So you think you are Google-worthy?

Chris Sacca, one of Google's principals for New Business Development, has written a good post that provides clear guidance on the best way to present your breakout, "1+1=3" partnership proposition to Google. 

Props to Brad Feld, whose post clued me into Chris' piece.  Highlights of the post include:

1. Lead with what you want.  Put it in the first sentence or two.  This is so basic, but I will plead guilty to more than once starting with a macro picture message that assumes a level of investment on the reader that just can't be assumed.
2. Be clear on what problem are you solving.  This is the bookend to answering what you want.  Let's face it.  People are more interested in what you can do for them, than the other way around -- especially when you are the one doing the pitching.  Never forget that.
3. Differentiate.  Is your secret sauce technological, is it mindshare, distribution...?  This is critical, especially in the Web 2.0 realm where the bar is a lot lower to startups creating credible offerings that at least on paper look competitive to your product or service (or Google rolling their own for that matter).
4. Target the real "buyer" of your offering NOT the top of the org chart.  Chris' point here is that while the VP may be the one who ultimately signs the agreement, it's the product line manager who sets the requirements so start your engagement at that level.  I would argue that if your product is strategic and you have a clear thesis as to why, playing top-down and bottom-up is not a bad thing.  Product managers can often be too tactical, thinking in terms of immediate market needs, whereas VP level or higher needs to maintain a coherent picture of the platform, how it evolves and the dots that must be connected for that to happen.

In the pattern recognition scheme of things, the efficacy of this approach is obviously not limited to Google.  Understanding how a really BIG company with lots of potential deal flow filters its partnership opportunities is a really effective way of thinking about messaging yourself to ALL prospective customers and partners.