Stop Putting The Wrong People In Channel Roles

In the competitive landscape of the IT industry, the effectiveness of a company’s channel strategy can be the difference between success or failure. Channel managers play a crucial role in driving revenue, expanding market reach, and fostering strong relationships with partners. Which is why it is so surprising to me that so many companies hire … Continued

6 Lessons from the Trump-Harris Debate for PAMs

In 2017 I wrote an article about 10 Lessons that Channel Managers could learn from Trump. Watching the Trump-Harris debate a few nights ago prompted me to think about that article, and see what we could learn from this debate. Firstly, I should say that while I’m not a Trump supporter, and believe that Harris … Continued

6 Lessons from Samsung to Lose Customers

In the XaaS and managed services world, we don’t make money from winning customers… we make money from keeping customers. So when I see a company doing everything it can to alienate its loyal customers, I look at what lessons can be learned so that MSPs, vendors and distis don’t fall into the same trap. … Continued

5 Tips to Change Your Partner’s Perception

One of the interesting dynamics of our industry is how quickly new technologies (whether they are developed internally or through acquisition) can alter a company’s direction. For example, it can happen when a vendor transitions from perpetual to XaaS, or when a software vendor acquires a hardware company (or vice versa), or when a new … Continued

10 Tips for Vendor Account Execs to Leverage Partners

Over the last 6 months, our single most requested workshop has been training Enterprise Account Executives to better leverage partners to win business and grow revenue. From our experience, vendor account executives (ie. salespeople who engage directly with end users) can be one of the best, or worst, resources a vendor can provide for their … Continued

How Channel-Ready Are Tech Vendors?

There’s plenty of evidence that selling indirectly through solution providers is an extremely efficient route to market for tech vendors. However, that success is often predicated on those same vendors knowing how to sell through the IT channel—why they want to do it, where to find the best partners, and when to use them. That, … Continued

The Lost Art of the Elevator Pitch

As channel consultants, we get to work with an incredible array of different companies and technologies. And with the breakneck speed of new product releases, it’s a real challenge trying to stay on top of it all. What continues to amaze us however, is how few companies can explain what they do in a concise … Continued

Recruit Partners Like You Recruit People

Would you recruit a sales rep for your business just because they were enthusiastic, and knew someone they could sell your product to?  Without an interview? Without references? Without discussing salary or sales targets? It sounds a bit crazy doesn’t it! But that’s exactly what vendors do all the time with their channel partner recruitment. … Continued

Insights from the ANZ Channel Community

At the last CompTIA Community Meeting, we asked the attendees to give us their observations from 2020, and their predictions for 2021. These nine charts summarise the feedback across five aspects: Revenue growth Staffing numbers Working from home Technology Business challenges 1. Revenue Growth Overall, the impact on revenue in 2020 was mixed with 44% … Continued

Do We Really Need To Meet Customers?

In Australia and New Zealand, restrictions have eased over the ability to meet with customers and partners in person. And as the vaccines are rolled out, it’s only a matter of time before we return to some semblance of the way meetings used to be. But just because we can meet in person, does that … Continued