When in doubt, show up in person.

For two years as Director of Technology Partnerships at Formstack, I pursued what seemed like an impossible partnership with Airtable, a tool that transforms data management and organization. Our software could save their users 10-15 minutes per document by automating the process, but getting attention for the integration felt like shouting into the void. Each outreach to their partnership team earned the same polite dismissal.

"Not now" became a familiar refrain.

The conventional wisdom would say to move on, focus elsewhere. But I couldn't shake the conviction that document automation was a horizontal problem — everyone generates documents, and Airtable users needed this solution.

Then came a trip to Dreamforce in San Francisco. During a lull in my schedule, I checked Airtable's office location. It wasn't far. So instead of sending another email, I decided to walk over. No appointment, no formal invitation, I just showed up at their door.

The timing was perfect. Airtable was just preparing to open their platform to external developers for the first time, and they wanted to launch with a few key integrations to showcase how others could build on their technology. I had spent two years learning their platform inside out, understanding their gaps, and collecting customer requests. When I walked into that impromptu meeting, I was ready.

"You don't have document automation," I said to their director of product and partnerships. "We can build it quickly, we have the resources, and your users are asking for it. Is there any reason we shouldn't do this?"

The conversation shifted from "why should we?" to "how soon can we?" They saw the clear value proposition - a horizontal solution to a problem every business faces. Shortly after that visit, Airtable reached out ready to move forward.

The integration launched successfully, and Airtable promoted it to their millions of users. It became a significant revenue driver for Formstack. Beyond the immediate win, it proved what I'd known all along about partnerships — timing and presence matter more than perfect pitches.

Here's what I learned about making partnerships work:

• Persistence isn't about sending more emails. It's about believing in what you can build together, even when the path isn't clear. In my experience building partnerships across different industries, I've noticed that most people give up after the second or third attempt. But real opportunities often emerge after months of consistent engagement, when you've demonstrated both value and staying power.
• Being prepared meant more than having a perfect pitch. It meant understanding their platform, their users' needs, and having real examples of problems we could solve. When I walked into Airtable that day, I had two years' worth of customer conversations, platform knowledge, and integration possibilities ready to discuss. This level of preparation gives you the confidence to walk into any room and speak with authority about the opportunity at hand.
• Emails can't match what happens when you show up in person. Those "not now" responses weren't rejections. They were invitations to demonstrate value differently. Research by Vanessa Bohns in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that face-to-face requests are 34 times more successful than email requests. My experience with Airtable validates this completely.

This wasn't just about landing one partnership. It taught me that building anything worthwhile - partnerships, products, relationships - requires steady conviction backed by deep preparation.

How to build better partnership approaches:

Through this experience and many others since, I've developed a framework for approaching partnerships:

1. Turn rejections into research. I keep detailed notes of every conversation, objection, and insight. This helped me refine my approach with Airtable over those two years. Each objection gave me more information about their priorities and challenges.
2. Focus on solving real problems. The most successful partnerships arise from a genuine understanding of mutual challenges and opportunities. With Airtable, we weren't just pitching an integration - we were solving a real problem their users faced daily. Document automation was a horizontal problem affecting businesses across all sectors.
3. Build relationships before you need them. The best time to start building a partnership is long before you need it. Those two years of groundwork meant that when Airtable was ready to open their platform, we already understood exactly how we could add value.
4. Stay informed and relevant. Following your potential partners' news, updates, and industry developments helps you identify perfect timing for your outreach. Being at Dreamforce put me in the right place at the right time to seize an opportunity.

Facing the reality of partnership building

The truth is, partnership building isn't about following a perfect script or having an ideal strategy. It's about showing up consistently, being prepared when opportunities arise, and holding onto the belief that you can create value together.

Warren Buffett once described partnerships as "emotional alliances between two people committed to each other's success." I saw this firsthand many times. We succeeded not because we had the perfect contract, but because we had a shared vision for helping their users work better.

The impact of showing up

That impromptu visit to Airtable's office has shaped every partnership conversation since. While emails and calls have their place, I've learned that real breakthroughs happen when you're willing to step away from your screen and show up in person.

I've learned that physical presence creates opportunities that digital communication never could. Whether you're chasing partnerships or new opportunities, the same principles apply: stay persistent, know your stuff inside and out, and when the moment comes — show up ready.

The key is remembering that behind every partnership opportunity are real people trying to solve real problems. Your job isn't just to pitch a solution - it's to demonstrate, through consistent effort and preparation, that you're ready to build something valuable together.