The key is providing enough enablement and education to be dangerous. Partners need enough information to understand where you’re a fit and where they need to bring you in, so that you can then co-sell together as opposed to them selling on your behalf.
Growth no longer comes easy for companies looking to hit enterprise scale. The era of "free money" has passed, and efficiency is everything. Finding the right levers to pull in sales and marketing has become a function of great CX/CS and a relationship-first mindset. But partnerships aren’t always black and white. With every customer and partner, there has to be a sense of nuance and shared understanding on how to best work together. For Amanda Nielsen, Partner Sales Manager at Box, the foundation of a successful partner ecosystem begins with targeted enablement—and a clear path to co-partner for growth.
Enough to be dangerous: “With partners, the key is providing enough enablement and education to be dangerous. Partners need enough information to understand where you’re a fit and where they need to bring you in,” Nielsen says. “So that you can then co-sell together, as opposed to them selling on your behalf.”
That starts with teaching partners how to listen for the right signals. “Understanding the different keywords and use cases and processes they need to be listening for” is key, she explains. “And then obviously the vertical focus as well.”
Hands-on learning: Box takes a phased approach to enablement. In the early stages, partners don’t need extensive technical training. But once implementation begins—once consultants are doing hands-on work—Nielsen favors practical, immersive learning. “I’m a big fan of the hands-on learning through real-life scenarios, like projects or building a proof of concept in a demo org,” she notes.
What it all boils down to is genuine interest in joint go-to-market initiatives.
Aligning for impact: Box’s partner ecosystem is intentionally broad, encompassing everything from global systems integrators to regional consultancies, ISVs, resellers, and tech integration partners. Nielsen focuses on boutique to mid-sized consultancies that support digital transformation efforts across platforms like Salesforce, Workday, and ServiceNow.
“These platform companies that we have integrations with, we lean on those consultants to help us increase adoption and provide better outcomes for our customers,” she says. “My job in this context is a lot of relationship building, sales enablement, supporting opportunities and sales cycles and then being a part of joint go-to-market initiatives where we are co-promoting a joint use case that's relevant to our prospect and customer base.”
Happily engaged: One key to success, Nielsen emphasizes, is aligning with partners who are truly interested in collaborative selling. “What it all boils down to is genuine interest in joint go-to-market initiatives,” she explains. To support a range of engagement styles, Box offers a tiered partner program. Entry-level members can join with minimal barriers, while more involved partners unlock benefits like co-selling, account mapping, and joint marketing by meeting certain thresholds.
“It allows people who do want to engage in that to have a very clear path,” Nielsen says. That structure enables the partner team to focus on the enterprise and mid-market segments, where Box sees the most impactful use cases.
The sweet spot: Another strategic lens Nielsen uses is vertical alignment. Box is particularly strong in highly regulated industries—a space where its competitors often fall short. “We support highly regulated industries really well,” she says. “That’s a sweet spot.” Nielsen sees significant opportunity in sectors like the public sector and law firms, where digital transformation tends to lag. “That’s where we look to find partners who serve those specific spaces,” she explains.
