What happens when you stop treating partnerships as a quick source of referrals and start treating them as a long-term sales ecosystem? And how do you decide which relationships actually deserve your time?
In this Best Of episode, originally published in July 2025, Harry Kendlbacher revisits his conversation with Ben Cronsberry, former GTM Operations Lead at Shopify and now Head of GTM & Partnerships at Parsel.
Ben shares a different perspective on modern B2B selling, from his “sniper approach” to partner selection to his belief that discovery starts before you ever pick up the phone.
They explore why warm referrals can lead to stronger conversion rates and faster sales cycles, why partner enablement can easily go wrong, and why great sales storytelling starts with listening.
The conversation also gets into a question many sales teams struggle with: when should you keep pursuing an opportunity, and when is it smarter to “lose fast”?
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00:00 Why warm referrals matter in B2B sales
00:03:08 The “sniper approach” to partner selection
00:06:14 Why partner enablement can easily go wrong
00:10:24 Why sales storytelling starts with listening
00:14:27 Why partner led sales requires patience
00:17:51 Why discovery starts before the sales call
What you’ll hear in this conversation
• Why Ben believes a partner-led sales approach can outperform traditional cold outreach
• How to identify and prioritize the partners worth investing in instead of trying to work with everyone
• Why sales storytelling starts with listening and understanding the buyer before telling your story
• How better sales discovery can help reps decide which opportunities to pursue and which ones to “lose fast”
About Ben Cronsberry
Ben Cronsberry is Head of GTM & Partnerships at Parsel and former GTM Operations Lead at Shopify. With a background spanning software, sales, partnerships, and go-to-market operations, Ben brings a practical perspective on partner-led selling, sales discovery, enablement, and building productive commercial relationships.
Connect with Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-cronsberry-65719225/
📃 Resources
🔗 Explore more at: https://globalperformancegroup.com/
🔗 Download "Day Zero" and discover why buyers often choose their suppliers before the first sales meeting: https://globalperformancegroup.com/white-papers/day-zero-why-revenue-is-won-before-the-first-meeting/
🔗 Try the Revenue Accelerator: https://revenueaccelerator.globalperformancegroup.com
🎧 Prefer audio?
👉 Apple Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/b2b-sales-trends/id1540112247?l=en-GB
👉 Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/5dNb1tA2UfHOR8oGNc5Kbp?si=60f87af8feb74a25
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