Is There A Need For The Channel In The Cloud?

There is no doubt that customers are starting to examine how they procure technology, and opting for a Cloud model rather than the traditional CapEx model. However, while this shift may provide a range of benefits for the customer and potentially the channel, it also brings with it some fundamental changes to the way technology … Continued

Partner Program Design Checklist

We have recently been asked by a couple of clients to help them design, build and implement a new partner program, either as a re-launch of an existing program or as their first serious attempt at recruiting and managing partners. We hope this article provides an insight into what to do, what not to do, … Continued

Six Tips For Running Better Meetings

Finally, it’s your turn at the helm doing a partner review or facilitating an important meeting. Prove yourself in front of your peers and partners, and you’ve proved yourself full stop. Allow yourself to be the ringmaster in a cacophony of bad or no decision making, however, and it’s as though you drilled a hole … Continued

Paretos Principle And The Channel

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country. He had observed that 80 percent of the property in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the people. It was Quality Management Pioneer Dr Joseph Juran however who suggested the principle within his field … Continued

Enablement Vs Certification (is there a difference?)

Earlier this year, we wrote about the “Conscious Competence” Model and how newly recruited partners also go through the same 4 stages as newly recruited employees, and how your channel enablement style needs to change accordingly. In this article we take the concept further by overlaying a typical partner program training, enablement and certification approach, … Continued

4 Rules Of Engagement to Avoid Channel Chaos

Recently I’ve been working on several channel program design projects, and I am surprised to see vendors invest so much effort into their program offering (tiers, benefits, etc), but not put much thought into the actual engagement model. The end result is usually some form of channel conflict, or gaps between partner’s expectations and vendor … Continued

Matching Partner Value and Engagement Strategies

Traditional partner value or vendor engagement strategies have typically been dictated by program requirements. Under this model, partners are assessed according to the level of revenue generated and the level of certification achieved. Based on this assessment, partners are then assigned a rank, within the program hierarchy, of Gold, Silver, or Bronze. In recent years, … Continued

Transitioning To Cloud With Clarity

The commercial advantages offered by Cloud computing are so well known it would be superfluous to list them here, and so attractive they continue to generate a buzz across the commercial landscape. But if you are currently a traditional reseller, is your businesses genuinely ready to transition to reselling Cloud offerings, or to being a … Continued

Enable Your Partners Till They’re Unconscious

In a previous article, I wrote about the parallels between recruiting people and recruiting partners, and how the principles we apply to recruiting staff are equally applicable to recruiting partners. Today, we look at the parallels between developing staff and enabling partners. Over the years, the “Conscious Competence” Model has become a popular and insightful … Continued