Your company may pay for you to become a Certified Partnerships Professional

Most people look at Firneo as an investment they are making in their own future and career growth. But many companies will happily invest in their employees’ professional development and provide reimbursement for related expenses.
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Here are some tips that Firneo members have used to request reimbursement (and a copy-and-pastable template that you can use to pitch your boss)

Ask about your “L&D” budget

Many companies have dedicated “Professional Development” or “Learning & Development” (L&D) budgets to pay for employees to take classes, attend conferences, buy books, or join professional associations. The Certified Partnerships Professional program offers many of those benefits in one place.
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During the Certified Partnerships Professional program, you’ll receive a structured and comprehensive education on strategic frameworks & tactics that will help you rapidly accelerate up the learning curve and supplement your on-the-job learning.
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Furthermore, as a part of the cohort-based program, you will have opportunities to learn from seasoned BD & Partnerships leaders who can provide expert guidance; connect with peers & mentors from across companies and industries; and open the door to partnership opportunities that can fuel your company’s growth.

Show the company an ROI

As a Certified Partnerships Professional, your professional growth directly correlates to your company’s growth. Throughout the program, you’ll learn how to execute a proven playbook for creating game-changing partnerships that can amplify your company’s sales, product development, and customer engagement efforts.

As a Certified Partnerships Professional, you'll be able to:

The Communicating Value Phase
Recognizing Vanity Partnerships
What Prospective Partners Are Thinking About You
Defining your ideal partner profile
Crafting a Value Hypothesis
Identifying Prospective Partners
Validating Partner Interest
Building and Prioritizing a Partner Pipeline

Your network is your net worth

A strong, trusted network is a core asset for any business development and partnerships professional. During the Certified Partnerships Professional program, you’ll be surrounded by a cohort of peers that are invested in your success and will help you open doors, break through challenges, and be a source of feedback.
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Many MBA graduates refer to their network of classmates and alumni as a key part of their investment of 2 years and $200K+. By immersing you and your cohort mates in interactive role-play simulations, peer discussions, and group assignments, the Firneo Certified Partnerships Professional program provides a similar opportunity to build deep relationships that can last a whole career - in a fraction of the time and cost.

Be a more efficient, effective, and confident leader

As Malcom Gladwell famously said, it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. Who’s got that kind of time? Not you, and not your company.
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The Certified Partnerships Program packs 10 years of on-the-job learning into an 8-week period. You’ll learn frameworks that will help you think clearly about partnerships strategy, ecosystems, organizational alignment, stakeholder management, and growth that help you become the highest-performing version of yourself.
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Plus, you'll get opportunities to get "batting practice" with real-world partnership simulations so that you can learn from mistakes in a risk-free environment, without jeopardizing a deal.

Use this email template to pitch your boss

Hi [BOSS NAME],
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I know that [COMPANY NAME] is committed to investing in its people. I’m pleased to say I’ve found an opportunity that will help me learn and grow in my role, while also helping me to have an even greater impact for [COMPANY NAME] as a BD & Partnerships leader.

I was recently accepted into Firneo's Certified Partnerships Professional program, a highly-selective 8-week cohort-based certification program for BD & Partnerships professionals. The program teaches strategic frameworks and actionable tactics to empower BD & Partnerships professionals with the tools to be as effective, productive, and impactful as possible.
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The program consists of structured programming on strategic frameworks and actionable tactics; peer learning & feedback in small group cohort discussions; interactive simulations to practice skills like negotiating; and practical assignments to help me immediately apply the learning to my job. I will also have access to mentorship from Firneo experts-in-residence, who are leaders at companies American Express, Google, Shutterstock, TikTok, Zendesk, Alibaba, IBM, Lyft, and more.
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Here is a deck with more details about the program: Firneo Program Overview

The program costs $3,497 and I believe will help me become a more productive and effective BD & partnerships leader that will almost certainly generate a very favorable ROI for [COMPANY NAME]. In addition, I look forward to sharing what I learn with the rest of the team so that the benefits extend beyond my own personal development.
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Please let me know if I can charge this to my credit card for reimbursement.

Thanks,

Still getting questions? Share this deck

This should answer most of their questions. Check it out below - and then share the link, download a PDF, or create a copy for yourself so that you can modify it for your needs.

What if...it doesn't work?

Man Looking Confused at a Professional Event

Hey, you tried. But sometimes you just can't get to a "yes".

Even if you can't get your company to pay for it, it's worth considering what becoming a Certified Partnerships Professional could be worth to your own future.

Like any investment, there's an upfront cost. But investing in yourself and your career is one of the most profitable investments that you make.

With one promotion you can earn back 10-20x on the cost of the program - and that benefit compounds for the rest of your career. Plus, you'll gain confidence in your skills and the knowledge that you'll always have opportunities on the table.

It may help you find a new role - and a new boss who believes in your professional development as much as you do.