A Day in the Life of a Partner Sales Manager on Braze’s Japan Alliance Team

Like most sales managers, Mizuki Hiramatsu’s performance is measured by pipeline and bookings generated — but real success, in his eyes, comes from a far more nuanced metric. 

“I believe my true mission is to connect people, ideas and businesses,” Mizuki said. 

Mizuki is a partner sales manager at customer engagement platform Braze, where he sits on the Japan Alliance team. 

“The ultimate goal of an Alliance lead is to create a self-sustaining ecosystem where communication between partners and internal teams flows seamlessly even without my direct intervention,” Mizuki said.  “While I am still on the path to achieving this ideal state, I am committed to acting as a vital hub for both individuals and organizations to drive collective success.”

Built In spoke with Mizuki to get an inside look at what a day in the life looks like on the Braze Alliance team. 
 

Mizuki Hiramatsu

Partner Sales Manager • Braze

What a Partner Sales Manager Does at Braze

I joined Braze in March 2025 as an alliance manager and transitioned into the role of partner sales manager in February 2026. 

Braze provides a sophisticated customer engagement platform that allows brands to process data in real-time to deliver personalized, cross-channel messages. 

As a member of the Japan Alliance team, I oversee the entire partner lifecycle — from identifying and hiring new partners to driving enablement and co-marketing events — ensuring our partners are equipped to lead the digital transformation revolution for our customers. 

Braze’s Market Opportunity in Japan and the Role of the Alliance Team

While Japan could be perceived as lagging behind the U.S. and Europe in digital transformation, it remains the world’s third-largest economy, with a digital advertising market exceeding 3 trillion yen (more than $20 billion). The gap between this massive market size and the current maturity of customer engagement is where our value lies. We see a significant opportunity to help Japanese legacy brands leapfrog traditional marketing by adopting Braze’s high-velocity, data-driven approach. 

A Typical Day as a Partner Sales Manager at Braze

Starting Early 

My day is a dynamic mix of global collaboration and high-speed local execution. I usually start my day early to secure some quiet time for focus work. Thereafter, I connect with our global team to discuss updates to our partner programs and coordinate the localization of global assets. Starting early is essential to stay in sync with our international offices and ensure we are aligned on strategy. 

Mid-Afternoon

After connecting with my global peers, my focus shifts to our domestic operations in Japan. On peak days, I can have over 10 back-to-back meetings, ranging from internal strategy sessions to partner negotiations. It’s a fast-paced environment where we constantly need to make quick decisions to keep our alliance initiatives moving forward. 

Late Afternoon 

Once the day’s meetings wrap up, I spend my late afternoon tackling the action items that came out of those discussions. I use this time to finalize my deliverables and prepare for the next day, ensuring that I’m ready to hit the ground running the following morning.

How Partner Sales Managers Collaborate Across Teams at Braze

I collaborate most closely with my colleague in the Alliance team, the Sales and Presales Department, and the Onboarding Services Team. 

With the Sales team, we work hand-in-hand to drive opportunities introduced by our partners. Our collaboration goes beyond simple lead sharing; we coordinate with partners to provide comprehensive consulting around the Braze ecosystem, often proposing integrated solutions that leverage advanced data infrastructures. 

The Onboarding Services Team’s primary mission is to ensure customers quickly gain value from the Braze product. They are also instrumental in our alliance strategy by supporting partner enablement, mentoring partners to have a high-level of technical expertise required for successful implementations. 

A unique aspect of my role in the Japan office is that I report directly to both the Asia-Pacific and Japan Alliance leadership and Japan’s country manager. This dual reporting line requires frequent strategic communication, allowing me to align our Alliance strategy with high-level business objectives. I constantly strive to balance daily operations with a broader management perspective to ensure our partnerships support Braze’s long-term vision.

How Braze Uses AI in Its Product and Internal Sales Workflows

Braze not only invests heavily in AI within our own product to empower our customers but also fosters a strong internal culture of innovation. We are actively encouraged to leverage AI for both productivity and creative experimentation. This philosophy encourages and empowers us to be pioneers in efficiency and new ways of working. I use a multimodal AI-powered assistant in my daily workflow as my primary strategic partner. I use it extensively to synthesize complex thoughts, brainstorm new project ideas and deepen my understanding of the diverse industries our partners operate in. It acts as a high-level “sparring partner” that helps me refine my logic and bridge the gap between abstract strategy and actionable plans. 

To complement this AI-driven approach, I rely on a combination of CRM and business intelligence stack to ensure my strategies are grounded in reality. I utilize my customer platform for precise pipeline management and goal tracking, while the analytics tools allow for deep-dive data analysis to uncover market trends. By integrating generative AI’s analytical creativity with empirical data, I can confidently validate my hypotheses and execute effective next steps.

What Motivates Partner Sales Managers at Braze

The most rewarding moments are those where I witness strong, trust-based communication between our partners and our internal teams. While generating new deals and achieving mutual business growth are the ultimate goals, Alliance work is a long-term endeavor that requires consistent, daily effort. I find the greatest satisfaction in reflecting on a specific collaboration and realizing it was a pivotal, well-executed move. Beyond my core duties, I find joy in supporting my colleagues. This reflects our values such as "Be A Human" (operating with integrity and kindness) and "Don't Ignore Smoke" (operating with vigilance.) As an Alliance professional, my role is to build external connections, but I believe it is equally vital to nurture our internal ecosystem. Supporting a teammate from another department strengthens our internal bonds, ensuring the entire company thrives. Knowing I’ve helped a colleague succeed is a major source of daily motivation.

Frequently Asked Questions