Bradford Giles, VP of Channel Marketing at Cayan, discusses the vital importance of structure, training, tools and motivation for channel programs. Find out why channel leaders should take a more holistic view of channel partners – and how to put the tools, tech and resources together to influence, engage and support your entire partner ecosystem.
Partner enablement is a crucial aspect in gaining the edge that allows suppliers to be competitive in the market today. Forrester’s Maria Chen talks the importance of partner interactions and educating partners.
The relationships formed with partners can be a determining factor in a company’s success. Forrester’s Maria Chen talks the importance of fostering good relationships with partners today, in order to form good buyer relationships in the future.
How can channel organizations best use data as a strategic lever for their business? Maria Chien, Service Director, Channel Marketing Strategies at Forrester, says organizations should start by looking at what channel data really counts.
Tech companies like Extreme Networks search for answers in tech. Working with vendors like Zift to create a seamless, efficient experience for their diverse partner landscape allows them to have resources for both inexperienced and marketing-savvy partners. Extreme’s Steve Solito talks tech as a way to ease partner and vendor lives.
Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, Jay McBain predicts just 4 or 5 “horizontal winners” of a huge channel field — and in just a handful of years. Survival of the fittest is hitting the channel, and soon, so what will the winners look like? Jay suggests looking at CRM and marketing automation for clues.
Jay McBain, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, understands how hard it can be to corral data into a decision-making force for channel professionals, especially with how siloed most companies are. He offers insight on channel data and how you can integrate it seamlessly into the partner journey, improving profit and revenue, by breaking down silos.
How can you get and keep partners engaged? Jeffrey promotes content as the answer to the question all channel programs ask. He goes on to discuss using your partner platform itself as a to-partner marketing tool and identifying a cultural shift toward implementing smaller channel-friendly changes within the organization.
A large channel program has a complex group of partners with many different needs, so Sage tries to teach partners to help themselves through their platform. Kerstin Demko discusses teaching partners to fish, prioritizing and supporting smaller partners, and making it easy for partners to market Sage’s solutions.
How can metrics shape your next steps? Finding the tactics that lead to success starts with measuring your data to track the moves that follow. Jeffrey explains how Blackbaud came to this conclusion, and helping partners find their unique voice.
Switching from strictly direct sales to the channel proved a worthy challenge for Blackbaud, the world’s leading provider of social goods software. Jeffrey Sobers talks showing value through data to executive leadership, growing their partner program and enabling Blackbaud’s partners to do more good through the channel.
Channel suppliers looking for answers on partner satisfaction, look no further: Beth Wallace with neteffect technologies walks you through what partners need from suppliers. She also stresses the importance of providing partners with easy-to-use campaigns.
If you’re looking for an example of “channel focus,” look no further – Star2Star does 100% of their sales through the channel. David Portnowitz talks about the importance of making partners your first priority, and how this thought process pays off.
Being the “easiest channel company to work with” is a lofty goal. David talks about how he and his team support partners to foster trust and good business relationships.
Think you can’t correlate partner engagement to revenue? Lisa says think again, and that it all comes down to creating a world-class partner experience.
Lisa talks about an awakening at Qlik that prompted the change they needed to not just be “operational” when it comes to their partners, but to look at the overall experience.
Skillsoft, the global leader in online learning, is poised on the brink of astounding growth within the channel. The company has a wide variety of partners in different business sectors. Skillsoft’s Gwenn Lazar needs to think beyond a cookie cutter approach to channel partner needs.
There are so many different methods being promoted in the channel space on how to get partners excited and engaged with channel programs. Skillsoft’s Gwenn Lazar encourages viewers to do research, ask questions and talk to partners about their needs.
Skillsoft makes trust a key component in their channel partner relationships. This ensures a positive experience for partners, who can be confident they are getting the best business practices possible. In this episode, Gwenn Lazar, Channel Partner Programs Manager at Skillsoft, stresses the importance of trust between partners and vendors.
Years ago, channel partner relationships were mostly around dinners and golf. But as margins get tighter and competition gets more fierce, suppliers need to go beyond the traditional approach of partner relationship management, and deliver resources to become a stronger business partner. Bradford Giles, VP of Channel Marketing at Cayan explains how in this episode.
Bradford Giles, VP of Channel Marketing at Cayan, discusses the vital importance of structure, training, tools and motivation for channel programs. Find out why channel leaders should take a more holistic view of channel partners – and how to put the tools, tech and resources together to influence, engage and support your entire partner ecosystem.
Experienced Partner Marketing Executive, Mike Gallagher shares the two things channel organizations must do to build a winning channel program. First, suppliers need to stand in their partner’s shoes and then suppliers must leverage change management resources to get maximum partner adoption of the program.
Tegile Systems has earned a 5-Star Rating in CRN’s Partner Program Guide five years in a row. It’s clear they know a thing or two about successful channel partner relationships. Sherman Tam shares tips on providing channel marketing and management solutions that are flexible, integrated, and easy to use.
In this episode of Channel Visions, Sherman Tam talks about the shifting relationship between suppliers and channel partners, and how suppliers need to adapt to the way channel partners do business to be successful.
Laz Gonzalez shares critical insight on the value of partner marketing to any channel program, and proposes employing a marketing concierge to drive higher performance and ultimately generate more pipeline. Laz challenges us to guide partners prescriptively using a “to-partner” marketing and “for-partner” marketing perspective, rather than solely executing a through partner marketing approach.
Laz Gonzalez explores the value of channel partner training and certifications, and the three types of demand that play into training and certification needs – established demands, new paradigm, and new concept.
How can suppliers help propel a channel partner’s established customer relationship without interference? Laz talks about tailoring offers based on data – customer behavior, past purchases and more.
Jonathan White, channel marketing veteran and expert, discusses the evolution of channel partner marketing and the importance of using multiple forms of communication to connect with customers. Watch and learn as Jonathan shares key insights on building successful channel strategies, developing lead nurturing programs and driving prospective relationships.
Jonathan shares what he sees as essential components for building a better channel partner ecosystem, including the establishment of symbiotic partner relationships and the importance of adapting to changes in the marketplace.
Explore three exciting trends making their mark on the channel. Find out how and why organizations are tightening partner recruitment processes. Track changes to partner enablement and training now to drive significant sales successes. Then focus on the powerful role channel marketing and management (CMM) platforms are playing in demand creation.
Watch as Kimason Brown, Global Partner Programs Manager for Red Hat, discusses the growing pains inherent in developing a strong channel marketing and sales program. In the first of Zift Solutions Channel Visions Video Series, Brown shares key insights on how the channel has changed for Red Hat over the past 25 years, critical channel trends and how Red Hat is meeting the needs of today’s channel partners.
Zift Solutions continues its Q&A with channel expert Sal Patalano in this exclusive Channel Visions video. Find out what this Channel visionary sees as the biggest changes and threats to the Channel landscape, the massive impact of the shift to subscription-based IT pricing and the vital role of channel marketing automation.
Meet Heather K. Margolis, CEO of Channel Maven Consulting and well-respected channel thought leader, as she discusses the evolution of the channel and best practices for partner engagement. Watch and learn how the channel has changed, explore key trends in vendor/partner relationships, and find out how Channel Maven Consulting clients are better enabling their partners to engage customers and capture more channel revenue.
Maria discusses how channel partners are reacting and adapting to big changes in the channel marketplace, including recurring revenue models, B2B buyer behavior and Cloud – and how suppliers must alter their own engagement strategy to support and empower partner success.
Zift Solutions continues its Q&A with Heather K. Margolis, CEO of Channel Maven Consulting, in this exclusive Channel Visions video. Find out what advice she gives to channel organizations regarding building partner programs that work, how best to educate and engage partners, and why she started Channel Maven Consulting.
Explore the different facets that drive partner mindshare and get the keys to helping partners understand and represent your brand in the best possible light. Maria also shares insider tips on creating an active partner enablement program that leads to demand creation and economies of scale.
Meet well-respected industry thought leader and channel expert Sal Patalano and discover why he loves working with Channel Partners – and what you can do to create a more successful Channel Program now. Sal explores the core challenges Vendors face today, the longstanding love-hate relationship between Partners and Vendors, and shares the three things Vendors must do to create a fluid, consistent and positive experience that inspires Partner engagement and success.
30 years of the channel experience goes a long way. Learn about the history and implications of SiriusDecisions TRED model, which offers insights into how companies spend to, through and for channel partners. Then see how recent and ongoing channel changes are a reflection of what leading companies are doing in the marketplace.
According to Maria: If you can’t measure the success of your program, you shouldn’t be funding it. Discover why and how organizations investing in Channel Marketing and Management (CMM) platforms are seeing big pay offs and are better positioned to measure direct ROI from the channel.
SiriusDecisions’ Maria Chien joins Channel Visions to reflect on her long-term career in the channel. Discover why she finds the unpredictable nature of the channel so exciting, and learn how organizations are capitalizing on current channel transformations and turning partner mindshare into a competitive advantage.
Many emerging channel trends are taking a page from the direct side of the business. Learn how movements to examine the customer lifecycle and marry a strong product with a strong partner experience are adding up to big ideas and big results for channel organizations.
Channel Visions sits down with Laz Gonzalez of global B2B research and advisory firm Sirius Decisions to discuss the vital importance of channel partners in every organization’s success. Learn why you must take time to understand your partners and how to create a strong, seamless partner experience that plays off partner strengths.
Laurel Burton, VP of Marketing at Faction, discusses the challenges and changes she’s seen in the channel and shares insider tips for leveraging distributors and turning channel partners into true thought leaders. Discover how Faction has empowered its channel partners to become a sphere of influence for customers while promoting their own unique value propositions to convert leads into sales within the highly-competitive cloud computing market.
Laz discusses how the focus in channel sales is shifting from reliable “go-to” partners to identifying the next rank of partners to grow channel revenue. He also details channel marketers’ need for closed-loop visibility – and why what’s easy to do for 10 partners can be daunting for a community of 10,000.
Dive into the reasons behind the recent rise of integrated Channel Marketing and Management (CMM) platforms. Laz discusses how organizations are using technology to turn partners into better marketers. Plus, you’ll see how prescriptive CMM plus Concierge Services coupled PRM and CRM can and should come together to create an end-to-end solution suited for today’s channel.
Zift Solutions wraps up its discussion with Heather K. Margolis, CEO of Channel Maven Consulting by delving into the importance of content marketing, the impact of social media within the channel, the power of first impressions in inbound and outbound marketing, and why channel partners should be building an audience rather than a list.