first. Was it because they’d just started the gig (their average tenure is barely 18 months)? Or maybe because they’re already halfway out the door? Nope, it’s deeper than that.

So, I went on a little quest to figure it out, and now I’m convinced: the CRO shouldn’t be in charge of partnerships. Let me tell you why—and what I think we should do instead.

The CRO Struggle Is Real

I’m in a meeting with a CRO at a growing SaaS company. They’re sharp, driven, and laser-focused on one thing—revenue. Makes sense, right? It’s literally their job title.

They want to know how many leads this partnership will bring in next quarter or how much cash it’ll add to the books. Fair questions! But here’s where it gets tricky. I explain that partnerships—like getting two software platforms to talk to each other or teaming up with a big reseller—aren’t about instant deals. They’re about planting seeds that grow over time. The CRO nods, but I can see it in their eyes: if it’s not a number on the spreadsheet soon, they’re not sold.

This happens all the time. CROs live and breathe revenue—sales quotas, marketing funnels, upsells. It’s what they’re good at, and honestly, it’s what they’re paid to care about. But partnerships? They’re a different beast. I’ve never met a partner manager who signs a contract with a direct customer. Their wins come from building relationships—say, convincing another company to bundle your product, co-develop a feature or co-host a webinar. That stuff pays off eventually, but it’s not a straight line to cash. And that’s where the CRO and I start talking past each other.

Partnerships Don’t Fit the Revenue Box

Often I used to think I was the problem. Maybe I wasn’t explaining it right. But then I started paying attention to what partnerships actually do. They’re not about closing deals—they’re about opening doors. Take a channel partner, for example. They might introduce your product to their customers, but they’re not your sales team. Or a product partner might build an integration that makes your software stickier, keeping users around longer. These moves are gold, but they don’t show up as “revenue” right away. So why are we shoving them under the CRO, whose whole world is about hitting revenue targets yesterday?

It hit me when I thought about engineers. I’ve got a buddy who’s a software engineer, and we were grabbing a virtual coffee one day. I asked him, “Hey, do you get judged on how much money your code makes?” He laughed and said, “No way—if I build something solid, the revenue comes later. My job is to make it work.” That’s when it clicked. Partnerships are like engineering: if you do them well, the money follows, but it’s not the point. Judging a partner manager—or a whole partnership strategy—on revenue is like asking my engineer friend to sell the app he built. It’s the wrong way to look at it.

Why Does This Keep Happening?

So why do companies keep putting partnerships under the CRO? I’ve asked around, and it feels like a lazy default. Partnerships involve working with people outside the company, and CROs already deal with customers, so… close enough, right? Wrong. Partnerships aren’t just another sales channel. They’re strategic—they need someone who gets the big picture, not just the bottom line. CROs don’t usually touch engineering or product development because those aren’t their lanes. Partnerships feel closer to that world—building something bigger together—than to chasing quarterly goals.

I’ve seen it firsthand. One company I worked with had a CRO who kept pushing their partner team to “generate more leads.” The partner manager was tearing their hair out trying to turn a long-term integration project into a quick win. Guess what? It flopped. The partnership stalled, and the CRO blamed the team for “not delivering.” Meanwhile, the product lead I talked to got it—she saw how that integration could make their software a must-have down the road.

Different perspectives, different outcomes.

Let’s Fix This Mess

Here’s where I landed: the CRO role isn’t broken—it’s just not built for partnerships. And that’s fine! We don’t need to ditch it; we just need to figure out a better home for partnerships. After digging into this, I’ve got some thoughts on how to make it work:

• Split Them Up Across the Team: Imagine splitting up partnerships based on what they do. Channel partners could go to sales or a Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) or Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO), you name it, who’s all about growing the company’s reach—like hitting new markets. Marketing partners could sit with the CMO, who’s already got the playbook for getting the word out. Product partners could land with a Chief Product Officer (CPO), focusing on integrations that make your software unbeatable. And Service partners? Maybe customer success or ops, since they’re about keeping users happy. It’s a clean split—each department takes what they’re already good at. Sounds smart, right? Except partners don’t stay in one lane. A channel partner might start co-marketing with you, or ask for an integration, a product partner might want to talk sales strategy. Suddenly, the CSO, CMO, and CPO are tripping over each other, and no one’s sure who’s running the show. Splitting sounds smart, but without someone tying it all together, it’s a recipe for a mess.

• Give Partnerships Their Own Boss: Some companies are already onto this with a Chief Partnerships Officer (CPO), a dedicated partnerships lead reporting to the CEO. I looked into a company that had one, and while it wasn’t perfect (still room to develop the new role), it was a huge step up. They tracked stuff that actually matters—like partner health, engagement, ecosystem growth, and even started digging into cool comparative data like how much cheaper it is to get customers through partners versus ads or SDRs (CAC* reduction, if you’re into acronyms). Revenue still rolled in, but it wasn’t the only star of the show. A CPO (not the product one) could be that central connection point, keeping an eye on all the partner categories**—channel, product, marketing, service—even as they shift and overlap. It’s not just a fix; it’s a rethink of what partnerships deserve.

• Tweak the CRO’s Job: If partnerships have to stay with the CRO, we need to change the rules. Let them care about more than just dollars—add goals like “number of active partners” or “successful co-marketing campaigns.” It’s a stretch. It maybe could work with what AI agents may enable them to do. But honestly, I’m skeptical for now. CROs are already swamped chasing revenue in a SaaS world that’s flipping upside down—subscriptions turning into usage-based models and all that chaos. Asking them to stretch into partnership territory feels like piling more on an already full plate. I’d rather see them stick to what they’re great at and let someone else take the reins here.

My Takeaway (And Maybe Yours Too)

I’m not saying CROs are the bad guys—they’re awesome at what they do. But partnerships deserve better than being squeezed into a revenue box. Every time I talk to a founder or a CMO, they get it—they see the long game. With CROs, I’m usually stuck justifying why the payoff isn’t instant. It’s exhausting, and it’s not their fault—it’s the setup.

So, if you’re reading this and you’re a CEO or founder, think about it: where do your partnerships sit? Are they thriving, or are they just another line item on the CRO’s to-do list? I’ve seen what happens when they’re done right—doors open, products get better, and yeah, revenue grows too. But it starts with putting them in the right hands. Let’s stop making partnerships the CRO’s awkward stepchild and give them a real home. What do you say?

*CAC = Customer Acquisition Costs: https://pro.partnerstandard.com/partnership-kpis/customer-acquisition-costs-cac
** Overview on partner categories: https://pro.partnerstandard.com/guides/partner-categories-and-partner-types-saas

That's all for today. Thanks for reading. I'm happy you joined.

Cheers,

Bernhard  
Founder - PartnerStandard™

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