Overview
You recruit and enable partners (accounting software vendors, consulting firms, service providers) to refer or resell Basis' AI accounting platform. You're building a channel program from early stages, which means you'll define partner tiers, create enablement materials, negotiate agreements, and manage ongoing relationships. Most of your time goes to partner recruitment calls, training sessions, and pipeline reviews with partners.
Role Snapshot
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Role Type | Channel Sales Leader / Partner Manager |
| Sales Motion | Partner-driven with heavy recruitment focus |
| Deal Complexity | Strategic (building partnerships, not individual deals) |
| Sales Cycle | 3-6 months to activate a productive partner |
| Deal Size | N/A (measured by partner-sourced revenue) |
| Quota (est.) | Likely $2-4M in partner-sourced ARR annually |
Company Context
Stage: Series A/B (backed by Accel, GV, Khosla - top-tier investors)
Size: 122 employees
Growth: Hiring for channel indicates they've proven product-market fit and are scaling GTM
Market Position: Category creator in AI-native accounting tools - competing against manual processes and legacy automation tools
GTM Reality
Pipeline Sources:
- You're CREATING the partner pipeline - this isn't an established channel yet
- Direct sales team likely handles inbound and outbound currently
- Your job is to build a second engine via partnerships
Partner Types:
- Accounting software vendors (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite ecosystem partners)
- CPA firm networks and associations
- Accounting consultancies and service providers
- Implementation partners who serve enterprise accounting teams
Support Structure: You'll likely work closely with Sales, Product, and Customer Success to onboard partners and handle initial deals
Competitive Landscape
Main Competitors: Traditional accounting automation tools, manual processes, generic AI tools being adapted for accounting
How They Differentiate: Purpose-built AI agents for accounting workflows (not just chatbots or general automation)
Common Objections: "AI isn't ready for accounting", "My clients won't trust automated work", "We already have automation tools"
Win Themes: Time savings for accountants, accuracy of agent outputs, focus on high-value advisory work
What You'll Actually Do
Time Breakdown
Partner Recruitment (40%) | Partner Enablement (30%) | Deal Support (20%) | Internal (10%)
Key Activities
- Partner Prospecting: Research and outreach to potential partners - accounting software ISVs, consulting firms, CPA networks. You're cold calling partner managers and scheduling intro calls. Expect a lot of "we're not looking for new partnerships right now."
- Deal Structuring: Negotiate partnership agreements - revenue share, co-marketing commitments, support responsibilities. You'll loop in legal and finance, which means deals take weeks to finalize even after both sides agree in principle.
- Partner Enablement: Create training materials, run certification programs, build demo environments. You're teaching partner sales teams how to sell Basis - many won't be technical and need hand-holding.
- Pipeline Management: Weekly or bi-weekly calls with each active partner reviewing their pipeline, troubleshooting stuck deals, providing competitive intel. Many partners will commit to quotas they don't hit.
- Deal Support: Jump into partner-sourced deals when they get stuck - technical questions, pricing discussions, executive alignment. You're not closing, but you're heavily involved in bigger opportunities.
The Honest Reality
What's Hard
- Slow Ramp: Takes 3-6 months to recruit and activate a partner, then another 3-6 months before they close meaningful revenue. Your first year is mostly planting seeds.
- Partner Dependency: You can't control partner effort. Many will sign up, get excited, then deprioritize you when a bigger vendor calls. You'll spend time on partners who never deliver.
- Internal Friction: Direct sales team may see partners as competition for deals. You'll navigate commission conflicts and territory disputes.
- Program Building: This isn't a mature channel - you're creating the playbook. That means constant iteration and ambiguity about what "good" looks like.
- Complex Stakeholders: Each partner has multiple people you need aligned - their sales, marketing, product, leadership. Deals fall apart when one stakeholder changes their mind.
What Success Looks Like
- 15-20 active partners sourcing qualified opportunities within 12-18 months
- $2-4M in partner-sourced ARR by end of year two
- 2-3 "lighthouse" partners (brand-name firms) that validate the program and attract others
- Repeatable partner recruitment and enablement process that can scale beyond you
Who You're Selling To
Primary Partners:
- Partnership/Alliances managers at accounting software companies
- Managing Partners or Practice Leaders at CPA firms
- Sales Directors at accounting consultancies
What They Care About:
- Revenue potential - what's the TAM they can access through you?
- Competitive advantage - does this help them win or retain clients?
- Ease of sale - how much training/support do their reps need?
- Brand risk - is the AI accurate enough to put their name behind it?
- Economics - what's the revenue share and how fast can they ramp?
Requirements
- 5+ years building or managing channel/partner programs, ideally in B2B SaaS
- Experience recruiting partners from scratch (not just managing existing relationships)
- Understanding of accounting industry or willingness to learn it quickly
- Comfort with ambiguity - you're defining the playbook, not executing someone else's
- Ability to negotiate agreements and manage legal/commercial terms
- Track record of hitting partner-sourced revenue targets