You cannot ship a technology partnership without someone writing code, configuring an iPaaS, or both. Getting that time is a career skill.
Make the trade visible
Product already has a roadmap. You are asking to swap something. Bring the swap: “If we do this connector, we delay that feature. Here is the customer pull that justifies it.” Hidden asks get hidden nos.
One slot, named
“Two engineering weeks in Q3 for partner integrations, booked in planning.” A vibe that “we care about the ecosystem” is not a slot. If the CTO will not name it, you do not have it.
Stop the drive-bys
Every extra logo you accept after the slot is full is how you become the nag. The kill list is what keeps you welcome in product meetings. Bring it every time.
Use the sponsor
If the CEO wants partners, they can hold the window when a sales emergency tries to eat it. That is what executive sponsorship is. Not a quote on the website.
Your reputation
Arrive with briefs. Do not change scope after kickoff without a new brief. Show adoption after launch. Product teams give time to people who close loops. They hide from people who collect promises.
This is the unglamorous half of the job. It is also why companies eventually hire PartnerMatch: they want the motion run by people who have fought this fight before. Learn it here, then go run it inside a company, or come work on the agency side later. Either way, the muscle is the same.