The goal is not to do business with everyone who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.
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In business, the best outcomes don’t just come from great suppliers, they come from great partnerships. Over two decades at Cantarus, I’ve seen time and again that when a client becomes a truly valuable partner, the results improve for everyone involved: faster delivery, higher-quality output, and greater innovation, often without a bigger budget.
None of what I’m about to share is rocket science. The difference comes when these behaviours are agreed from the very start of a relationship, built into how you work together, and owned jointly by both sides.
Whether you’re a membership body or a small business, these approaches can help you unlock the kind of access, influence, and results that many assume are only reserved for big-name brands with long histories or deep pockets. In reality, with the right behaviours in place, any client can become a strategic partner, and when that happens, your customers, members, stakeholders, and wider community feel the benefits just as much as you do, while your supplier gains a trusted advocate who fuels their success too.
At Cantarus, many of our senior team have worked on the buyer side – whether within membership or commercial organisations – so we’ve lived these partnerships from both sides. That dual perspective continues to shape how we work.
There’s a reason so many supplier websites display logos near the top of their home page – see our own website for an example! – and why an ‘our clients’ slide is near-ubiquitous in sales presentations; showing prospective clients that credible organisations have chosen to work with them is hugely valuable for suppliers.
Allowing use of your logo is free and easy for you, and when agreed from the start, it becomes part of the partnership. Displaying your logo helps the supplier build trust in the market, while reinforcing your brand as open, progressive, and collaborative.
Of course, organisations are (rightly) protective of their brand so this permission can be caveated if/as appropriate. For example, clients often require that their logo is displayed in line with their brand guidelines and not used in a manner that could reflect negatively on their brand.
Why it matters for you: Displaying your logo positions your organisation as progressive and collaborative, while giving your supplier more strength in the market, which ultimately benefits your partnership. You retain control through your brand guidelines to ensure appropriate use and, if the relationship changes in the future, permission can of course be rescinded.
A quick public thank-you or launch announcement shows appreciation, promotes good practice, and humanises the work. It’s also a great way to reinforce your leadership’s support of the project while increasing engagement from your own team and stakeholders.
Tagging-in the supplier company and even individuals leading on the delivery from the supplier side can be a great way of increasing the visibility of LinkedIn posts and building relationships with key individuals on the supplier side by showing them you recognise their work.
Why it matters for you: Demonstrates leadership support, increases engagement with your own audience, and amplifies your project’s reach.
Example: Federation of Master Builders tagged Cantarus in a LinkedIn post when shortlisted for a Trade Association Award for the member app we built – a simple, but effective, gesture that strengthened relationships and visibility for both sides.
Agreeing a launch plan creates a stronger, unified message across social channels, press, and internal comms. It also ensures both teams celebrate success together with consistent, coordinated messaging.
Why it matters for you: A coordinated launch builds momentum, encourages adoption, and provides visible evidence of success for your stakeholders.
Example: We worked closely with the British Army communications and media team to ensure consistency of message and use of marketing channels. This included agreeing on who focused where and splitting media lists – a joined-up approach that delivered clarity and impact for both sides.
Testimonials are powerful – and when planned upfront, they don't become an afterthought. Whether a written quote or (even better!) a short video, testimonials boost your supplier's reputation, position you as a collaborative partner, and make your project more visible and shareable.
Why it matters for you: Endorsements highlight your organisation as a collaborative leader, build credibility in your sector, and create content you can reuse internally and externally.
Data tells the story of impact far more compellingly than words alone. By tracking metrics before a project, you ensure the difference is measurable afterwards.
Why it matters for you: Evidence of impact strengthens your business case, supports future funding, and showcases your team’s achievements.
Example: Action for Children saw a 159% uplift in conversions through a redesigned donation journey – a clear win they could share internally, and a strong case study for us as their supplier.
Being available for reference calls helps your supplier win new work – which strengthens the partnership and demonstrates your credibility as a digital leader. Agreeing this support early builds trust and strengthens your long-term influence.
Why it matters for you: Enhances your reputation as a trusted leader in your sector and strengthens your supplier’s commitment to delivering for you.
Supplier relationships should extend beyond the core project team. If your supplier’s CRM lead could benefit from meeting your membership team, or if your Head of Content wants to explore community platforms, make those connections. Likewise, a good supplier should offer warm introductions into their own partner ecosystem, not just point you to a generic contact point.
Building these links creates trust and opens the door to new ideas, even if they don’t lead to immediate projects. It deepens the relationship and helps both parties stay connected and informed.
Why it matters for you: You gain access to your supplier’s wider network, opening doors to fresh opportunities and insights.
Speaking together at industry events isn’t about showing off, it’s about shared learning. Whether a formal panel or an on-stand demo, co-speaking shows confidence in the relationship and provides audiences with a full 360° view of the project.
Why it matters for you: Raises your organisation’s profile as open and innovative, while sharing valuable lessons with your sector.
Example: At the MemberWise DIGX and MEMX annual conferences, we regularly run informal joint demos with clients that offer attendees real-life insight, not just a slide deck, into how our partnerships work.
Similarly, at Umbraco’s UK Partner Summit in 2024, Dave Williams, CTOO of the British Medical Association, joined me on stage to explain how we cut their website hosting costs by 80% with a move to Umbraco Cloud. We frequently reference these stories when talking to prospects and clients, because they show the impact of collaboration in practice.
Joint webinars, email campaigns or blogs give both parties an opportunity to amplify success, share knowledge, and reach new audiences. Plan these early and agree on channels, audience, and format for maximum impact.
Why it matters for you: Increases your visibility, positions you as a thought leader, and amplifies your achievements through your suppliers' network.
Example: A great example of this is a webinar we ran with our client British Mensa and our Partners at The MemberWise Network. Kayleigh Mapstone, Executive Director at British Mensa, joined us to talk through how Cantarus made an online community a cornerstone of their member engagement strategy.
This approach benefited the wider membership sector, offering insights to organisations exploring online communities, while also amplifying British Mensa's success story. For us, hearing success shared directly and openly from a senior executive client voice was far more impactful than any self-promotion could ever be.
You can also work with your supplier to gather and share insights or even contribute to sector-wide research, something we’ve done with MemberWise and other industry bodies.
With over half of CRM projects failing to deliver ROI and the majority of digital transformation initiatives in the membership sector underperforming, it’s clear that stronger collaboration isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity.
Why it matters for you: Access to broader benchmarking and industry data helps shape your future strategy while reinforcing your influence in your sector.
Awards are a great way to celebrate success, and a well-written entry positions both client and supplier as sector leaders. Plan early: agree which awards to target, who leads the submission, and what evidence is needed. Costs can be shared or split depending on budget.
Why it matters for you: External recognition boosts morale, supports internal recognition for your team, and raises your reputation across your industry.
Example: A recent example of this with Cantarus is the British Army approving us entering their new Umbraco website for the prestigious Communicator Awards, a global programme evaluated by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (AIVA). Receiving the Award of Excellence – the highest honour available – provided valuable recognition and publicity for both teams. The trophy now takes pride of place in our head office as a reminder of what true collaboration can achieve.
All the strategies I’ve outlined above are, of course, dependent on a certain level of satisfaction with the work your supplier is delivering (I’ll be writing another blog on this topic soon). Beyond that baseline, it’s a virtuous circle of the supplier and client making each other more successful, enabling smaller organisations to gain outsized influence and mindshare with their suppliers that helps to ensure their needs are optimally met.
This isn't just about outputs or on-time delivery, it's about shaping future direction together. You might find your agency can supply reporting data for your board pack, advise on sector shifts, or highlight opportunities to unlock partner discounts or training. Use their perspective to inform your planning – that’s their day job.
When partnerships are built on this kind of trust, openness, and shared purpose, they don’t just last the length of a contract, they often outlast roles. Some of our most long-standing relationships have followed clients into new organisations, because the way of working works. That continuity matters.
The very best partnerships are two-way. You get priority support, better insight, and measurable impact. Your supplier gets a trusted advocate, stronger results, and a team that energises their own. Together, you create something richer, deeper, and more resilient – and the people you both serve feel the difference.
1. MemberWise Digital Excellence Report 2023–24
a. “A significant proportion of CRM and digital transformation projects in the membership sector fail to deliver measurable value.”
b. Stats referenced at MemberWise events and publications:
i. 55% of CRM projects fail to deliver ROI
ii. Up to 70% of digital transformation projects underperform
c. Source: memberwise.org.uk
2. MemberWise Digital Excellence Report Summary (2023–24)
a. “Many organisations continue to operate in silos, lacking integration between CMS, CRM, AMS, and community platforms.”
b. Source: memberwise.org.uk
Great results come from great relationships. If you value collaboration as much as delivery, we’d love to explore how we can achieve more, together.