What does a partner product marketing manager need to be exceptional at compared to product marketing manager?

I think the skills are analogous:
1) Customer storytelling
Have a compelling customer story to lean on makes my job infinitely easier 😅
Especially if you have a technical product or solution and may not be a technical product marketer, having the customer tell that story themselves can help engage your audience with the language/visuals they expect.

Plus, it's great social proof and gives sales and customer success collateral to help close deals and give current customers ideas on how they can broaden the use of your product.

The caveat is that the story needs to have substance. A compelling story should dig deeper into the 'how' and 'why' while also providing tangible business results. (One of my favorites is this G-loot customer webinar)

2) Messaging and positioning
Partner product marketers need to not only be an expert within their product, but you also understand how partner products fit into their solution/ecosystem and bring those two values together.

An example that comes to mind of a great joint value prop clearly stated is the Slack and Zoom integration - They have clearly stated the 'better together' and value props of why using the two solutions is better than one.

3) Cross-functional leadership
Partner marketing not only requires cross-functional work within your internal organization but also requires cross-functional work externally. At any given time a partner marketer can be found working with external counterparts and executives within BD, marketing, product, and sales. These many different touchpoints require being able to adapt how you communicate context to the partnership/initiatives in relation to their roles/company and why they should care/work with you (all while doing the same with your internal stakeholders).

4) Data-driven decision making
Being able to think analytically and tie metrics to your decisions helps to get buy-in for partners and activities you work on. Especially if you are trying to prove the value of this function, it's important to consistently track and share progress on metrics your cross-functional stakeholders care about (eg product adoption or pipeline)

A product marketing manager skill set is foundational for being a partner marketing manager, whether at a junior or senior level.

The key areas that make an exceptional partner marketing manager include the ability to:

1. build strong relationships

2. influence stakeholders who may not be direct reports, and

3. embrace the value of partnerships to extend the reach of a company with current and prospective customers.

Before addressing the points above in more detail, the nomenclature mentioned in some of the questions needs clarification. The title “partner product marketing manager” is not common. In today’s market, a professional either assumes the role of a product marketer or a partner marketer. The product marketer may have responsibilities that include partnerships, and can vary widely depending on the company and organizational structure. Similarly, a partner marketer’s responsibilities may also vary.

Build strong relationships: This starts at the company you work with, and then extends to the partner company. Key stakeholders often include product, integrated marketing, product marketing, data science, business development and/or sales. Typically, the relationship with business development and sales is of great importance as they will be the colleagues you often work with in collaboration with the partner company.

Influence stakeholders: You have no control over what the partner company does. Granted, there may be a contract in place, still, with so many priorities between your company and a partner company, the ability to build strong relationships, then influence stakeholders at your company and externally is critical for developing a go-to-market plan and ultimately partnership success.

Embrace the value of the partnership. There is no "I" in TEAM and similarly, when you are working with a partner company, its not all about "your" company. There has to be value in the partnership and shared interests. A few considerations of why companies partner include new customer reach & distribution, technology advancement (partner vs. build vs. buy), and incremental revenue.