Step 1-3​

Step 1

Product selected - NxtWave 🤝 Naukri(the partner is selected by following Step 4)

Reason for picking the product-

1. Good understanding of the industry
2. Both partners and their mutual customer have immense benefits by partnering.

​

A similar model will also work with other ed-techs that have established themselves as market leaders in their niche categories.

​

Why this partnership?

Students join the course with the objective of up-skilling themselves with a goal of achieving a high paid software job. The partnership carries the following benefits-

1. Students get a preference in the job postings relevant to them.
2. Partner(Naukri) gets a well trained talent pool that is ready for the job market and helps in closing job postings quicker.
3. Recruiters are able to close their position quick.

​

This partnership helps the mutual customers → Job Seekers and Recruiters

It’ll add immense value to the mutual customers.

​

NxtWave - As the company scales, it is important for them to create partnerships which solves for being able to provide placements at scale.

NxtWave Students - They want an expedited process for their placement and want it quick.

Naukri - It is able to provide scalable talent pool to the recruiters which acts as a great attraction to recruiters as they want to close positions quick and can ALSO hire at scale.

Recruiters - Find it hard to find quality talent.

​

How will the partnership work?

NxtWave and Naukri work in partnership in developing a test. These exams would be of different levels in order to cater to talent of different levels. Any person clearing it would be highly qualified for a job suitable to the specific exam level.

The recruiters are able to close their requirements quicker.

​

​

​

Following are the challenges faced in this journey-

1. Poor response rate
2. Not getting feedback regarding the interview
3. Long process
4. Gets demotivating to users
5. Students are unable to find the best opportunities for them and apply randomly to any and every job posting they see.

​

Students before partnership

​

Students after partnership

​

Litmus test to check whether NxtWave is ready for partnerships

​

While the customers have not upfront asked for this partnership, the benefits that it brings solves for current challenges that the customers are looking to solve.

​Step 4 - Identifying the right partner

​

1. Who is your ICP?
2. What are your brand values?
3. Create a list of possible partners and perform a partner fitment test.
4. What does your partner gain from this partnership?

​

ICP

The age group of ICP 1 is diff from 2 and 3 considering diff courses that are offered by NxtWave.

Brand Values

​

• Customer centricity
• Innovation
• Empowerment
• Quality
• Inclusivity

​Scoring Method Yes - 1; Maybe - 0.5; No - 0

​

LinkedIn already has a skill based exam. LinkedIn also has a range of courses which is included in its premium plan.

​

Naukri → Naukri has invested in multiple edtech start ups and actively looks out to collaborate with them. Naukri is currently promoting Coding Ninja’s on their platform. A screenshot for reference. Naukri understands the potential of these partnerships as it will enhance the value proposition for it’s common customers

​

​The partnership will also introduce a skill based test in for tech roles, provide high quality talent in bulk which further helps the platform attract recruiters.

Naukri is also a market leader in the India eco system and hence considering all the factors, we’ll pick Naukri as our Ideal Partner

Foundit(Monster India) → Offers Udemy courses on their website and also sells other degree programs for upskilling.

​

Step 5 - Outreach Strategy

​Potential Partners-

1. Head of partnerships
2. Head of Revenue
3. Chief Finance Officer
4. Head of Growth

My first preference would be to connect with head or partnerships at Naukri as they are already partnered with other edtech’s. I have also considered the CFO considering their investments in multiple edtech startups of our country and this could come across as a great opportunity to them considering NxtWave’s current growth rate.

Outreach Email

​

Hello (name)

​

I’m [Name], and I work in the Founder’s Office at NxtWave, where we're on the mission to make India a Technology 4.0 leader which helping people learn to code in their native languages.

I've been following the remarkable journey of Naukri and have been impressed by the incredible platform you've created for job seekers. We believe that by combining our strengths, we can achieve something truly exceptional.

​

Why partner with NxtWave?

​

At NxtWave, we are building a tech army. A army of talent that is well-equipped with tech knowledge to combat the current challenge that most recruiters face - Not finding industry ready people/Not finding the right talent. With this partnership, we will be able to provide better services and improve customer satisfaction of our common customers. It will also add immense value to your platform as you will always have an army of people ready to be deployed into tech jobs making recruiters life a breeze and in turn making your platform their preferred pick.

​

What we propose?

Let’s work together in building a skill based exam that is in line with the requirements of recruiters posting jobs on your platforms. We will up-skill students with the skills that are needed to clear the exam and once cleared, they can be given a special preference on your platform in jobs that are relevant to their skills. In future, we can come up with an affiliate model where we bundle and sell your Premium services as part of our course while you could sell our course to people who are unable to crack software jobs but have been looking out for opportunities on your platform.

Next Steps: If this idea resonates with you and your team, I'd be thrilled to set up a brief call or meeting to delve deeper into the possibilities, understand your requirements, and explore how we can make this partnership a delectable reality. Please let me know your availability, and we can schedule a convenient time to connect.

Thank you for considering this exciting collaboration.

Best Regards

(Name)

Founders Office

​

If there’s no reply to the previous email, the next step would be to share our current data that would make our partner realise the potential of this partnership -

Follow-Up Email (1-2 weeks later):

• Subject Line: Following up: Partnership | Crafting India’s Tech Growth Story

Message Content:

• Mention that you're following up to ensure they received my previous message and to gauge their interest.
• Reiterate key benefits and value propositions.
• • Include data points of no. of students that join the course on a monthly basis.
  • Share success stories/media coverage of the impact created by NxtWave helping people from rural backgrounds secure tech jobs
  • Share some data points on how this impact can be made 100x by working together
• Offer to address any questions or concerns they may have.
• Suggest a specific date and time for a call or meeting.
• Closing: Express eagerness to connect and collaborate.

​

​Leverage social media

Start finding a person that could help connect with key stake holders to take this partnership forward. This person could be sitting in your network or in your mutuals. Put a word out on LinkedIn, Twitter that you wish to connect with the higher management at Naukri and any leads would be appreciated. Tagging the company could help you get a direct reply

Cold Call

If there’s no response through the above two channels:

• Prepare a script that includes:
• • A brief introduction and mention of my role at NxtWave.
  • Reference to my previous outreach via email and LinkedIn.
  • A concise pitch highlighting the partnership's value.
  • A clear CTA to schedule a call or meeting.
• When making the call:
• • Asking if it's a convenient moment to talk.
  • Being prepared to address questions or objections.
  • Offering flexibility in scheduling the next steps.

The above step can be done parallely as well.

Step 6 - First Call Design

Do an extensive research about the partner and their current partnerships. Go through the

​

Naukri’s current goals -

1. Job Search and Matching
2. Resume Posting and Building
3. Employer Services
4. Career Development Resources
5. Recruitment Solutions

NxtWave’s current goals -

1. Building a Tech Student Community
2. Assisting their students achieve software jobs
3. Expanding Reach and Language Support of their courses
4. Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Tech Careers

Why should the partner consider you?? Perform a competitive analysis + identify mutual customer pain point to find your edge against the competition

​

Value Proposition of the partnership

NxtWave and Naukri: Crafting India’s Upskilling Revolution

1. Skill Based Tech Exam:- Designed to benchmark student on their ability to code. Different levels to cater to different skillsets. Recruiters can consider this exam to gauge the skillset of students and filter candidates. This expedites the hiring process. Recruiters that are following path give a preference to NxtWave’s students profile while hiring. This will increase CSAT score of recruiters and make Naukri their preferred hiring partner.

Affiliate Model:- NxtWave will provide Naukri’s premium account services to all its paid users while Naukri can sell NxtWave courses for people on their platform looking to crack software jobs. This model can add a new business vertical carrying massive revenue potential. First Call Flow

​

Introduction:

Hello [Naukri Representative's Name],

I hope this message finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I'm reaching out to you today to explore potential collaboration opportunities between our organization, NxtWave, and Naukri.

​

Background:

We started this company with a mission to make India a Technologies 4.0 Leader. So far, we’ve trained X no. of students and worked with Y companies to provide jobs to thousands of our learners. Our company is focused on helping students learn technology, talent development, and their career advancement. We have been following Naukri's impactful work in the job market and are particularly impressed with how Naukri has been a key player in connecting job seekers and employers.

​Common Goals:

It's evident that both our organizations share a common goal of empowering individuals in their professional journeys. We believe that by combining the strengths of NxtWave and Naukri, we can create a powerful synergy that benefits job seekers, employers, and the overall professional community.

Proposal for Collaboration:

We are interested in exploring collaboration possibilities, including coming up with a skill based example, promoting educational resources, enhancing the visibility of skilled professionals, or leveraging mutual networks for greater reach.

​

Value Proposition:

By joining forces, we envision a partnership that not only amplifies our collective impact but also creates new and exciting opportunities for those navigating the job market and seeking career growth.

​

Next Steps:

We would love the opportunity to discuss this further and explore how we can tailor a collaboration that aligns seamlessly with the objectives of both NxtWave and Naukri. Could we schedule a follow-up meeting or call at your earliest convenience to delve deeper into the potential areas of collaboration?

We appreciate your time and consideration and look forward to the possibility of working together to contribute to India's tech upskilling story.

Step 7: Company Buy In and Alignment

To achieve company buy-in and alignment, it is important to address the concerns and objections that stakeholders from different teams, such as product, tech, marketing, and sales, may have. It is important to be ready with solutions that the teams may have in order to ensure the success of the partnership.

Product Team Concerns:

• Product Roadmap Changes- The partnership may require changes to the product roadmap, which can impact existing plans and resources.
• • Solution: Clearly communicate the value and strategic importance of the partnership to the product team. Involve them in the decision-making process and seek their input on how to align the partnership with the product roadmap and share the impact and value addition this brings to our customers which is their core JTBD with the purchase.
• User Experience: There could be concerns about how the integration might impact the user experience on our platform.
• • Solution: Highlight the benefits to users and how the integration aligns with our commitment to enhancing their experience. Involve the team in creation of new user flows and emphasise user testing and feedback loops in the integration process.

Tech Team Concerns:

• Concern: Integrating with the partner's technology may pose technical challenges and require additional resources and expertise.
• • Solution: Address the tech team's concerns by providing a detailed technical assessment of the integration requirements and potential impacts. Offer support from external experts if necessary and ensure that the team has the necessary resources and training to handle the integration effectively.
• Security Risks: The tech team may worry about potential security risks associated with data sharing or integration.
• • Solution: Discuss the security measures in place and any protocols adhered to during data sharing. Ensure them that data privacy and user security are top priorities.

Marketing Team Concerns:

• Change in Marketing Strategy: The partnership may require changes to marketing strategies and messaging, potentially affecting existing campaigns and brand consistency.
• • Solution: Engage the marketing team in the planning process and provide them with a clear understanding of the partnership's marketing goals and target audience. Collaborate with them to develop a cohesive marketing strategy that aligns with the partnership objectives while maintaining brand consistency.
• Effective Communication: Ensuring that the marketing message effectively communicates the value of the partnership to our audience.
• • Solution: This partnership will bring in immense value to our customers. Outline a communication plan that highlights the positive aspects of the partnership, both internally and externally. Address how it enhances our market positioning.

Step 8: Building Trust

Building Trust with the partner

Alignment Meeting: Have a discussion with your partner to establish common goals, expectations, and KPIs. Ensure that both parties have a shared understanding of the partnership's objectives and have understood their deliverables.

​

Communication: Establish a communication plan that includes regular updates and share the progress made. Establish channels for addressing concerns. To ensure a swift communication, also set expectations for response times and communication frequency.

​

Collaborative goals: Draft a comprehensive collaboration agreement that outlines roles, responsibilities, and deliverables. Ensure legal and compliance aspects are thoroughly addressed to build a foundation of trust.

​

Review Meetings: Once the goals and key milestones are set, have dates for having review meetings to ensure everything according to the plan, discuss challenges or deviations if any.

Improve Transparency

​

Transparent Communication: Foster an environment of open and honest communication. Address challenges proactively and share updates transparently, even if they are not entirely positive.

Collaborative Tools: Utilize collaborative tools and platforms for project management, document sharing, and real-time updates. This promotes transparency and ensures both parties have access to the latest information.

​

Feedback Loops: Along with review meetings, take time to collect feedback and work on it. This makes the partner feel heard and fosters relationship.

Increasing Alignment

​

Weekly sync ups: Have regular sync ups with your partner, online and preferably offline as well.

​

Shared Resources: Share relevant resources, such as market insights, research findings, or industry trends. Demonstrating a commitment to mutual success increases engagement and fosters a more collaborative relationship

​

Recognition and Appreciation: Celebrate achievements like reaching key milestones, big and small victories both.

​

Share Feedback: Talk to your common customers and pitch them about this feature being enabled for them soon and share their positive feedback with both the partners that make them realise it’s impact.

Sales Team Concerns:

• Customer Inquiries: Anticipate customer inquiries and concerns and provide the sales team with the necessary resources to address them.
• Training the sales teams: They may be concerned about the time and effort to train the sales team and changing flow to accommodate the benefits this partner brings
• Common solution to both problems: Provide comprehensive training and resources for the sales team, including FAQs, talking points, and customer success stories. Equip them to confidently address customer inquiries.

​

​

Step 9: Plan and Launch GTM

What is the problem you are solving for?

Solving for improving the hiring process for my students and employers posting jobs on Naukri.

​

Is there demand for your offering?

Yes, this is the core JTBD for both my students joining the courses being offered in my company and for recruiters posting jobs on Naukri.

Who’s your brand offering for?

Students enrolled in my course + People actively seeking jobs in tech space on Naukri.

Where does your ICP spend most of their time?

Upskilling platforms, Job Portals, Social Media

Where does your ICP spend most of their time?

Upskilling platforms, Job Portals, Social Media

Value Matrix

​

​

​