About Rick Hartley & PartnerSignals^™

I built and ran partner ecosystems at enterprise technology companies across four technology eras — internet, channel, cloud, AI. I've managed hyperscaler relationships, technology partner alliances, and channel programs across every stage of growth — from startup to enterprise.

In every company, I saw the same pattern: technology partners, solution providers, and hyperscalers influence deals that the revenue system can't see.

• The technology partner changes an architecture recommendation.
• The hyperscaler pulls back from a co-sell.
• A partner manager hears about a competitive threat in a meeting that never gets logged.

These aren't anecdotes. McKinsey research puts the average at seven trusted partners surrounding every enterprise deal. Seven partners shaping the outcome, and most revenue systems account for none of them. Every CRM, every forecast model, every stage gate was designed for a world where revenue is direct — vendor to customer. The partner ecosystem isn't in the picture.

Across all four eras, I watched the same pattern at the program level: 80% of partners are transactional — fulfilling orders, delivering product, executing commercial relationships. The 20% that actually drive revenue are the ones the system can't see. Co-sell, referral, source motion — these need a different operating model than fulfillment, and most programs measure them the same.

I built PartnerSignals™ to change that. PartnerSignals is the operating layer for that 20%. Driving-motion revenue, made forecastable — making partner signals visible, governable, so revenue leaders can make decisions with the full picture, not half of it.