When it comes to building a successful IT Channel program, partner engagement and enablement are the secret sauce. It’s not enough to simply bring partners into your ecosystem and expect results—you’ve got to actively empower them. The challenge lies in transforming your partners into high-performing, highly motivated extensions of your salesforce. This requires a deliberate, multifaceted approach that touches on training, onboarding, and personalized engagement strategies.

So, how do you deepen those relationships, accelerate productivity, and truly drive engagement? It starts with understanding that partner enablement isn’t just about throwing a few resources their way. It’s about offering the right tools, guidance, and experiences to ensure your partners feel supported, valued, and aligned with your goals.

Let’s break down the key areas that can give your partner program the edge it needs.

Enhancing Partner Training: Go Beyond the Basics

Many vendors provide training, but not all training is created equal. Partners need more than a few webinars or a static knowledge base. Training should be comprehensive, dynamic, and adaptable to different learning styles to accelerate productivity and boost partner engagement. Here’s how you can step it up:

• Interactive Learning: Incorporate interactive modules, quizzes, and certifications to ensure partners not only complete training but actually retain and apply what they’ve learned. A Learning Management System (LMS) that allows for self-paced learning while tracking progress can make all the difference.
• Role-Specific Training: Tailor training to the specific roles within your partner’s organization. Whether they’re in sales, technical support, or marketing, delivering content that resonates with their day-to-day responsibilities makes it easier for partners to execute and excel.
• Continuous Enablement: Enablement doesn’t stop after onboarding. Ongoing education, new product updates, and training on the latest market trends keep your partners ahead of the curve—and more committed to your solution.

By keeping your training fresh and targeted, you equip your partners with the knowledge they need to sell more effectively and stay engaged long-term.

Improving the Onboarding Experience: Make It Seamless

First impressions matter—especially when it comes to onboarding. Too many Channel programs falter here, throwing partners into a complex maze of disjointed systems and outdated tools. You’ve got to do better than that if you want to see fast results.

Here’s how to enhance your onboarding process and get partners productive quickly:

• Streamline the Experience: Keep onboarding smooth by simplifying the steps required to get up and running. Partners should have easy access to everything they need, from product demos to sales resources, without jumping through hoops or dealing with clunky portals.
• Onboarding Playbooks: Create customized onboarding plans for each partner. Personalized playbooks with clear milestones, expectations, and resources tailored to their unique business model will make onboarding faster and more efficient.
• Onboarding Support: Ensure that live human support is readily available to guide partners through onboarding hurdles. Whether it’s a dedicated support team or real-time chat options, having quick access to assistance can prevent partner frustration and churn.

A well-structured onboarding process can slash time-to-revenue, allowing partners to hit the ground running and stay engaged right from the start.

Personalized Partner Plans: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Your partners aren’t clones. They vary in size, focus, market reach, and business model. So why are so many vendors still trying to fit them into one-size-fits-all partner programs? Personalized partner plans are critical for driving deeper engagement and productivity.

Here’s what you can do to tailor your approach:

• Segment Your Partners: Divide your partners into tiers based on their potential impact, sales capacity, or level of engagement. Then, provide tailored benefits, resources, and incentives that align with each segment’s needs.
• Custom Incentive Programs: Incentives should be more than blanket discounts or one-size-fits-all promotions. Offer targeted incentives that resonate with each partner’s unique motivations, whether it’s through enhanced margins, market development funds (MDF), or co-marketing initiatives.
• Individual Growth Plans: Sit down with your partners and create personalized growth strategies. Regularly evaluate their progress and adjust the plan as needed. By showing that you’re invested in their success, you’ll build loyalty and drive higher engagement.

Personalization is the key to making each partner feel valued and supported, which translates into stronger, more productive relationships.

Why Partner Engagement and Enablement Are Game-Changers

Partner engagement is about more than making your partners “like” you—it’s about driving tangible results. Engaged partners sell more, stay loyal longer, and are more likely to recommend your solution to others. And enablement? That’s the engine that drives partner productivity. When partners have the tools, training, and support they need, they perform better—and that directly impacts your bottom line.

Are You Ready to Supercharge Your Partner Program?

Engaging and enabling your partners doesn’t have to be a guessing game. ZiftONE, the market-leading channel management software, was designed to make partner relationships thrive. With two decades of experience, we’ve built a platform that simplifies the chaos, helps you manage your entire partner ecosystem, and drives engagement through world-class enablement.

Happier partners happen here. Ready to pack a punch with ZiftONE? Say goodbye to confusing portals, disjointed tools, and mismanaged data. With ZiftONE, you’ll:

• Improve the partner experience—and see your program success skyrocket.
• Manage the entire journey from marketing and lead generation to sales.
• Gain clarity with consistent oversight of your funnel.
• Leverage rich analytics to hone in on the metrics that matter most.
• Simplify program management with an all-in-one solution that scales as you grow.

Learn more about accelerating time to sale and driving profitable engagement by downloading our research report: Accelerating Channels, An Expert Perspective

The post Unlocking Partner Potential: How Engagement and Enablement Fuel Growth appeared first on Zift Solutions.

In today’s complex B2B ecosystem, traditional Partner Relationship Management (PRM) software is often criticized for its inability to keep up with the fast pace of partner-led and influenced deals. While legacy PRMs once served a purpose, they’ve struggled to adapt to the demands of modern channel partnerships. Unifyr, the evolution of Zift Solutions, stands out as a comprehensive, AI-powered platform that unifies suppliers, partners, and agencies. It’s not just an updated PRM but a solution designed to solve the most pressing challenges in partner management.

Unifyr is more than just an updated PRM—it’s a comprehensive, AI-powered platform built to unify suppliers, partners, and agencies. It simplifies operations, enhances collaboration, and creates new growth opportunities, addressing the limitations that legacy PRMs often fail to resolve. Here’s how Unifyr tackles these challenges.

The Evolution of Partner Management: From PRM to Unifyr

Legacy PRMs often need to catch up in today’s interconnected value chains, but the journey from traditional PRM to Unifyr represents a significant transformation in channel management, not just an upgrade.

Revolutionizing the Partner Experience (PX)

One of the biggest criticisms of traditional PRMs is their poor partner experience, which is typically reduced to a “password-protected brochure” model with static libraries and limited engagement. Unifyr flips this model by creating an AI-driven, collaborative platform that empowers partners with personalized onboarding, guided training, and customized workflows.

Instead of simply pushing information, Unifyr makes partners active participants in the process, giving them the tools and resources to contribute meaningfully to your business. Recent insights from Jay McBain, Chief Analyst at Canalys, confirm that partners value ease of onboarding, personalized training, and clear objectives above financial incentives. Unifyr is built to address these priorities, empowering partners for growth and success.

Eliminating Data Fragmentation

Another common issue with legacy PRMs is fragmented data, where silos and a lack of integration obscure partner performance. Unifyr resolves this with seamless integration across your entire tech stack and real-time analytics that provide a clear, unobstructed view of your partner ecosystem, ensuring clarity and efficiency in your operations.

With ZiftONE, Unifyr captures metrics like lead conversion rates, sales cycles, and campaign engagement, offering actionable insights that help businesses make smarter decisions. This transparency ensures suppliers and partners have a 360-degree view of performance, fostering stronger, data-driven partnerships.

Scalability and Flexibility

Traditional PRMs often need help to scale efficiently as businesses grow their partner networks. Unifyr is built to scale seamlessly, whether your partners are resellers, system integrators, or co-selling entities.

Unifyr’s solutions—ZiftONE, Unifyr+, and UnifyrPro—offer flexibility for diverse partner ecosystems. Integrating with CRM and marketing automation systems, Unifyr breaks down data silos, ensuring a holistic view of your partner operations and allowing businesses to expand without being limited by rigid, outdated platforms.

Long-Term Strategic Alignment

Legacy PRMs focus on short-term transactional relationships rather than building strategic, long-term partnerships. Unifyr changes that by fostering a two-way collaboration model, where partners and suppliers collaborate to co-create value, develop strategic initiatives, and grow together over time.

With UnifyrPro, suppliers and partners collaborate on tailored channel strategies and co-marketing efforts, fostering deep relationships beyond short-term sales targets. This strategic alignment ensures that partners generate revenue and grow their skills and expertise in ways that benefit both parties for the long term.

Re-engagement and Activity

Disengagement is a common issue with traditional PRMs that rely on one-way communication. Unifyr resolves this by making partners active collaborators in co-creating marketing content, sharing best practices, and engaging in real-time supplier interactions.

Unifyr’s continuous learning features are a game-changer for partners. They ensure access to the latest training, resources, and tools, keeping partners engaged and confident in promoting your solutions. This approach turns partners into strategic allies committed to driving your success.

Why Unifyr Is the Future of Channel Management

The issues with traditional PRMs—poor partner experience, data fragmentation, lack of scalability, short-sighted relationships, and disengagement—have long frustrated businesses trying to build robust channel ecosystems. Unifyr is the solution that solves these problems by creating a unified, AI-driven platform that adapts to the evolving needs of modern B2B partnerships.

By focusing on collaboration, data integration, and scalable growth, Unifyr redefines partner management. It’s not just about managing transactions—it’s about building long-term, strategic partnerships that drive success for everyone involved.

The Key Takeaways:

• Unifyr is the future of partner management, addressing the shortcomings of legacy PRMs.
• With ZiftONE, Unifyr+, and UnifyrPro, businesses get a unified platform that simplifies collaboration, provides real-time data, and ensures scalability.
• Unifyr enables businesses to move from transactional relationships to strategic, long-term partnerships that drive sustained growth.

Partner management isn’t obsolete—it’s evolving. Unifyr is at the forefront of this evolution, empowering suppliers, partners, and agencies to collaborate, grow, and thrive together.

Ready to see the future of partner management?

Visit www.unifyr.com to learn how Unifyr can help transform your channel strategy and drive unprecedented growth.

The post Solving Common Channel Management Issues appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Market Development Funds (MDF) are a channel staple. For years, vendors have offered MDF to partners who then complain that the programs are too hard to use, not transparent enough, or don’t engage with them, which translates to lost opportunities and sales.

So, how do you create an engaging and successful MDF program that benefits you and your partners? And how do you design a program to make it easy, trackable, and repeatable? We asked the experts.

Three Key Practices

Ryan Morris, Principal at Morris Management Partners, shares, “The most effective MDF programs align with three key practices: 1) Initiative-based: zero entitlements for any partner, but no limits for partners who perform. 2) Outcome-centric: no product marketing messages, only customer result promises. 3) Human concierge-driven: big partners can be self-sufficient, but small partners will never grow in DIY programs. The bottom line is to invest in growth and not pay for past performance.”

Financial Considerations

The foundation of IT channels has remained the same since inception: when your partners succeed, you succeed. However, the tools and support they need have changed. Today, they are looking for influential event and digital marketing campaigns, advanced training, and sales enablement tools.

Dalyn Wertz, Executive Director of indirect Programs and marketing at Comcast Business, emphasizes the importance of understanding and efficiency in MDF programs: “As marketing resources and bandwidth are stretched in our industry, working efficiently is key. Understanding marketing trends and streamlining repeatable offerings with clear metrics and KPI goals will allow you and your team to work smarter and more efficiently.”

Successful companies and programs are all about the metrics. The simplest way to calculate this is MDF Program ROI = (Sales growth resulting from MDF Program – MDF Cost) / MDF Cost.

For instance, if a partner needs to increase the number of MQLs to hit a $20,000 opportunity in one quarter, you and the partner may determine the need for 300 MQLs. With an estimated cost per lead of $100, resulting in a $3,000 investment, you might share this cost with the partner. If your $1,500 investment results in $20,000 revenue, your ROI would be about 12 times.

Repeatable Processes

We all love an “easy button,” and being easy is the key to success when it comes to MDF programs. Michelle Ragusa McBain, Global Channel Chief, SonicWall, shares, “The purpose of market development funds is to help reinvest back into the partners that invest in us. Our goal is to drive mutual success by co-branding, co-marketing, co-selling, and imagining together!”

“We know many partners have multiple vendors they might work with to complete their solutions stack. In our numerous surveys of our SonicWall partners and through outside-in listening, doing business was a top priority. It was essential that we used automation and intelligence to drive a repeatable playbook of success for our partners. In addition, we partnered with ecosystem partners that can help innovative ideas foster growth and creativity to execute their business needs.”

Reporting and Feedback

Jen Waltz, founding vice president at Kron Technologies, highlights the importance of reporting and continuous feedback. “At Kron Technologies, we emphasize the importance of robust tracking and reporting systems for MDF fund usage and campaign performance. We recommend implementing automated systems that leverage CRM and marketing automation tools to integrate data seamlessly. Regular reporting for partners is crucial, showcasing critical metrics such as lead conversion rates, sales impact, and overall campaign effectiveness.

Moreover, continuous feedback and improvement are vital. Regularly soliciting feedback from partners on the MDF process, understanding their challenges, and gathering their suggestions for improvement allows us to make necessary adjustments. We continue refining and enhancing our MDF program by utilizing this feedback and performance data to ensure its effectiveness and relevance.”

About ZiftONE: Make Your Partner Experience Legendary

ZiftONE’s Partner Relationship Management platform simplifies the partner experience. It provides training, a collateral library, and detailed reporting. ZiftONE users saw a 34% reduction in time-to-revenue for partners. Features include a portal builder, integrated training, and advanced analytics. 

Read more about Unlocking the Potential of Market Development Funds in our e-book.

Creating a successful MDF program starts with listening to your partners’ needs, asking questions, and showing you are interested and curious about their business and success. Our industry experts agree that the keys are setting clear expectations, investing in growth, and using automation to create a successful MDF program with increased partner engagement.

Recommended reading from additional industry experts: Investment with Market Development Funds (MDF) and Beyond for Partners

The post Creating a Repeatable MDF Program appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Charles Bowen said, “Summertime is always the best of what might be.” And as the days grow longer and vacations become the norm, maintaining partner engagement can be challenging. 

However, with strategic planning and creative approaches, you can keep your partners engaged and foster stronger relationships, which can be a winning season for your channel program.

Here are a few recommendations on how to make the most of the summer season:

Offer Engaging and Thematic Content

Desraie Thomas, of Ostendio, shares, “In Calgary, we have the Calgary Stampede. Most businesses will host a client event during this time. Examples: pancake breakfast, BBQ with music, and then because the city is so busy, you can think of a budget and event, and there will be an option. 

Summertime is an excellent time for business development, doing things that lighten your partner’s heart. It isn’t necessarily about the close but about the relationship. Communities are amazing during the summer, with most cities hosting many local events. Who are your community partners? Where are they? Are they sponsoring any events that you can participate in? 

Host a community market, giving your Partners (depending on who they are) a place to showcase what they offer. It shows you care about their business and want to support them.”

Schedule and Plan Ahead

Plan essential meetings well in advance to accommodate vacations, showing respect for your partners’ schedules. Summer often brings downtime, a perfect opportunity to encourage your partners to engage with your training and certification materials over extended periods, allowing them to interact with your content at their convenience. Utilize ZiftONE’s Channel Learning tools to provide engaging and valuable learning experiences that keep your partners’ skills sharp and ready for the busy seasons ahead.

Personal and Meaningful Communication

Heather Margolis, President and CEO of Channel Maven, recommends ” taking a more casual and personable approach to communication. Have the channel leader create videos that are not overly produced. On their smartphone, sitting outside on a hike, or at the golf course. Speak directly to the partner’s pain points and give them advice. “

Add Value with Special Offers and Events

Michelle Accardi, CEO of Liongard, offers the following suggestions: “To keep partners engaged during the summer months, it’s crucial to maintain consistent communication and provide them with valuable resources. Hosting virtual events, webinars, and training sessions can help keep them informed and motivated. Additionally, offering special incentives and exclusive promotions can drive engagement and show our appreciation for their continued partnership. By fostering a sense of community and support, we can ensure our partners remain active and enthusiastic throughout the summer.”

Be Prepared and Flexible

Prepare for emergencies by having backup contacts in place. Offer to meet your partners at their preferred locations, showing flexibility and respect for their time. This approach makes it more likely they’ll agree to meet and stay engaged.

Create Excitement with Promotions and Giveaways

Hold exclusive summer promotions and giveaways to entice engagement. Highlighting the limited-time nature of these offers can prompt action from your partners. Keep the content lighthearted and informal to match the summer vibe, saving more technical posts for other times of the year.

How ZiftONE Can Help: Enhancing Partner Experience for Better Revenue

Because better partner revenue starts with a better partner experience, your business and data silos are holding you back. Marketing leaders are drowning in vanity metrics. Channel Account Managers spend more time with spreadsheets than partners. ZiftONE makes it easy for channel leaders to collaborate internally and with partners to build pipelines and win buyers.

• ZiftONE Partner Management: Through customized, highly intuitive admin dashboards, ZiftONE makes it easy—and enjoyable—for your partners to stay engaged with your brands.
• ZiftONE Channel Sales: Give your PAMs/CAMs the data they need to focus partners on high-value activities, keep them armed with the right information, and hold them accountable for their performance.
• ZiftONE Channel Marketing: ZiftONE allows you to easily manage multi-touch digital marketing campaigns designed to generate leads and support daily pipeline growth.
• ZiftONE Channel Learning: ZiftONE gives you powerful tools for webinar management, testing and exams, partner certifications, and more.

By adopting these combined strategies and leveraging ZiftONE’s capabilities, you can turn the summer season into an opportunity for innovation, connection, and growth. Show your partners you value their time and engagement, and you’ll build stronger, more lasting relationships.

The post Maximizing Partner Engagement During Summer appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Your business thrives when you effectively measure and track the right metrics. Metrics provide a framework for evaluating performance, making data-driven decisions, and driving growth and innovation. For IT vendors, identifying and tracking these success metrics is crucial to staying competitive and achieving business goals. However, finding the metrics that matter most and not getting lost in a sea of data points can be challenging.

Understanding Success Metrics

Success metrics are measurable values organizations use to gauge their progress toward specific objectives. These metrics can be quantitative or qualitative, depending on the business goals and the type of metric. By tracking these metrics, businesses can objectively assess their performance, identify areas for improvement, and align their strategies with their goals.

Key Success Metrics for IT Vendors

• Revenue Growth: Measuring the increase in sales over a specific period indicates the effectiveness of your sales strategies and market demand for your products.
• Customer Acquisition and Retention Rates: These metrics show how well you attract new customers and retain existing ones. High retention rates often correlate with customer satisfaction and loyalty, which, in turn, boosts revenue growth.
• Profit Margins: Profit margins reflect the efficiency of your operations and the profitability of your sales. Monitoring both gross and net profit margins is essential to understand your financial health.
• Market Share: This metric helps you understand your position in the market relative to competitors. Increasing market share indicates successful competitive strategies and the value your channel partner places on your relationship.
• Customer Satisfaction: Measuring customer satisfaction through surveys and feedback can provide insights into customer experience and areas that need improvement. Include customer satisfaction and NPS (Net Promoter Score) in your monthly review metrics and consider placing customer satisfaction scores in your partner programs.

Setting Up Success Metrics

Establishing the right success metrics involves several key steps:

• Define Your Business Goals: Start by clearly defining your business goals and objectives. Your goals will guide you in identifying the specific metrics that align with them. For example, if your goal is to increase market share, focus on metrics related to sales growth and customer acquisition.
• Align Metrics with Your Strategy: Ensure that the metrics you choose align with your overall business strategy. Each metric should provide insights into a specific aspect of your strategy, such as customer acquisition, revenue growth, or operational efficiency.
• Prioritize Actionable Metrics: Focus on metrics that can drive significant improvements in your business. Avoid vanity metrics that do not impact your bottom line or strategic goals. Actionable metrics provide insights that lead to meaningful actions and business growth.
• Consider Industry Benchmarks: Research industry benchmarks to understand how your metrics compare to those of competitors. This will help you set realistic goals and identify areas for improvement.
• Leverage Technology and Analytics Tools: Utilize advanced analytics tools to efficiently collect, analyze, and visualize data. Tools like ZiftONE provide customizable dashboards that make it easy to monitor and interpret your metrics, ensuring you have the insights needed to drive success.
• Continuously Evaluate and Refine: Regularly review and adjust your metrics to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with your evolving business goals. As your business and the market change, your success metrics should adjust accordingly.

The Role of ZiftONE in Measuring Success

ZiftONE is designed to help IT vendors streamline their operations and enhance their partner relationships by providing comprehensive solutions for sales, partner management, and channel marketing.

• ZiftONE Channel Sales: Equip your Partner Account Managers (PAMs) and Channel Account Managers (CAMs) with the data they need to focus on high-value activities, stay informed, and remain accountable for their performance.
• ZiftONE Partner Management: Through user-friendly, customizable admin dashboards, ZiftONE makes it easy and enjoyable for your partners to stay engaged with your brand, fostering stronger relationships and better performance.
• ZiftONE Channel Marketing: ZiftONE empowers you to take control of multi-touch digital marketing campaigns designed to generate leads and support pipeline growth continuously, ensuring your marketing efforts are always aligned with your business goals.

What Gets Measured Gets Done

John E. Jones said, “What gets measured gets done, what gets measured and fed back gets done well, what gets rewarded gets repeated.” Not all metrics are right for every business or program. Measuring for success involves identifying and tracking the right metrics that align with your business goals and strategies. Leveraging tools like ZiftONE can assist IT vendors in streamlining their operations, enhancing partner engagement, and driving significant business growth. Remember, you need to report, iterate, and repeat measurements to keep them current and actionable.

To learn more about how Zift Solutions and the ZiftONE product offering can help you achieve your business goals, visit our website or contact our team for a personalized consultation. Let’s measure for success together.

The post Measuring for Success appeared first on Zift Solutions.

As channel companies seek ways to optimize their marketing strategies and stay ahead of the competition, it’s the topic on everyone’s marketing BINGO card. Artifical Intelligence (AI).  With its ability to analyze large amounts of data and provide actionable insights, AI is revolutionizing how channel marketing strategies are developed and executed. However, great channel marketing still comes from experienced marketers who know how to harness AI to maximize their output.

Benefits of Using AI in Marketing

AI enables businesses to scale without incurring high human costs, making it an invaluable asset in modern marketing strategies. The benefits of doing more with less are clear.

Greater Accuracy in Targeting Audiences

AI enhances audience targeting accuracy, allowing businesses to pinpoint their most promising potential customers with precision:

• Customer Data Analysis: AI sifts through customer data and behavior patterns to create detailed customer personas. This understanding enables businesses to cater more effectively to their audience’s needs and preferences.
• Multi-Channel Engagement Tracking: By monitoring customer interactions across various channels, AI helps marketers deliver highly relevant and personalized experiences.
• Predictive Analytics: AI predicts how users will interact with a brand, allowing marketers to tailor their messaging to individual preferences.
• Resource Optimization: By identifying potential customers and their behaviors, businesses can craft targeted marketing messages, saving time, money, and resources.

Improved Efficiency in Marketing Operations with AI + Marketers

Incorporating AI into marketing strategies significantly boosts the efficiency of marketing operations. By automating tasks such as data analysis and customer segmentation, AI frees marketers to focus on higher-level tasks requiring human ingenuity and creativity:

• Data Processing Speed and Accuracy: AI quickly and accurately processes vast amounts of data, enabling marketing teams to make informed decisions and develop effective campaigns.
• Automated Customer Interaction: AI-powered chatbots handle customer inquiries and complaints, reducing response times and enhancing the overall customer experience.

These improvements streamline marketing operations, allowing for more strategic and impactful campaigns.

Enhanced Customer Experience

AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the customer experience by increasing satisfaction and engagement:

• Customization: AI analyzes customer data to create unique experiences tailored to individual preferences and interests.
• Personalization: AI leverages data from past interactions to offer personalized solutions and support, making customers feel valued and understood.
• Faster Response Times: AI-powered chatbots and customer service agents provide quicker, more efficient support, leading to higher customer satisfaction. However, don’t let a chatbot replace people when a customer needs to talk with your team.
• Predictive Analytics: By anticipating customer needs, AI delivers relevant recommendations even before customers realize they need assistance.

AI fosters increased customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing personalized, efficient, and practical support.

Real-World Examples

Netflix’s AI Personalization Netflix’s ability to recommend shows and movies with uncanny accuracy is a testament to the power of AI in action. The platform analyzes viewing habits and preferences to suggest content that viewers are likely to enjoy, enhancing user experience and engagement.

Sephora’s AI Chatbot Technology Sephora, a beauty industry leader, has leveraged AI chatbot technology to transform the shopping experience. Recognizing that customers often feel overwhelmed by product choices, Sephora introduced an AI-driven interactive quiz. This digital beauty consultant provides personalized advice based on individual customer responses, making the shopping experience more manageable and enjoyable. The success of Sephora’s chatbot technology led to the launch of a chatbot-powered shopping service on Facebook Messenger, offering virtual color matches, booking sessions, and interactive beauty tips through KikBot, an autonomous, chatty makeup guru.

What does this mean for Channel Marketers?

AI is revolutionizing channel marketing strategies for IT vendors. By enhancing audience targeting accuracy, improving operational efficiency, and elevating customer experience, AI empowers businesses to create more effective and impactful marketing campaigns. However, the best results come from marketers who use AI to automate repetitive tasks and highlight data and trends, allowing them to craft excellent partner marketing campaigns. AI is a powerful tool that helps good marketers become great, making their work more efficient and effective without the need to hire additional staff.

Zift Solutions: Empowering Channel Marketers

Zift Solutions boots ROI. As the top Through-Channel Marketing Automation tool, ZiftONE streamlines marketing and communications.

With 20 years of experience, ZiftONE addresses channel challenges and eliminates data issues. Founded in 2006, Zift Solutions offers strategic guidance and seamless tool integration, enabling channel marketers to focus on strategy and creativity. Ready to add AI to your channel marketing toolkit? Contact us today.

The post How AI is Revolutionizing Channel Marketing Strategies appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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Unlike pre-recorded events, Channel Focus Virtual offers a dynamic experience with live sessions, Q&A sessions, and one-on-one interactions. Emulating the renowned workshop format, participants engage in real-time discussions, ensuring true interaction and value for attendees. While it can’t fully replace the in-person experience, the virtual event aims to deliver cutting-edge strategies interactively, ensuring attendees stay ahead of the curve in channel success.

10 Reasons to attend Channel Focus Virtual 2024:

1. World-Class Expertise: Access the latest channel insights and practical sessions from industry leaders, ensuring you leave with actionable strategies for channel success.
2. Cost-Effective Learning: Gain invaluable knowledge from others’ experiences, saving you time and money by avoiding common pitfalls and discovering what truly works.
3. Top-notch Speakers: Immerse yourself in sessions led by over 40 renowned channel figures, offering cutting-edge strategic thinking, best practices, and actionable programs.
4. Tailored Agenda: Customize your learning journey with keynotes, tracks, workshops, and sessions, ensuring a unique and relevant experience aligned with your goals.
5. Practical Solutions: Learn directly from real-world case studies and how-to presentations, equipping you with actionable insights to enhance channel revenue and profitability.
6. Interactive Workshops: Engage in small group discussions to address your specific questions and exchange practical ideas with peers, fostering invaluable networking opportunities.
7. Networking Galore: Connect with fellow attendees during breaks and virtual meetups, establishing meaningful relationships that extend beyond the conference.
8. Authentic Peer Sharing: Enjoy a closed forum environment with seasoned industry executives, facilitating honest and practical idea exchanges devoid of press presence.
9. Access to Leading Providers: Gain exclusive access to world-class channel solution providers, addressing your critical priorities and unlocking new partnership opportunities.
10. Content Excellence: Benefit from content curated by a senior advisory board of channel experts, ensuring relevance to current and future channel trends.

Don’t miss out on this unparalleled opportunity to elevate your channel strategy and drive business growth! Join us at Channel Focus Virtual 2024. Register now!

The post Zift Solutions at Channel Focus Virtual 2024 appeared first on Zift Solutions.

In today’s ever-evolving business landscape, establishing and nurturing strategic partnerships has become imperative for sustained growth and success. Partner Relationship Management (PRM) plays a pivotal role in this, with Partner Marketing emerging as a potent force driving revenue. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the significance of Partner Marketing and how a well-crafted PRM strategy can propel your business to unprecedented heights.

The Power of Partnerships

Strategic partnerships offer a plethora of opportunities for businesses. Whether you’re a budding startup aiming to broaden your market reach or an established enterprise craving innovation, partnering with the right entities can provide a competitive edge. Partner Marketing harnesses the combined strengths of allied organizations to forge a collaborative approach to acquiring customers and generating revenue.

5 Key Benefits of Partner Marketing:

1. Extended Reach and Audience Expansion:

Teaming up with other businesses allows you to tap into their existing customer base, significantly expanding your reach without hefty additional marketing investments. This amplified brand presence not only boosts brand awareness but also translates into higher revenue streams.

2. Shared Resources and Expertise:

Collaboration brings together diverse skill sets and resources, fostering innovation and efficiency. Through Partner Marketing, companies can leverage each other’s expertise, technologies, and marketing resources to craft impactful campaigns and deliver greater value to shared audiences.

3. Cost Efficiency

By pooling marketing efforts and costs with partners, businesses can optimize their marketing budgets. This collaborative approach ensures efficient resource utilization, freeing up funds for substantial investments in crucial areas of business development.

4. Enhanced Credibility and Trust

Partnering with reputable organizations enhances your business’s credibility, instilling trust in potential customers. Consumers are more inclined to trust a brand recommended by a company they already trust. This mutual endorsement significantly influences customer perceptions and purchase decisions, ultimately boosting revenue.

5. Faster Time to Market

Partnering accelerates the time it takes to bring products or services to market. By joining forces, businesses can streamline processes, access shared networks, and surmount obstacles swiftly, gaining a competitive advantage in the market.

Implementing Effective Partner Relationship Management (PRM):

To unleash the full potential of Partner Marketing, a robust PRM strategy is indispensable. Here are key elements to consider:

Clear Communication:

Establishing open lines of communication with partners is crucial. Regularly sharing insights, updates, and feedback ensures alignment towards shared goals and enhances collaboration effectiveness.

Mutually Beneficial Agreements:

Crafting fair and mutually beneficial partnership agreements is vital. Clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and expectations fosters trust and ensures a harmonious journey towards shared success.

Technology Integration:

Leveraging PRM tools and technologies streamlines collaboration processes. Implementing a PRM platform facilitates efficient communication, resource sharing, and performance tracking, optimizing the overall partnership experience.

Performance Metrics and Analytics:

Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) is essential to gauge the success of Partner Marketing efforts. Regularly analyzing data within your PRM enables identification of improvement areas, facilitating strategy refinement for optimal results.

In Summary:

Partner Marketing, coupled with effective Partner Relationship Management, serves as a catalyst for revenue growth in today’s dynamic business landscape. By strategically aligning with the right partners and nurturing those relationships, businesses can unlock new avenues of opportunity, amplify market presence, and ultimately drive sustainable revenue growth.

The post 5 Ways to Boost Revenue through Strategic Partner Marketing appeared first on Zift Solutions.

To answer this question, we spoke with six industry experts. Our panelists include:

• Greg Plum, Director/Principal – North America for fractional partner leadership company PartnerReady
• Theresa Caragol, Founder and CEO for channel consultancy AchieveUnite
• Heather K. Margolis, Senior Vice President of Marketing for partner engagement and business optimization company 360insights
• Melissa Van Dover, Senior Director of Partner Marketing for remote management and business communication software provider GoTo
• Staci Corbett, Senior Manager of Channel Marketing for global managed communication and Microsoft Cloud solution service provider Fusion Connect
• Nicole Steele, Global Director of Channel Marketing and Enablement for cloud-first WAN and security company Aryaka Networks

Want to skip ahead? Check out six tips for MDF and partner investment in 2023:

1. Prioritize Investment in MDF Over SPIFFs
2. Demonstrating ROI From MDF Is Challenging, But Doable With the Right Tools 
3. Tailor MDF Activities to Partner Type & Maturity Through Segmentation 
4. Remember MDF Is a Long-Term Investment 
5. MDF Programs Are No Longer Optional for Partner Programs
6. Invest in Partner Success Beyond MDF 

What Are Market Development Funds (MDF)?

Market development funds are resources that vendors provide to channel ecosystem partners to create or improve sales and marketing initiatives. Historically, MDF has been doled out as monetary reimbursement of pre-approved marketing activities like customized collateral, email campaigns, or tradeshow attendance. Lately, more creative vendors and suppliers are using those funds to cover the cost of training or services for their partners in the form of workshops or digital marketing services provided by a consultant or agency.

MDF is typically a component of a channel partner marketing program and part of channel marketing budgets. MDF requests and allocations are reviewed and approved by channel marketing departments but may also require approval from financial or executive decision-makers in vendor organizations. Typically, MDF transactions between a vendor and a partner are communicated through a channel account manager (CAM). All of these touchpoints can lead to poor communication, unclear requirements and delays in reimbursement, making it a frustrating process for both suppliers and their partners.

MDF is often an earned benefit for partners that have met established qualifications. For example, a partner program with metal levels (bronze, silver, gold, platinum, etc.) may offer MDF only to partners that have achieved the gold level or higher. Qualifications will vary by vendor but typically include some combination of sales or revenue attainment and technical, marketing or sales certifications by the partner’s staff.

Partners can use MDF for a variety of vendor-approved activities, including, but not limited to:

• Webinars
• Vertical or industry-related marketing and sales campaigns
• Booth space at tradeshows
• End customer events such as lunch-and-learns or in-person training
• Sales lead list rentals
• Telemarketing campaigns
• Marketing or sales-oriented vendors, consultants and agencies

MDF is more readily available from partner programs that are more mature or operated by enterprise or mid-market firms because MDF requires financial outlay with no guaranteed return. Newer or smaller programs may be unable to offer MDF as a partner benefit until the channel generates enough cash flow to justify it.

6 Tips for Channel Partner Program MDF & Partner Investment

How should your partner program invest in its partners to drive marketing and sales? Here are six best practices for MDF and partner investment that you should keep in mind.

1. Prioritize Investment in MDF Over SPIFFs

A common short-term sales incentive for partners is a sales performance incentive fund (SPIFF), which awards a monetary bonus upfront at the point of a deal close. A SPIFF is typically a monthly multiple of the deal value in the tech channel. For example, a “6X” SPIFF pays out six months’ worth of the monthly recurring revenue (MRR) to the sales partner at one time once the contract is signed.

When faced with a limited budget for incentivizing partners, you should prioritize MDF over SPIFFs. “Having run channel programs for several SaaS providers over the years, I have, invariably, been faced with the decisions: MDF or no MDF, SPIFF or no SPIFF,” says PartnerReady’s Plum. “The second one is easy for me. No SPIFF.”

There are implicit dangers of relying too heavily on incentives like SPIFFs because it can be difficult to tie them to demonstrable activity in a partner’s pipeline. “The solution that a partner offers his [or] her client should be dictated by best possible fit, and not a ‘kicker’ for the recommendation,” says Plum. “Partner experience (PX) is driven more by the support they receive than the bonus they are promised.”

Support comes from all aspects of a partner program, such as high-touch account management, adequate marketing and sales enablement materials, sufficient training and certifications, and, of course, MDF.

2. Demonstrating ROI From MDF Is Challenging, But Doable With the Right Tools

A common challenge that programs encounter is the direct attribution of MDF to sales activity. “Once you’ve given MDF to a partner, then what?” asks Steele. “How do you qualify that it was a good investment? Do you have a PRM, so the partner can enter leads from the MDF activity so that they can track it?”

Measuring ROI remains one of the biggest challenges for MDF programs because many existing processes and systems still fail to track and report attribution data. Vendors, however, must rise to the occasion and figure out how to tie MDF disbursement to quantifiable metrics that show finance teams why it’s worth making the investment.

“When a partner program is unable to demonstrate results and ROI from MDF activities,” says GoTo’s Van Dover, “it can often lead to decreased funding.”

Partners are busy, and MDF programs can often be time-consuming to navigate. Vendors also have to remember that, in most cases, partners aren’t just selling their solutions. A vendor is just one part of an overall stack the partner is weaving together to create a solution for their clients. Because of this, says Steele, it can be hard for partners to align specific leads back to specific marketing activities. If you’re lucky enough to have enough channel staff to take a high-touch approach with partners, that risk is mitigated somewhat through continuous conversation. But vendors that struggle with adequate account manager or sales rep coverage rely on partners to provide that deal information, which leads to a lack of attribution and onerous proof of performance (PoP) processes.

It’s even more difficult to track ROI when you’re relying on manual data entry instead of automated systems. Tools like partner relationship management (PRM) solutions can help streamline tracking information for channel account managers (CAMs) and help build the case to secure more funding for worthwhile market development efforts. For example, PRMs streamline deal registration by moving it from spreadsheets to an online portal so CAMs and partners can easily log new deals and deal sources. In turn, this enables your channel leaders to run reports based on attribution, offering total visibility into how MDF activities are performing.

When it comes to tracking ROI from MDF activities, our panel offers a few tips:

• ·Have a clear understanding of the results you want to see from your MDF investments beyond just “increasing pipeline.” New leads? Nurturing existing leads through the sales process? Expansion into new verticals or geographies? You can’t measure ROI until you know what you’re hoping to gain on a granular level.
• Once you’ve set those expectations, make sure they’re communicated effectively. One of the biggest complaints partners have about vendor MDF programs is that it’s often unclear what activities qualify for MDF and which don’t. On top of that, the process of getting reimbursed from providers for those activities can be muddy and take too long to complete. If partners don’t understand your program, they won’t take advantage of it.
• Carefully monitor the long-term results of your investment. MDF activities aren’t a “one and done” strategy but typically play out over time. If the goal of an MDF activity is, say, new leads, that’s all well and good – but are those leads actually turning into revenue? Where is the partner losing traction? Does the MDF activity need to be tweaked to get the results you’re looking for over the long haul?
• Report on and discuss results in periodic business reviews with your partners. As stated, communication is critical when doling out marketing development funds. It’s unfair to partners when long periods go by without talking about MDF results, and then seemingly out of nowhere, they’re denied reimbursement because of a lack of ROI. In a channel relationship, nothing should be a surprise to your partner.

3. Tailor MDF Activities to Partner Type & Maturity Through Segmentation

As with most issues facing partner programs, MDF isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Effective MDF programs create guardrails for the types of activities that are MDF-eligible. AchieveUnite’s Caragol explains: “Providing partners with guidance [and] restrictions on which activities will be most effective for them maximizes the ROI for the vendor and the partner. Activities should be based on the partner’s relationship maturity and business model.”

Caragol advocates that vendors should start allocating MDF activities based on partner readiness or how well-prepared a partner is to sell, promote, deploy or evangelize a supplier’s solutions depending on their partner type. “Partners new to a relationship with a vendor should allocate the majority of funds to partner readiness, while more mature partners should focus on demand generation,” says Caragol. “Tactical partners should also focus on demand, while strategic partners should utilize funding for executive collaboration, solution development and market penetration.”

But how do you determine partner readiness? Partner programs can require partners to take a partner readiness assessment to identify gaps in their current capabilities. With this data in hand, you can recommend next steps, such as training or co-selling, to get partners ready to go to market with their solutions. A readiness assessment must be customized to your solution stack and what each partner type requires to sell or support your solutions.

Creating an effective MDF program for your sales partners means expanding MDF-eligible activities beyond just initial pipeline creation, an emerging trend. “Historically, MDF has been focused on activities that fill the funnel,” says 360insight’s Margolis. “A true, end-to-end program will enable partners to fill the funnel, nurture the funnel, close deals, and nurture existing customer upsell and cross-sell.”

Margolis also advises channel leaders to consider abandoning tier-based programs around revenue since partners may achieve those revenue thresholds simply by being a part of the program long enough. “I see more MDF going to great proposals as opposed to certain tiers around revenue,” says Margolis. “I always suggest giving money to partners and programs that are going to do the work as opposed to accrual-based programs.”

4. Remember MDF Is a Long-Term Investment

ROI on vendor MDF programs may not fit neatly into quarterly or annual budgeting cycles depending on the type of services a supplier offers. Remember that MDF investment is a long-term play and may not materialize results in desired timeframes.

“MDF is a long-term investment that may not show short-term gains,” says Fusion Connect’s Corbett. “This causes internal pushback on both the partner and supplier sides and negatively impacts buy-in.”

Getting buy-in is easiest when you can show how MDF programs have performed in the past. If your program is new or doesn’t have historical metrics, a conservative estimate based on projected industry-standard campaign performance metrics is a safe route to go. As with any new business initiative, it’s a good bet to under-promise and over-deliver.

The long-term view is necessary for MDF activities not focused on direct sales and marketing campaigns. “Investments in partner success (i.e., competency and solution development) provides long-term results that may not be recognized for six to nine months,” says AchieveUnite’s Caragol. “These also may not result in a short-term 20X return, but they will provide exponential returns for years.”

5. MDF Programs Are No Longer Optional for Partner Programs

MDF is now practically a requirement for most partner programs and has become an expectation from partners looking for their next provider.

 “MDF has gone from being a ‘nice to have’ to being a ‘need to have’ when it comes to partner programs,” says Margolis. “Because automation of the MDF program and resources available through platforms are so prevalent, MDF is now table stakes.”

AchieveUnite’s Caragol adds that these tangible investments are part of competing for partner engagement. “Partners are focusing on vendors that invest in them,” says Caragol. “Meaningful MDF programs increase partner mindshare.”

Further, partners have to come to view MDF as a cue that you’re willing to put skin in the game and not just wait for sales to come in. “If you’re a new vendor, MDF will help you to get partners to kick the tires,” says Aryaka’s Steele. “If you don’t offer incentives and wait for them to come to you, it won’t happen. Partners are working with so many vendors and are not going to work with vendors that only take. They want a symbiotic relationship.”

6. Partner Programs Should Invest in Partner Success Beyond MDF

MDF is a proven strategy, but it’s not the only way programs should invest in their partners. As we noted, the proof of value for MDF investments may take months, if not longer, so you should simultaneously explore non-monetary forms of partner investment, such as joint business planning and joint account mapping.

The status quo has changed, and programs must continue to invest more than their competitors to stay ahead. “Gone are the days when you can take partners out to dinner and expect them to send you deals,” says Aryaka’s Steele. “You need to actively invest in their businesses.”

Fusion Connect’s Corbett adds that vendors should combine MDF with SPIFFs, partner training and systemic deal registration, among other incentives. “This helps to ensure a well-rounded strategy for success for both the partner and the supplier,” says Corbett.

GoTo’s Van Dover lists how vendor programs can invest in partners beyond MDF, including:

• Executive sponsors
• Access to demo licensing
• BDR call list program
• Self-service quoting
• Pre-sales partner solution consultant support
• Training and enablement options to fit a partner’s preferences
• Dedicated partner advocate
• Partner Success Team support
• Advisory board membership
• Custom incentives
• Dedicated marketing resources

Partner programs and ecosystems should consider adopting these strategies to get the most from their channel investments.

The post Investment with Market Development Funds (MDF) and Beyond for Partners appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Cybersecurity: The Resilient Guardian

“Cybersecurity… struggled a bit this year, but by the 4th quarter, it’s picking up again, and the outlook for 2024 looks really promising,” observed Janet Schijns. This resilience in cybersecurity reflects a broader trend in the IT industry: the ability to adapt and rebound. While Fernandez expected a sharper rise, he noted, “It grew, but not as steeply as I thought. It plateaued, but it’s starting to climb again now.” While hot new technologies like AI exploded and took over the technology scene in 2023, overshadowing cybersecurity to a certain degree, the panel was unanimous that next year will be a big one for the security space.

AI: The Game Changer

Brandon Knight captured the essence of AI’s sudden prominence: “It was like the most interesting person at a party – suddenly, AI was everywhere.” AI’s meteoric rise in the IT channel signifies a paradigm shift. It’s not just a technological advancement; it’s a new way of thinking and operating. AI’s integration into various facets of the IT channel, from customer service to data analysis, signifies a move towards more intelligent, efficient, and personalized solutions. As AI continues to evolve, it will undoubtedly shape the future of the IT channel, challenging traditional models and opening new avenues for innovation.

The Evolution of Distribution Models

Speaking on the changing distribution models, Janet Schijns emphasized the need for a data-driven approach: “The distributors that can leverage data effectively will stand out.” This shift toward data-centric strategies in distribution underscores a larger trend in the IT channel: the move from intuition-based to insight-driven decision-making. Distributors who can harness the power of data to understand market trends, customer needs, and effective sales strategies will have a significant edge. As the IT channel becomes more complex, the role of distributors as strategic advisors and data experts will become increasingly important.

Education: The Bedrock of Progress

Juan Fernandez highlighted the importance of education in the IT channel: “We ended up playing dual roles [in 2023] – both as educators and learners.” The IT channel is in a constant state of flux, with new technologies and challenges emerging regularly. This dynamic environment necessitates a commitment to continuous learning and skill development. For MSPs and consumers alike, staying informed and educated is not just beneficial; it’s essential for survival and growth. As we move into 2024, the focus on education will likely intensify, with a greater emphasis on upskilling, reskilling, and knowledge sharing.

Looking Ahead: Embracing Change in 2024

As we look towards 2024, the IT channel stands at the threshold of a transformative era. As Janet Schijns said, “The channel is the lifeblood of the tech industry and it’s not going anywhere.” This statement resonates with a sense of resilience and permanence, emphasizing the channel’s critical role in the technology sector. However, Schijns also cautions that the coming year will be “rocky,” citing factors like elections, wars, inflation, and interest rates. These external influences will undoubtedly shape the IT channel, creating a landscape where agility and adaptability are paramount.

Brandon Knight’s perspective offers a complementary viewpoint, focusing on the theme of evolution and maturity. He predicts that 2024 will be about “finding where things level off,” suggesting a period of stabilization following the rapid changes and disruptions of previous years. Knight’s mention of “a little pain in growing” acknowledges the challenges inherent in this process of maturation. This perspective is crucial for all stakeholders in the IT channel, emphasizing the need for strategic thinking, efficiency, and smarter operations. The ability to adapt to these evolving circumstances will likely distinguish the successful players in the IT channel.

Juan Fernandez provides a forward-looking prediction focusing on the significance of data and its utilization. He anticipates “a big shift in how partners and vendors view each other,” implying a more collaborative and data-driven relationship. This shift could redefine traditional business models, with Fernandez highlighting “business operations as a service” as a potential trendsetter. The emphasis on education also remains a key theme, with Fernandez noting that “AI, cybersecurity, everything’s changing fast.” This rapid pace of change underscores the need for continuous learning and adaptation among partners, consumers, and vendors alike.

The Bottom Line

The insights from this panel discussion paint a picture of an IT channel at the cusp of significant transformation. The themes of cybersecurity, AI, evolving distribution models, and the importance of education emerge as key focal points. As we step into 2024, embracing these changes and preparing for the challenges and opportunities they bring will be crucial for all players in the IT channel.

For a deeper understanding of these themes and more, the full panel discussion replay offers a comprehensive exploration of these experts’ insights and predictions.

The post Looking Forward to 2024: Predictions for the IT Channel from the Industry Experts appeared first on Zift Solutions.

1. Enhancing Your Skills: Reskilling and Upskilling

With all the new tech advancements out there, including artificial intelligence, the need for continuous learning is more important than ever. 1.4 million workers might need to brush up on their skills by 2026. Why? Because about 70% of today’s jobs could be on the way out. This is a wake-up call for professionals to stay ahead of the game. In fact, more than half of all employees are going to need some serious skill updates. Within this bunch, around 35% might need up to six months of extra training, 9% could be looking at a six to 12-month learning stretch, and 10% might even need to invest over a year to get up to speed with new skills.

This really highlights how crucial it is to be proactive about boosting your skills. The first step is figuring out what skills are hot in your industry. Take a look at industry trends, job descriptions, and professional forums to get the lowdown. Once you’ve got a handle on what’s needed, there’s a ton of resources out there to help you level up. Online courses, specialized workshops, and industry conferences are great places to start. These aren’t just about learning; they’re also fantastic for networking and can play a big part in your professional journey. In today’s job market, constantly updating your skills isn’t just a good idea; it’s pretty much essential if you want to keep up and succeed in the long run.

2. Prioritizing Networking: The Power of Relationships

Networking, particularly in the channel, is critical when it comes to professional success. In fact, people with strong networks often end up with higher salaries and more promotions. Why? Because when you’re well-connected, you’re more visible and if your achievements are visible to people up the ladder, you’re more likely to get tapped for that next big role. And don’t forget about connections outside your company – they can be key in getting your resume in front of the right hiring manager.

But effective networking isn’t just about showing up or collecting LinkedIn connections.  Whether you’re networking in person or online, you need a game plan. Ask yourself: What do I want to learn? Who do I want to meet? And remember, it’s not just about connecting with influencers and leaders. Building relationships at all levels is important. If you position yourself as a go-to person on a hot topic, you’ll bring value to your network, gaining respect and recognition along the way.

3. Goal Setting: Aligning the Personal and Professional 

Understanding the art of goal setting is crucial, as it acts like a compass that aligns your personal and professional aspirations, guiding your career journey. When you set goals that are specific, clear, and achievable, it’s like having a roadmap. This roadmap not only provides you with direction and focus but also helps you identify what’s truly important for achieving your desired outcomes, steering you away from unnecessary distractions. In today’s world, where potential sidetracks are everywhere, having such clarity is invaluable.

In a hyper-connected world, it is unlikely that you will be able to completely separate your personal life from your professional one. That is why it’s important to set both personal and professional goals.  A highly effective approach to goal setting is the SMART method. This technique ensures that your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Setting goals within these parameters transforms them from mere dreams into achievable targets with realistic timelines.

In terms of professional growth, understanding your market value plays a key role in setting your goals. This is where resources like the Channel Marketing Association (CMA) salary survey become invaluable. Participating in such surveys, especially at the beginning of the year, gives you a clear insight into the compensation trends in your industry. Armed with this information, you can set well-informed career goals, whether you’re aiming for a salary bump, a promotion, or even a career change.

For teams and partners, employing the SMART framework to set collective goals creates a unified sense of purpose and direction. This alignment ensures that everyone’s individual efforts contribute effectively to the group’s larger objectives. Well-defined goals are more than just targets; they are steps towards realizing your professional potential and achieving true career satisfaction.

4. Improving Time Management

In the relentless pace of today’s world, mastering time management is not just a skill but a necessity to maintain productivity without burnout. The key to effective time management begins when you wake up, setting the tone for your entire day. 

There are a variety of time management techniques that many people use to manage their time:

Pomodoro Technique

This method involves breaking your workday into 25-minute chunks of focused work (called “Pomodoros”), followed by a 5-minute break. After four Pomodoros, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. This technique can enhance focus and reduce burnout.

Eisenhower Box (Urgent-Important Matrix)

This tool helps prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance. Tasks are divided into four categories: Urgent and Important, Important but Not Urgent, Urgent but Not Important, and Neither Urgent nor Important. This helps in focusing on what truly matters.

Time Blocking

Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks or activities throughout your day. This includes work tasks, meetings, and even breaks. Time blocking helps to ensure that you dedicate sufficient time to each task without overbooking yourself.

Getting Things Done (GTD)

Developed by David Allen, this method involves five steps: capture, clarify, organize, reflect, and engage. It emphasizes the need to get tasks out of your mind and into a system you trust, helping you focus on the task at hand without worrying about forgetting other tasks.

The 2-Minute Rule

If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. This rule, part of the GTD method, helps in reducing the tasks that can accumulate and become overwhelming.

ABC Method

This involves categorizing tasks into three categories: A (tasks that are urgent and important), B (tasks that are important but not urgent), and C (tasks that are neither urgent nor important). Focus on completing ‘A’ tasks before moving to ‘B’ and ‘C’.

Don’t forget to leverage AI tools and automation for routine and manual tasks. These technologies can significantly reduce the time spent on repetitive activities, allowing you to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of your work. Time-management apps and online scheduling tools are also invaluable resources. They help you visualize your day, week, or even months ahead, enabling you to plan and adjust your schedule proactively rather than reacting to it as it unfolds. By incorporating these strategies and tools into your daily routine, you can take control of your time, leading to a more productive, balanced, and fulfilling professional life.

5. Improve Communication Skills

It is not just what we say but how we say it. In a recent study, 96% of employees say they’d like a more empathetic approach to communication in the workplace, and 97% of workers say communication impacts daily task effectiveness.

Not sure how to go about improving communication skills? Here are some key strategies you can put into practice:

Active Listening

This involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and then remembering what is being said. Active listening is not just about hearing the words but also understanding the message behind them. It might sound easy, but his technique requires concentration and intentionality.

Body Language Awareness

Non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions, gestures, posture, and eye contact, plays a crucial role. Being aware of your own body language and correctly interpreting others’ can greatly improve communication.

Practice Clear and Concise Communication

Work on being clear and to the point. Avoid jargon and complex language that might confuse the listener. Clarity and brevity make your message easier to understand.

Feedback Seeking and Receiving

Regularly ask for feedback on your communication style. Equally important is being open to receiving and acting on this feedback.

Hone Public Speaking Skills

Being visible at networking events in the channel is important, but being on stage, be it a panel or a breakout/keynote speaker, is an excellent way to be more visible. And of course, public speaking can help you with internal communications as well. 

Building awareness of your communication habits and working to improve them can significantly enhance your professional interactions, making meaningful change and progress in your career.

The Bottom Line

Remember that each small step you take today lays the groundwork for your achievements tomorrow. Whether honing your skills, expanding your network, setting smart goals, mastering time management, or elevating your communication skills, every effort counts. The journey to professional excellence is ongoing, and with the right mindset and tools, you’re well-equipped to navigate it. Remember that it takes about 66 days for a new behavior to become a habit. So, start now, embrace these strategies, and watch as they transform into habits that propel you towards your goals. Remember, the future is not just something we enter; it’s something we create. Here’s to creating a brilliant future for yourself in 2024 and beyond!

Ready to hear how ZiftONE can up your game in 2024? Request a demo today!

The post 2024 Success Guide: Top 5 Strategies for Professional Growth in the New Year appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The value of trade shows is unmistakable, with Lincoln West noting that 81% of attendees wield buying power, making these events a prime venue for vendors to connect with partner decision-makers. According to Highway85 Creative, 74% of customers are more inclined to purchase a product after encountering it at a trade show – good news for vendors looking to recruit or more upsell partners. Furthermore, a QuickTapSurvey reveals that 5-10% of leads from trade shows typically convert immediately after the event. There are scores of other data points that reinforce what you already know: Especially in the channel, there’s nothing quite like in-person events to move the needle.

Identifying the Right Events to Attend

Jay McBain, chief analyst from Canalys, is on more stages than we can name, so it’s only natural to look to him for a count – and it’s a doozy. In May 2023, Jay published his thoughts on the top 218 events for every vendor and partner. With only 260 business days in a year, how do you choose which events are right for you? Here are some tips:

• Clearly Define Your Objectives: It seems obvious, but too many vendors simply show up at events without really identifying why they want to be there. Begin by pinpointing your goals for event participation. Whether it’s lead generation, brand awareness, product launches, or networking, you have to have a clear understanding of your objectives. Then assess each event’s potential to provide a satisfactory ROI.
• Conduct a Thorough Cost Analysis: Consider the financial implications of attending events, including entry fees, travel, accommodation, and marketing expenses. Weigh these costs against your budget and the expected ROI to make informed decisions to determine how you want to show up (more on that below).
• Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Establish specific KPIs to measure the success of your participation. These should include referral tracking and conversion rates, attendee satisfaction and engagement levels, as well as sales and lead quality analysis.
• Evaluate Your Market Fit: Analyze the relevance of the event to your specific market segment. Research the event’s focus, industry alignment, and attendee profile to ensure it matches your target market, geographical focus, and business strategies.
• Analyze Attendee and Speaker Profiles: Study the quality and relevance of attendees and speakers. Prioritize events where decision-makers, influencers, or industry thought leaders who align with your market will be present.

Want a checklist and timeline for event execution, complete with team responsibilities? We’ve got you covered here.

Deciding Your Level of Participation

Now that you know the events you feel your team should attend, it’s time to figure out how you’ll show up. Align your participation level with your defined objectives. For instance, if brand visibility is a key goal, consider more prominent participation forms like sponsoring a booth or a speaking slot. If networking is the priority, attending or hosting smaller, more intimate events might be more effective.

• Consider Sponsoring a Booth: If your goal is high visibility, lead generation, or product demonstrations, a booth can be an excellent choice. It provides a physical space to showcase your products or services and engage directly with potential clients or partners.
• Buying a Speaking Slot: This is ideal if you’re looking to establish thought leadership, share industry insights, or highlight innovations.
• Happy Hours and Social Gatherings: These are perfect for informal networking and relationship building. Consider hosting a happy hour if you aim to create a relaxed environment for deeper, more personal interactions.
• Sponsorships and Branding Opportunities: If you have the budget, look for sponsorship opportunities that align with your brand. This can range from sponsoring specific segments of the event to branding merchandise.
• Collaborative Opportunities: Explore opportunities to co-host events or sessions with other brands. This can broaden your reach and offer mutual benefits while lowering your total cost.
• Personalized One-on-One Meetings: Schedule personalized meetings with key prospects or clients during the event. This focused approach is great for deepening relationships and discussing specific opportunities.

Turning Connections into Opportunities

There’s no point investing in an event if you aren’t prepared to do effective follow-up. That’s where the magic really happens, but it’s hard work. It requires attention to detail, time to personalize communications, and the ability to move quickly. The key is to be timely, relevant, and persistent in your efforts, ensuring you capitalize on the momentum from the event.

• Immediate Post-Event Communication: And we mean it when we say immediate. Initiate follow-up communications within 24-48 hours after the event. This helps keep the momentum going and ensures your brand stays fresh in the minds of the contacts you’ve made. Send personalized emails or messages that reference specific conversations or points of interest from the event. This personal touch can significantly increase the response rate.
• Segmenting Your Contacts: Segment your contacts into groups based on their potential value, type of interaction, or specific interests. This enables more targeted and relevant follow-up communications. Create different follow-up messages for each segment, ensuring the content is relevant to their specific interests and interactions.
• Utilizing CRM Tools: It should go without saying, but make sure to enter all new contacts into your CRM system promptly. Include detailed notes about each interaction to provide context for future communications. Use your CRM to set up automated follow-up sequences, ensuring consistent and timely engagement.
• Leveraging Social Media: Connect with new contacts on LinkedIn or other relevant social media platforms. This can help maintain the connection and provide opportunities for ongoing engagement. Don’t immediately go for the jugular, either. Sending a sales email right off the bat without greasing the wheels with interaction first is a mistake. Post highlights or insights from the event on your social media channels. Tagging the event or specific individuals can increase engagement and visibility.
• Scheduling One-on-One Meetings: For high-potential contacts, propose one-on-one meetings or calls to discuss potential collaborations, partnerships, or business opportunities in more detail.
• Tracking and Measuring Follow-Up Success: Remember, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Track the responses and engagement levels from your follow-up efforts. Use metrics like email open rates, response rates, and meeting conversions. Use this data to refine your follow-up strategies and improve for future events.
• Maintaining Long-Term Engagement: Keep in touch with your contacts regularly, even when there’s no immediate business opportunity. Don’t lose sight of the fact that the channel is a relationship business, and we should all devote significant energy to establishing, strengthening, and maintaining those relationships. Regular check-ins can build a strong foundation for future collaborations.

The Bottom Line

Though there’s no doubt solid friendships are made and honed at channel events, they’re more than just get-togethers. These gatherings are key hubs for establishing and nurturing enduring professional and commercial relationships within the market. Integrating these events into your business strategy opens doors to expanding your network, launching new products efficiently, and enhancing partner-generated revenue. Recognizing that not every event aligns with each vendor’s needs, the variety of options available today offers the flexibility to craft a marketing events strategy uniquely suited to your business goals. Participation in these events unlocks many benefits—rich networking opportunities, close-knit meetings, interactive peer groups, and the chance to build new, long-lasting relationships.

The post Breaking Down Channel Events: Where to Go, What to Do, and How to Make the Most of It appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Event Planning and Preparation (Starting 10-12 Weeks Before the Event)

Identify Event Goals (All Relevant Teams)

• Designate a cross-functional team comprising representatives from Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success, as needed.
• Facilitate a meeting between the relevant stakeholders to define specific event objectives, such as lead generation, brand awareness, or customer relationship building. Objectives should be as granular as possible, e.g. number of leads generated, social media engagement goals, number of conversations with customers, etc.
• Reach alignment between Sales, Customer Success, and Marketing on the primary objectives.
• Ensure that goals are well-defined, measurable, and align with your overall strategy. Put those goals on paper and share with all stakeholders, along with the rest of the event plan.
• Assign specific responsibilities to team members for each goal, ensuring accountability.

Select the Event Type (Marketing)

• Evaluate the event landscape and determine the most suitable event type to achieve the aligned event goals. Consider factors such as audience reach, industry relevance, budget constraints, primary goal, and available resources. Decide whether it’s a conference, trade show, seminar, dinner, happy hour, webinar, etc.
• Align the chosen event type with the predefined budget, making adjustments as necessary based on event goals and ROI expectations.

Budget Allocation (Marketing)

• Identify/adjust a budget for the event, taking into account expenses such as booth space, materials, travel, accommodations, entertainment, contingencies, etc.
• Establish a system for tracking and monitoring expenses to stay within budget.
• Collaborate with Sales and Customer Success to ensure they have the necessary budget allocations for their respective responsibilities.
• Plan for approval processes and contingencies in case of unexpected costs.

Create Event Team (All Teams)

• Identify the key representatives who will attend the event based on its type and goals.
• Assemble a cross-functional team that may include Sales, Customer Success, and Marketing representatives.
• Clearly define roles and responsibilities for each team member, specifying their involvement and contributions to the event. Ensure that all team members are aware of their roles and responsibilities and have a clear understanding of the event’s objectives.

Event Date and Location (Marketing)

• Confirm the event date and venue, ensuring that it aligns with the event goals and type.
• If planning a happy hour or dinner, book and confirm the time and location well in advance.
• Create a detailed schedule and itinerary for your representatives to follow during the event. Share the itinerary with all representatives and stakeholders.
• Coordinate logistics such as booth setup, travel arrangements, and accommodation reservations.
• Establish a communication plan for team members, providing them with all necessary event details.

Create an Event Plan (Marketing)

• Marketing to develop a comprehensive event plan that includes clear objectives, target audience profiles, and messaging strategies. Ensure all attendees are clear on aligned objectives and talking points.
• Outline the content and materials that will be used to engage attendees and achieve the event goals.
• Ensure that all representatives are briefed and have a consistent understanding of the event’s objectives and messaging.
• Create pre-event marketing materials and campaigns that align with the event plan.
• Establish a reporting and measurement framework to track progress towards event goals and post-event evaluation criteria.
  • Define specific metrics that align with your objectives, such as the number of leads generated, attendee engagement, or revenue generated.
  • Outline how data will be collected and stored during the event, including lead capture methods, survey responses, and attendee interactions.
  • Determine the criteria that will be used to assess the event’s success, including ROI analysis, attendee feedback, and lessons learned for future events.

Marketing and Promotion (8-10 Weeks Before the Event)

Promotional Materials (All Teams)

• Collaborate with Sales, Customer Success, and Marketing teams to define the specific promotional materials needed.
• Develop a content calendar to plan the creation and distribution of marketing collateral, ensuring alignment on target audiences and messaging.
• Plan, per team, pre-event communication strategy to be inclusive of outreach Sales, Customer Success, and/or Marketing promotional efforts
• Create high-quality marketing materials, including brochures, banners, flyers, and digital content.
• Ensure consistency in branding and messaging across all materials.
• Determine the distribution channels for these materials, whether it’s through email, social media, or physical distribution at the event.

Event Website or Landing Page (Marketing)

• If applicable, create a dedicated event web page or landing page on the company website. Include essential event details such as date, time, location, agenda, speakers, and registration forms.
• Set up lead routing processes to ensure that registrants are automatically directed to the appropriate CRM nurture campaigns or assigned to the right sales representatives.
• Implement tracking mechanisms to monitor website traffic, registrations, and engagement with event-related content.
• Create personalized email follow-up sequences for registrants based on their registration details and interests.

Email Campaigns (Marketing)

• Plan a series of email and newsletter campaigns to build anticipation and excitement for the event.
• Segment the target audience based on criteria such as industry, role, or engagement level.
• Send out initial event invitations or announcements of attendance, including personalized invitations, promo codes, or simple notifications. Typically, Sales and Customer Success will identify recipients. Create a sense of urgency by highlighting registration deadlines, limited-time offers, or exclusive benefits for early registrants.

Social Media Promotion (Marketing)

• Develop a social media marketing plan specific to the event, including a content calendar and posting schedule.
• Start promoting the event on various social media platforms using event-specific hashtags and tagging relevant influencers.
• Engage with the event host’s social media accounts and utilize any event-related content they provide.
• Monitor LinkedIn and other platforms to identify and engage with other attendees or influencers attending the event.
• Create visually appealing social media graphics and posts to capture attention and generate interest.
• Encourage event-related discussions, polls, and interactive content to foster engagement and community building. (Resource-dependent)

Swag and Booth Presence (Marketing)

• Determine the quantity and types of swag that will be distributed at the event.
• Coordinate the shipping of materials to the event location.
• Order additional swag items as needed to ensure an adequate supply.
• Ensure that booth materials, such as pull-up banners, tablecloths, and signage, align with the overall event theme and branding.
• Plan interactive booth activities or demos to engage event attendees and drive foot traffic.
• Develop a schedule for booth staffing to ensure coverage throughout the event, including breaks and shift rotations.
• Train booth staff on how to interact with attendees, capture leads, and promote the company’s value proposition effectively.

Sales and Lead Generation (6-8 Weeks Before the Event):

Targeted Attendees List (Sales & Customer Success-Driven)

• Sales and Customer Success teams to create a detailed list of potential attendees.
• Identify and segment attendees based on criteria such as industry, job title, company size, and specific interests.
• Prioritize potential attendees to determine who you want to engage with most during the event, and which team member should be the point of contact for each interaction.
• Working in tandem with Sales & Customer Success, Marketing to develop a personalized outreach plan for each segment, including messaging and value propositions tailored to their needs.
• Create a shared document or CRM tool to store and update the targeted attendees list regularly.

Lead Qualification (All Teams)

• Marketing to work closely with the Sales and Customer Success teams to establish clear lead qualification/priority customer criteria.
• Define what constitutes a “hot lead” based on behavioral indicators (e.g., engagement with pre-event content).
• Develop a lead scoring system that assigns values to various lead attributes and interactions.
• Marketing to ensure that potential leads are nurtured with relevant pre-event content.
• Determine which campaigns or offers will be presented to leads at the event based on their qualification status.
• Marketing to establish guidelines for Sales and Customer Success to prepare for lead/customer capturing, including the questions to ask and the information to collect from leads.

CRM Setup (Marketing)

• Set-up event-specific campaign in CRM.
• If needed, develop custom lead fields to capture event-specific data, such as event source, engagement level, and follow-up status.
• Monitor reporting in CRM and via standard marketing reporting cadence to provide real-time visibility into lead generation and conversion metrics.
• Establish a clear follow-up plan that includes lead nurturing, email templates, and automated workflows to accelerate the post-event follow-up process.
• Conduct a data hygiene check to clean up existing data in CRM and prevent any data quality issues during the event.

Event Logistics (4-6 Weeks Before the Event):

Booth/Space Setup (Marketing):

• Plan for booth “security,” including the safe storage of valuable equipment and materials overnight if necessary.
• Verify booth regulations and restrictions imposed by the event organizer or venue (e.g., height restrictions, power limitations).
• Arrange for booth signage and banners to be produced and delivered on time by Tradeshow Stop.
• Arrange for any branded attire to be ordered and shipped to staff attendees ahead of the event.

Travel Arrangements (All Teams)

• Marketing to convey dates and locations for the event in the plan
• Each team will be responsible for booking their own travel
• Develop a contingency plan for travel disruptions (e.g., weather delays, flight cancellations) to ensure team members can still attend the event.

Lead Capture (All Teams)

• Establish a system for tracking lead interactions beyond scanning, such as recording conversations and noting specific interests or requests.
• Plan for data synchronization between the event app and CRM to ensure lead data is seamlessly integrated.
• Set up a lead scoring system or criteria for distinguishing between warm and hot leads based on specific actions or engagement.
• Develop an event-specific landing page for lead capture, where appropriate. Include raffles, giveaways, etc. as needed.

On-Site Support (Marketing)

• Identify a point person or help desk at the event venue to address any on-site issues or inquiries. 
• Create a schedule for booth staffing, including breaks and shifts, to ensure continuous coverage during event hours.
• Develop a protocol for managing unexpected situations, such as equipment malfunctions or staff illness.

Event Materials and Supplies (Marketing)

• Inventory all event materials and supplies to ensure nothing is overlooked.
• Work with the venue/event staff to plan for waste disposal and recycling options for booth materials, giveaways, and packaging.
• Arrange for the transportation of event materials and supplies to and from the venue

Event Execution (Day of the Event)

Staff Briefing (Relevant Point Person)

• Conduct a pre-event staff briefing at the event venue or a designated meeting area.
• Review the event schedule and assigned tasks with team members.
• Emphasize key talking points, objectives, and the overall strategy. 
• Ensure everyone is aware of emergency contact information and event contacts. 
• All attendees should be working from a document or other single source of truth for easy reference.

Lead Capture Tools (Marketing)

• Ensure that lead capture tools (e.g., scanners, apps, or event landing page) are set up and functioning and that all attendees are familiar with the functionality.

Event Schedule and Assignments (All Teams)

• Marketing to distribute a detailed event schedule that includes all activities, sessions, and booth hours. 
• Functional departments as needed to assign specific team members to different time slots and tasks, such as booth staffing, session attendance, and networking.

Booth or Space Setup (Marketing)

• Coordinate with the team responsible for booth/event space setup to ensure it’s ready before the event opens.
• Assign team members to oversee booth/event setup and make any necessary adjustments. 
• Ensure all promotional materials, giveaways, and equipment are accessible and organized.

Session Attendance/Speaking and Networking (All Teams)

• Schedule specific time slots for team members to attend relevant sessions or presentations. 
• Encourage team members to actively engage in networking with attendees, partners, and industry peers.

Live Social Media Updates (All Teams)

• Assign team members to handle real-time social media updates, no matter if they’re in marketing or not. 
• Include relevant hashtags and people tags. 
• Provide access to official social media accounts and necessary tools. 
• Encourage team members to share event highlights, photos, and videos. 
• Set guidelines for responding to comments and engaging with event attendees online.

Booth Tear Down and Cleanup (All Teams)

• Assign a team to manage the orderly dismantling of the booth or event space. 
• Ensure that all materials are properly packed and accounted for. 
• Coordinate with event organizers for booth tear-down logistics and timing. 
• Include return labels for any leftover swag or other booth elements. 
• Verify that the event space is left clean and in the condition required by the venue.

Post-Event Follow-Up and Evaluation Process (Within 1 Week After the Event):

Lead Entry and Qualification (Sales)

• Promptly enter or upload all collected leads into CRM. 
• Ensure accurate and complete lead information, including contact details, company information, and specific interests. 
• Tag leads appropriately with the event campaign and lead source details, as well as other criteria as needed.
• Assign leads to specific sales representatives or teams for follow-up, and communicate assignments clearly.

Lead Follow-Up (All Teams)

• Prioritize leads based on their quality and potential. 
• Define lead scoring criteria to help prioritize follow-up efforts (e.g., hot, warm, cold).
• Identify which team member will be conducting follow-up activities respective of where the lead originated and who had the conversation.
• Establish a follow-up timeline and response expectations, considering the urgency of each lead. 
• Working with Marketing as necessary, personalize follow-up communications by referencing the event and the prospect’s interactions. 
• Marketing to provide Sales representatives with lead-specific information to facilitate meaningful conversations.
• Marketing to send any relevant post-event material, such as presentation decks from speaking engagements, etc.

Event Evaluation and Recap (Marketing-Led)

• Hold a comprehensive post-event debrief meeting/post-mortem involving all relevant teams, including Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success, as appropriate. 
• Assess what worked well during the event, including successful strategies, booth activities, and engagement techniques. 
• Identify areas for improvement, such as logistical challenges, communication issues, or missed opportunities. 
• Gather feedback from team members regarding their experiences, challenges, and suggestions. 
• Discuss attendee feedback, if available, to gain insights into the event’s effectiveness.
• Conduct a survey of event attendees (where appropriate) to gather feedback on their experience and satisfaction. 
• Analyze the competitive landscape by researching the presence and strategies of competitors at the event.

ROI Analysis and Event Report (All Teams, Marketing-Led)

• Calculate the ROI of the event by comparing total event costs to the value generated. Consider all event-related expenses, including booth costs, travel, accommodations, marketing expenses, and staff hours.
• Evaluate the revenue generated/potential pipeline from leads and opportunities generated at the event.
• Calculate the return on investment as a percentage or dollar amount. 
• Interpret the ROI to determine whether the event met financial goals and whether adjustments are needed for future events. 
• Create a comprehensive event report to document the entire event’s performance. Include key metrics, such as the number of leads generated, leads converted to opportunities, and potential revenue generated. 
• Provide a breakdown of expenses and a detailed ROI analysis. 
• Summarize attendee feedback and engagement statistics. 
• Highlight lessons learned and action items for improvement in future events. Share the event report with company stakeholders, including executives, to provide transparency and insights into the event’s impact.

The post A Guide to Channel Events Execution appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Harnessing AI for Operational Excellence and Creativity

The promise of AI in channel marketing is not just in operational efficiency but also in unlocking creative potential. The panelists collectively view AI as a pivotal force, similar to the early analytics race, fundamentally changing how we approach data and decision-making. The transformative nature of AI lies in its ability to extract meaningful insights from unstructured data, a capability that Kristy Davis sees as crucial for enhancing marketing research and personalization efforts. Richard Flynn likens this shift to the leap from calculators to Excel, illustrating AI’s capacity to amplify productivity across various domains. Meanwhile, Susan Westwater draws attention to AI’s ability to personalize customer service, making interactions feel more supportive and less transactional.

Generative AI: A New Frontier in Content Creation

With the explosion of Chat GPT on the scene this year, gen AI is quickly evolving, moving beyond early challenges to create practical tools that are reshaping content creation. The panelists agree that this evolution is already impacting businesses, citing reduced headcounts and increased content production as immediate benefits. This shift isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about opening doors to highly customized content that speaks directly to individual patterns and preferences. In this rapidly changing landscape, the panelists emphasize the need for businesses to quickly adapt and engage with generative AI to stay competitive.

Learn more about how ZiftONE’s generative AI capabilities help suppliers create content that resonates with partners.

AI Integration: A Strategic Approach

Integrating AI into business models requires more than just technical implementation; it’s about embedding it into the business culture. The panelists recommend a strategic approach, starting with identifying clear AI use cases within your organization. This process involves appointing dedicated individuals to focus on AI, formulating teams to explore its potential, and implementing guardrails for safe and effective use. They suggest starting with manageable steps, gradually scaling up AI initiatives while keeping a close eye on the evolving AI landscape and vendor roadmaps.

Revolutionizing Channel Marketing with AI

In channel marketing, AI is not just an efficiency tool but a strategic ally. It’s revolutionizing how content is created and personalized, making it easier for vendors to tailor materials for different industries and partner segments. AI’s impact extends to improving channel marketing efficiency through tools like chatbots for content management and predictive systems for lead conversion. The panelists underscore AI’s ability to deliver personalized content at scale, allowing for deeper customer engagement and segmentation.

Want to know more about how AI is changing the channel marketing game? Read all about it here.

AI in Training and Development: Preparing for the Future

Looking ahead, the panelists highlight AI’s growing role in training and skills development. They envision AI-driven tools transforming sales enablement and partner training, offering real-time support and hands-on learning experiences. The future of AI in training is not just about imparting knowledge but also about creating interactive, immersive experiences that enhance learning and adaptability.

Navigating the AI Landscape: A Comprehensive Approach

In wrapping up the discussion, the panelists underscore the need for a comprehensive approach to AI in channel marketing. This involves not just leveraging AI for immediate benefits but also preparing for future advancements and challenges. Ensuring continuity and effective management of AI tools, even in the face of staff changes, is crucial for maintaining momentum in this rapidly evolving field.

The post AI in Channel Marketing: What You Need to Know appeared first on Zift Solutions.

With-partner marketing is all about mutual amplification, where the strengths of one uplift the other. For instance, a supplier might co-host a webinar with a partner who has a niche market reach, blending their product expertise with the partner’s audience knowledge. Or consider a global brand launching a product in a new territory, and instead of going solo, they intertwine their campaign with a local partner, ensuring cultural nuances are respected.

In this digital-dominated world, the content we flash before consumers is often the final bit of weight tilting their buying scales. Effective co-branding, for instance, is a stalwart of with-partner marketing. Just consider this: According to Partner Path’s Partner Program Benchmark Data, a whopping 68% of buyers, when dazzled by a co-branded blitz, decide to make a purchase without any nudge from a sales rep. It’s a testament to the raw power of co-branded content in directing consumer currents – making the sales pitch without even having to pitch.

But that’s easier said than done. Let’s take a look at why it’s hard, how to make it easier, and what you should be looking to achieve with your partner marketing in 2024 and beyond.

Unveiling the With-Partner Marketing Conundrum

With-partner marketing is something that has left suppliers scratching their heads over the years, and it’s only getting more complicated as the channel ecosystem evolves. Recent findings have shown that only a fraction, fewer than 20% of those surveyed in the 2022 Channel Partner Marketing Benchmark Survey, deemed their program’s capacity to sell and market with channel partners as ‘very effective.’ It’s an echo of a broader sentiment, suggesting we’ve yet to tap into the full might of partner collaboration. Only approximately two-thirds gave even a modest nod to their efforts, terming their channel sales and marketing backup as ‘somewhat effective.’ But there’s a silver lining. Nearly 70% of these respondents are preparing to bolster their channel marketing initiatives with increased financial investments. It’s a nod to the untapped gold mine that is partner marketing, with suppliers signaling their intent to dig deeper, harnessing the might of enhanced support and resources.

So, what’s making it so hard?

The Rise of Non-Traditional Partnerships

You can’t tackle the evolving with-partner marketing playbook without acknowledging the growth in non-traditional partner types. Forrester’s data serves as a testament to this transformation. Consider this: Strategic alliances are set to surge by 50%, technology developers by 45%, and both managed service providers and cloud partners aren’t far behind, with a boost of 42%. Marketers must pivot, crafting versatile strategies tailored to each partner type and audience. Why? Because in this ever-shifting market, adaptability isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity.

The Three Stages of Partner Ecosystem Maturity

According to the Forrester report, The Future Of Partner Ecosystem Marketing Fuels The Multiplier Effect, a refined understanding of the partner ecosystem’s maturity is essential for suppliers to align their objectives with those of their partners and customers effectively. More than ever, this understanding becomes the cornerstone for adapting to the ever-changing demands of buyers and the current market scenario. Think of this progression as an evolution:

• Supplier-Centric Stage: Here’s where suppliers start, primarily focused on their personal aims. Often, this comes at the cost of overshadowing the unique offerings of their partners. The spotlight remains firmly on their own intentions, leaving the potential of partners in the shadows.
• Partner Ecosystem-Friendly Stage: As they mature, suppliers get the cue. They understand the need to broaden their support to embrace the diverse business structures of their partners. Suddenly, indirect customer preferences and the partners’ specific needs are in vogue. This shift urges suppliers to infuse these insights into their main marketing agendas.
• Partner and Customer-Obsessed Stage: Reaching this pinnacle means breaking barriers. The lines between partner and customer experiences blur. Suppliers and partners rally together, focusing on a singular mission: delivering holistic customer solutions. This unity solidifies trust and fuels a mutual pledge for shared triumphs.

It’s more than just a strategic pivot. It’s about a hands-on approach, keenly acknowledging and acting upon the distinct value every partner introduces. Why? Because understanding each partner’s essence is the roadmap to success in this evolving landscape.

Leaning into Collaboration

With-partner marketing recognizes that solo ventures are often dwarfed by collective genius. Considering the challenges, how do you solidify your with-partner marketing game?

Personalized Engagement

Think about it. Isn’t it more captivating when you’re treated as an individual rather than just another partner? Each partner comes with unique aspirations, capacities, and audiences. Tailoring your strategies to resonate with their unique attributes not only bolsters engagement but also yields enhanced results. It’s the subtle difference between using a broad brush and a fine-tuned pencil – the latter always catches the intricacies.

Embrace the Power of Mutual Learning

Just as anecdotes bring warmth to stories, the shared experiences of partners can illuminate potential roadblocks and success strategies. Regular feedback loops and joint brainstorming sessions pave the way for a dynamic strategy that evolves in real-time.

Versatility is the New Black

Recall the contrasts and juxtapositions we discussed? The channel ecosystem is brimming with them. As non-traditional partnerships rise, suppliers with a one-size-fits-all strategy risk being archaic. The future calls for fluid strategies that adapt, morph, and resonate with diverse partner types.

Invest in Co-Branding Mastery

Remember the magic of co-branded content in swaying consumer currents? It’s time to double down. Whether it’s through webinars, eBooks, or digital campaigns, the combined allure of two brands can be exponentially powerful. 

Leverage Digital Platforms for Scalability

With the world moving digital, isn’t it logical to harness digital platforms for scalability? Digital platforms can amplify reach, facilitate real-time collaborations, and provide actionable insights, acting as the backbone of robust with-partner marketing strategies.

Cultivate a Culture of Trust

Just as direct address in writing fosters a bond with readers, transparency and open communication with partners solidify trust. When partners believe that suppliers are genuinely invested in mutual growth, they’re more likely to engage, innovate, and invest in joint initiatives.

The Future is Collaborative

Leading suppliers will distinguish themselves not merely by resource allocation, but by their steadfast commitment to partners’ success. By aligning strategies to partners’ strengths, suppliers can harness a potent synergy. The cornerstone of future success? Adaptability, innovation, and collaboration, fortified by data-driven decisions and judicious investments. Embrace this, and both you and your partners will thrive.

The post Evolving With the Ecosystem: Is With-Partner Marketing Up for the Challenge? appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Looking for a partner onboarding checklist? We’ve got you covered here.

1. Invest in a Comprehensive Partner Onboarding Program

Your partner onboarding program is pivotal when establishing solid and lasting partnerships. It’s the foundation upon which the best collaborations are built. Here’s a closer look at why investing in a comprehensive partner onboarding program is vital:

The Crucial First 30 Days 

The first 30 days of partner onboarding are undeniably the most critical. This initial period sets the tone for the entire partnership. It’s when you and your prospective partner get to know each other better, assessing whether your goals, values, and expectations align. Consider it a mutual exploration phase, where both parties determine if this partnership is a perfect match.

Partners as an Extension of Your Sales Team 

Your channel partners are more than collaborators; they are an extension of your sales team. This means that their success directly impacts your company’s success. Therefore, equipping them with the tools, knowledge, and resources to represent your products or services in the market effectively is imperative.

Instructive Partner Sales Training

Effective sales training is key to a successful partner onboarding program. This training should cover product knowledge, sales techniques, and understanding the target audience. Well-trained partners become more confident and better equipped to address client needs. Offer various training options to cater to different learning styles. Self-paced training is popular for its flexibility, allowing partners to learn at their own pace. Video training offers a personal tutor experience, while in-person sessions are invaluable for hands-on learning and networking opportunities

The Significance of a Dedicated Partner Program 

A dedicated partner program demonstrates your commitment to the partnership. It provides partners with a structured framework within which they can operate. This program should outline clear guidelines, objectives, and benefits, helping partners understand their roles and responsibilities within the partnership.

What to Avoid

We have established why a well-structured partner onboarding program is crucial; however, it can be undermined by two common pitfalls: incomplete documentation and data exchange issues.

Incomplete Documentation

Effective communication is vital during onboarding; complete documentation can help with this. Without comprehensive and shareable documentation, essential details about your products, services, or partnership expectations can be missed in email exchanges, meetings, or phone calls. This can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and inefficiencies in the onboarding process. To avoid this, ensure that you provide partners with easily accessible and up-to-date documentation that covers all relevant information.

Data Exchange Issues

As partners engage with your company and reach out to prospects, managing data exchange becomes increasingly important. From initial outreach to sales funnel stages, lead details, and more, efficient data exchange is essential for a seamless partnership. With a well-integrated process for data exchange, important information can be recovered, avoiding missed opportunities and potential frustration for both parties. 

2. Create a Customized Portal Experience 

Utilizing a partner management platform (PRM) can be a game-changer regarding partner onboarding. Creating an automated, customized portal experience for new partners is a strategic move that enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of your partner onboarding process. Leveraging a partner management platform (PRM), introducing partners to the portal’s unique features, providing clear guidance on where to start, and scheduling follow-up meetings are all essential elements in ensuring that partners not only get off to a strong start but also continue to thrive within your partnership ecosystem. 

Leveraging Partner Management Platforms (PRM) 

Partner management platforms, often PRMs, are sophisticated software solutions that simplify partner onboarding and management. They are the central hub where you and your partners can collaborate, access resources, and track progress. By incorporating a PRM into your onboarding process, you streamline operations, minimize administrative overhead, and ensure a consistent and efficient onboarding experience for every partner.

Introduction to Your Partner Portal 

A key component of your PRM is the partner portal—a virtual space where partners can access all the tools, information, and resources they need to excel in their roles. When introducing new partners to your partner portal, emphasize its unique features and benefits:

• Resource Hub: Showcase the available resources, including product documentation, marketing materials, training modules, and sales collateral. Emphasize that everything they need is conveniently located within the portal, making it a one-stop shop for their success.
• Interactive Tools: Highlight any interactive tools or features that can aid partners in their day-to-day activities. Whether it’s a lead management system, sales forecasting tools, or communication channels, make sure partners understand how to use these features effectively.
• Customization Options: Depending on your PRM, partners may be able to personalize their portal experience. Encourage partners to tailor their portal dashboard to align with their specific needs, ensuring they receive the most relevant information and updates.

Guiding Partners on Where to Start 

Navigating a new partner portal can be overwhelming for newcomers. To mitigate this, provide clear guidance on where partners should start their onboarding journey:

• Kick-off Call and Onboarding Schedule: Begin by scheduling a kick-off call with each new partner. During this call, walk them through the portal, highlighting its key sections and functionalities. Share an onboarding schedule outlining what they can expect in the coming weeks, including training sessions, milestones, and important dates.
• Internal and Partner Onboarding Checklist: Supply your channel partners with a partner-specific onboarding checklist. These documents outline the steps and tasks involved in the onboarding process, ensuring that partners have a roadmap to follow.
• Training and Certification Courses: Direct your channel partners to the product and sales training and certification courses available within the portal. Encourage them to complete these courses to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in their roles.
• Access to Support: Communicate how your channel partners can access support within the portal. Provide contact information for channel managers, sales representatives, marketing representatives, back-office support staff, and finance teams. This accessibility ensures that partners can quickly get assistance when needed.

Scheduled Follow-up Meetings

Schedule follow-up meetings to maintain momentum and ensure that partners successfully navigate the portal. These meetings serve several important purposes:

• Addressing Questions and Concerns: Partners may have questions or encounter challenges as they explore the portal and complete their onboarding tasks. Scheduled meetings allow for addressing these issues promptly, reducing frustration and delays.
• Tracking Progress: Use follow-up meetings to track partners’ onboarding progress. Are they completing training courses? Are they actively engaging with the portal’s features? Tracking progress allows you to identify areas where additional support may be needed.
• Encouraging Active Usage: Setting a preset timeframe for partner portal engagement motivates partners to use the platform actively. Regular follow-up meetings are reminders and accountability checkpoints, ensuring that partners stay on track.

3. Offer Actionable Training and Sales Content 

Don’t overwhelm your partners with vast amounts of content. Instead, provide multi-layered training workflows that include:

• B2B audience personas
• Product demos and sales battlecards
• Product case studies
• Content templates for emails, blog posts, social media, contracts, and videos
• Quizzes to reinforce learning.

This approach helps your channel partners retain valuable knowledge.

4. Set Clear Objectives and Benchmarks 

Define milestones and associated dates in your partner’s business plan. Collaboratively plan actions to achieve these objectives. Joint business planning is a key performance indicator (KPI) for partnership success. Monitor other KPIs, including participation in training and meetings, campaign implementation, and deal tracking. Regular check-ins ensure alignment and adjustments as needed.

5. Facilitate Lead Transfers and Joint Sales Opportunities

 Accelerate your channel partner onboarding by providing quality opportunities and collaboration on initial deals. This hands-on approach allows partners to practice selling skills under your guidance. It builds their confidence and helps them navigate real-world scenarios.

6. Establish Channel Performance Metrics 

Transparency is crucial. Share your channel program’s evaluation strategy with your channel partners. Set channel performance metrics, including:

• Pipeline activity metrics
• Enablement engagement metrics
• Active, pending, and inactive partner metrics
• Sales data analysis
• End-client engagement metrics

These metrics provide insights and pinpoint areas for improvement.

7. Reward Partner Onboarding Achievements 

Recognize and reward partners for their accomplishments. Consider offering incentives such as gift cards, event invitations, or merchandise for completing onboarding or achieving specific training scores. This motivates partners to engage with your content and training materials actively.

The Bottom Line

Successful channel partner programs start with effective partner onboarding. Following these key success tips and avoiding common pitfalls will allow you to build lasting partnerships that benefit your organization and your channel partners. Remember, a well-executed onboarding process can make or break your partner relationships, create loyalty, and set you apart from your competition. 

More Onboarding Resources

Onboarding is the most critical step in the channel partner roadmap. For more information and insight into building superior onboarding programs, talk to your Zift Solutions representative or contact us here.

The post Partner Onboarding 101: Tips for Building Lasting Partnerships appeared first on Zift Solutions.

To answer this question, we spoke with six industry experts. Our panelists include:

• Debbie Kestin Shildkraut, President for fractional marketing leadership company Kestin Impact Consulting LLC
• Jasmina Muller, Chief Ecosystem Officer for enterprise co-selling platform PartnerTap
• Greg Plum, Director/Principal – North America for fractional partner leadership company PartnerReady
• Nancy Ridge, Founder and President for technology consulting and channel ecosystem development company Ridge Innovative
• Theresa Caragol, Founder and CEO of channel consultancy AchieveUnite
• Khali Henderson, Senior Partner at technology and channel marketing firm BuzzTheory

What is a Partner Ecosystem?

A partner ecosystem is a community of companies that play a role in delivering business outcomes to their customers. The ecosystem encompasses a range of pre-sale, sale and post-sale activities that extend far beyond the transaction between a provider, sales partner and end customer.

Kestin Impact Consulting’s Schildkraut defines it succinctly: “A successful [partner] ecosystem includes an interconnected or interdependent network of participating companies that work together to deliver technology solutions that address customer needs.”

Jay McBain, Chief Analyst – Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Canalys, identifies six primary types of partnerships within a partner ecosystem, including:

• Technology Alliances – Also known as an integration partnership, a technology alliance partnership is the partnering company’s products integrated to deliver additional value to the customer. Companies pursue technology partnerships if their platforms benefit from the additional capabilities and features of the partners’ solutions.
• Strategic Alliances – Sometimes referred to as strategic partnerships, strategic alliances align the long-term goals of two or more companies. These are commitments with clearly articulated goals and investments for all parties. Companies may enter these partnerships because they have the same end customers or plan to enter a new target vertical with complementary solutions.
• Business Channel Alliances – A channel alliance is an arrangement where a vendor engages a partner to resell, manage, and deliver the vendor’s product to market. The partner makes money through vendor referral fees, margins or commissions and by selling complementary services. The vendor benefits from the partners’ existing customer relationships and a faster go-to-market timeline. There are a few different types of business alliance partnerships in the IT channel, including:
  • Resellers
  • Value-added resellers (VARs)
  • Systems integrators (SIs)
  • Agency partners
  • Business process outsourcers (BPOs)
  • Managed service providers (MSPs)

• Transaction & Transaction-Assist Channels – These partnerships facilitate vendor and end-customer transactions. Unlike business alliances, these partners only facilitate the purchase in exchange for compensation.
• Influencers – Influencers refer to entities that “influence” the decision-making of an end customer to purchase a vendor solution but are not directly involved in the transaction. These partnerships typically involve companies such as:
  • Alliance partners
  • Consultants
  • Ambassadors
  • Advocates
  • Affiliates

• Retention Channels – Retention channels refer to partner companies involved in helping to retain the use of a tech vendor solution by proxy through the delivery of the partner company’s services. Examples of companies that may be part of retention channels include:
  • Digital agencies
  • Healthcare companies
  • Construction companies
  • Legal or compliance companies
  • Transport companies
  • Accounting and CPA companies
  • Management consultants and other professional services

What Are the Benefits of a Partner Ecosystem?

We surveyed our panel to understand how both suppliers and partners benefit from the partner ecosystem go-to-market model.

What Are the Benefits of a Partner Ecosystem for Providers?

According to our panelists, the primary benefit for providers in adopting an ecosystem model is expanded market reach and delivery.

“Companies (providers, vendors) that have truly committed to the partner ecosystem model [have] learned that the growth potential and results increase exponentially by having the expanded reach and delivery to the market,” says Kestin Impact Consulting’s Schildkraut. “Companies can only reach so far with their sales teams and marketing resources. Partnering with others creates opportunities to expand business beyond existing customer bases. When these partner ecosystems [are] aligned and enabled, they serve as an effective extended salesforce.”

PartnerReady’s Plum shares a similar opinion. “Since a partner ecosystem is a multi-directional matrix of purchase influencers, SaaS providers benefit from a ripple effect,” says Plum. “By aligning with the right partners, providers gain exposure to their partners’ sphere of influence.”

Additional benefits for providers outlined by our panel include:

• Higher close rates
• Shorter sales cycles
• More successful direct sales teams through co-selling with partners
• Greater customer retention rates
• Better customer experience (CX) due to dedicated customer focus by select partners

What Are the Benefits of a Partner Ecosystem for Partners?

Our panelists say the primary benefit to partners in joining an ecosystem is increased revenue through additional cross-sell and upsell opportunities offered by working with other partners in the ecosystem.

“This means that partners need to be open to partnering with other partners,” explains Schildkraut. “When everyone brings their expertise together, unified delivery is stronger than each of the parts. The outcomes yield more opportunities for growing customers and, therefore, revenue and growth.”

Ridge Innovative’s Ridge views the ecosystem as “the magic multiplier” — a gateway to not only increase margins but multiply partner revenue by layering on services, whether intellectual property, managed services or related products.

Partners can also work with ecosystem partners to add value to customer relationships, helping to solidify their role as expert advisers and more effectively retain accounts. “Partners who understand their place in the ecosystem are in a better position to leverage other players in the ecosystem, which includes peers, complementary service offerings, marketplaces and even competitors,” says Partner Ready’s Plum.

Plum explains: “An MSP who aligns with another ‘trusted advisor’ in their customer’s sphere of influence is in a much stronger position than a partner who is approaching them as a ‘single-threaded’ solution. Natural complementary fits include consultants supporting a customer’s cloud platform (i.e., Salesforce, ServiceNow, SAP, etc.).”

For more information on ecosystem benefits, check out our blog on why partner programs need partner ecosystems.

7 Tips For a Successful Partner Ecosystem Strategy

How can your company build and grow a high-performing partner ecosystem? Our panel recommends the following seven tips for success:

1. Develop Your Partner Ecosystem With Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) in Mind

Start developing your partner ecosystem by establishing your ideal customer profile (ICP) and work backward to determine which partners best serve that ICP. Without this vital first step, our panel agrees that your partner ecosystem may falter.

“[Providers] need to understand the influencers within the customer’s ecosystem, more so than our own,” says PartnerReady’s Plum. “Aligning with partners in our own ecosystem doesn’t help us if they have little influence over our target customer. Once we identify our customer’s influencers, we can seek alignment with those partners, resulting in a resilient, multifaceted, ecosystem strategy laser-focused on the proper target — our mutual customer.”

Ridge Innovative’s Ridge agrees that understanding joint value propositions between organizations is vital to having a clear “why” for the ecosystem relationships and recruiting influential partners.

To determine your ICP, answer the following questions:

• What would a customer buy from you?
• What problems do your products or services solve?
• What business advantages do your solutions provide?
• What is the age of your typical customer?
• What is the gender of your typical customer?
• Where do your typical customers live geographically?
• How do your customers make money?
• In what industries or verticals do your customers typically operate?
• What are your customers’ pain points, and does your product or service address them?
• Why would they buy your services over those of a competitor?
• What are the most common or popular services you offer that your clients purchase?
• What factors are your customers likely to consider before the purchase?
• What do customers tell you they value about your services?
• How do your customers typically discover your product or service?
• How does the cost of your product or service influence your customers’ decision to buy?
• What is your typical customers’ preferred method of communication?

Based on the answers to these questions, you’ll have a clear idea of your target customers and how best to reach them. From here, determine what other companies serve these customers and whether there’s an opportunity to partner with them to deliver your services.

AchieveUnite’s Caragol points out that providers must document partner selection criteria for channel managers who are front-line recruiters. “Establish criteria for selecting partners that align with your organization’s goals, values and target market,” says Caragol. “Ensure partners bring complementary expertise and resources to the ecosystem.”

2.   Build Partner Ecosystems on Long-Term Relationships, Not Only Quick Wins

Our panel notes that building long-term relationships is paramount for the ecosystem’s success, especially for providers accustomed to the short-term relationships common in the transactional partner channel environment. “[Partner ecosystems] involve fostering collaboration, trust and mutual success,” elaborates Caragol. “On the other hand, a transactional partner channel typically focuses on individual transactions and short-term sales.”

“From a practical perspective, the ‘long-term’ approach means potentially delaying your return on investment in the ecosystem,” says BuzzTheory’s Henderson. “Cultivating relationships with influencer and retention channels take time and may not pay off for months or possibly years, depending on the solutions you sell.”

Henderson cites the example of a conversational AI software provider that integrates with hosted phone systems or contact centers. “Partnerships with UCaaS or CCaaS providers for bundled offerings targeting enterprises have a high potential for a conversational AI vendor. However, the customer contracts can take months or years to close and deploy. Or, you might be one option available in the provider’s online marketplace. Either way, your return might not arrive in the current quarter or even the current fiscal year. Your leadership team needs to take the long view; otherwise, stick with the short-term transaction channel.”

PartnerTap’s Muller echoes these sentiments: “[Common challenges ecosystems face are] the investment it takes and the timeline [leadership] thinks it will bring revenue,” says Muller. “I have built channel programs for two large companies and first-hand experience learning from building [those] two different programs. It’s not an overnight sensation, nor is it a one-year timeframe.”

Muller cautions ecosystem leaders to think long-term. “Everyone thinks short term and wants the ROI yesterday,” says Muller. “This is where, as a channel chief, your experience and insight guides [leadership] in the right direction and reality sinks in.”

3. Expand Incentives Beyond Sales to Drive Results Across the Partner Ecosystem

Partner programs leveraging a transactional channel logically offer incentives tied to sales performance. Incentive programs for non-transactional ecosystem partners must be approached differently.

“Incentives in a partner ecosystem often promote collaboration among partners,” says AchieveUnite’s Caragol. “This can include rewards for cross-selling or joint solution development, as well as incentives for sharing knowledge, resources or leads within the ecosystem.”

Kestin Impact Consulting’s Schildkraut agrees that channel leaders should include incentives in ecosystem business plans.  “If partners help yield success, it’s important to acknowledge that in a meaningful way,” she says, noting that companies need to determine if partners are incentivized by margins or bonuses, for example. “Incentives are an investment, so clear goals and desired outcomes should be established, tracked and assessed.”

4. Simplify the Partner Experience (PX) Within the Partner Ecosystem

Our panel advocates that partner ecosystems be easy to do business with; otherwise, partners will take their business elsewhere. “You can have the best partners come join the program, but if the program itself [doesn’t simplify the] partner experience, your ecosystem will not succeed, no matter how much of an investment you put in,” warns Muller. “That’s why communication with your partner community is vital.”

Muller recommends involving your key partners in ecosystem building from the beginning by inviting them to provide insight and feedback on your strategy. “What better way to build a world-class partner program than [with input] from your world-class partner ecosystem?” says Muller.

5. Leverage Technology Platforms to Solve Ecosystem Revenue-Attribution Challenges

Attributing a closed deal or upsell to the right partner(s) becomes increasingly complex in an ecosystem environment. That’s because more than one partner may influence the sale.

Technology platforms such as partner relationship management (PRM) systems and customer relationship management (CRM) systems will help you track all parties involved in the deal.

“Proper tracking is critical to the growth and success of a partner ecosystem model,” says PartnerReady’s Plum. “Fortunately, there is a new generation of partner management systems designed with this complexity in mind.”

6. Measure Ecosystem Partner Performance & Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs)

Program leaders should establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of their partner ecosystem. Define clear metrics and incentive programs that motivate and reward partners for achieving mutually agreed-upon goals.

Our panel also advocates for holding quarterly business reviews with partners to evaluate performance, address any issues or concerns and identify opportunities for growth and improvement. “Use these reviews as a platform for collaborative planning and goal setting,” advises AchieveUnite’s Caragol.

7. Get Executive Buy-In to Manage Channel Conflict

Program leaders must secure executive buy-in to ensure a consistent ecosystem partner strategy. Without it, the risk of underfunding and channel conflict with direct teams can be high.

“Establishing guardrails or rules of engagement are key to ensure that partner engagements are complementary and non-conflicting with company go-to-market strategy,” says Kestin Impact Consulting’s Schildkraut. “Furthermore, it will be critical also to maintain support and resources that ensure a successful partner ecosystem.”

Competition and business conflict can be muddy waters to navigate. Yet, successful partnering can occur when mutual objectives and roles are defined.

“Years ago, we never thought we’d see corporate giants like IBM and Microsoft partnering together, or even IBM and some of the main hyperscalers who were considered competitors to IBM Services divisions,” explains Schildkraut. “Yet, today, we see major corporations successfully finding ways to jointly leverage strengths to deliver strong value propositions to the market.”

High-performing partner ecosystems are the future of partner sales motions in 2024 and beyond. Channel organizations serious about expanding beyond transactional channels should consider these tips when building and growing their partner ecosystems.

The post 7 Tips for a Successful Partner Ecosystem Strategy appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Channel partner analytics involves examining real-time data concerning your partners, encompassing sales achievements, revenue metrics, and engagement levels. This data is valuable for pinpointing top-performing partners, identifying areas that require enhancement, and fine-tuning your partner relationships to achieve optimal revenue expansion.

Let’s dive into five such metrics that can make a significant impact on your channel partner program.

Want to learn more about how to build a channel partner engagement plan? We’ve got you covered. Check out our advice here.

1. Margins

The first and perhaps most critical metric is margins. A channel partner’s profitability is the cornerstone of a sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership. It forms the financial bedrock upon which you and your partners build a successful collaboration. As much as none of us want to admit it, the truth is that partners have more vendors than ever to choose from. Without adequate profits, channel partners are more likely to explore alternative, more lucrative opportunities elsewhere. Therefore, maintaining a vigilant focus on partner profitability is not merely necessary; it is imperative.

To ensure your channel partners thrive financially, it’s essential to consistently evaluate whether they are realizing healthy profit margins from your products or services. This evaluation encompasses a comprehensive analysis of the costs of promoting, selling, and supporting your offerings in their respective markets. By scrutinizing these margins, you gain invaluable insights into the financial health of your partners and the overall sustainability of your partnership ecosystem.

Should you identify that partner margins are not meeting the desired benchmarks, take strategic action. This may involve carefully reviewing your pricing strategy to ensure it aligns with market dynamics and competitive landscapes. Additionally, consider introducing supplementary incentives, such as bonuses or volume-based rewards, to proactively motivate partners to drive profitability.

By addressing partner profitability comprehensively, you safeguard the stability of your partner relationships and create a conducive environment for mutual growth and sustained revenue generation. In essence, partner profitability is not just a metric; it’s the linchpin upon which the success of your channel partner program hinges. 

2. Attrition

High attrition rates within your channel partner program can have far-reaching implications, potentially jeopardizing the sustainability and success of long-term partner relationships. You and your channel partners invest considerable time, effort, and resources in cultivating these partnerships, expecting to yield substantial returns. However, when a noticeable pattern of partner attrition emerges, it serves as a clear indicator that certain aspects of your program may be falling short of expectations. In such cases, you have to take corrective measures to realign the partnership for the benefit of all parties involved.

Elevated partner attrition is often symptomatic of partner dissatisfaction or unmet expectations. It signifies that partners may aren’t be experiencing the value, support, or profitability they initially anticipated. To address this issue effectively, you must comprehensively review various facets of your partner program:

• Partner Recruitment: Reevaluate your partner recruitment criteria and processes. Ensure that the partners you bring on align with your organization’s values, goals, and target markets. Focusing on the right partners from the outset can reduce attrition in the long run.
• Onboarding: Enhance the onboarding process to provide partners with the necessary tools, resources, and knowledge to succeed in promoting and selling your products or services. A well-structured onboarding program can significantly reduce attrition by equipping partners with the necessary skills and confidence.
• Overall Engagement Strategies: Review your comprehensive engagement strategies, including communication channels, support mechanisms, and collaboration initiatives. Partners who feel well-supported and connected to your organization will likely remain committed and engaged.

3. Sales Content Downloads

Effective sales rely on compelling sales collateral to engage prospects and customers. Partners play a crucial role in leveraging available content for impactful sales efforts. It’s important to address any concerns partners may have about content relevance. When there’s a noticeable decline in downloads, it’s a clear signal to investigate whether vendors are missing the mark by providing partners with collateral that promotes the vendor’s solution rather than the partner’s value proposition. 

To-partner and through-partner sales enablement are very different; recognizing this distinction is important. By closely monitoring the usage of your sales and marketing materials, you can gain valuable insights into whether partners are adequately equipped and motivated to promote and sell your offerings, ensuring that your content aligns with both to-partner tactics (exciting partners about selling) and through-partner tactics (supporting partners in selling to end customers). 

4. Marketing Campaigns

Channel partner marketing campaigns drive product visibility, market penetration, and revenue growth. These campaigns reflect your partners’ dedication and effectiveness in promoting your products and solutions within their respective markets. In this context, channel marketing support is critical in assessing partner interest and nurturing successful campaigns.

Partners who are well-equipped and informed about your products and solutions are poised for success in the marketing arena. Here’s how vendor-provided channel marketing contributes to the effectiveness of partner-led marketing campaigns and leads to higher engagement:

• Knowledge Empowerment: Through comprehensive onboarding, training, and certification programs, channel enablement equips partners with in-depth knowledge about your offerings. This knowledge is foundational for crafting compelling marketing messages and strategies that resonate with target audiences. Informed partners are better positioned to communicate your product’s unique value propositions effectively.
• Marketing Resource Accessibility: Channel enablement ensures that partners access a wealth of marketing resources, including email campaigns, whitepapers, multimedia content, and even social posts. Armed with these assets, partners can create compelling, data-driven marketing materials that capture the attention of potential customers and facilitate informed purchasing decisions.
• Technical Proficiency: Partners who are genuinely committed to your business demonstrate their dedication in multiple ways, one of which is ensuring they’re as knowledgeable about your product or service as possible. A sincere partner will invest time and resources into crafting comprehensive and informative marketing campaigns that showcase your products in the best light and aim to educate and engage potential customers, building trust and credibility. Similarly, real-deal partners will put in the time and effort to seamlessly mesh their systems with yours, showcasing the cool tech features of your products. 
• Market Insight: Effective channel marketing programs offer partners insights into market trends, customer pain points, and competitive landscapes. With this market intelligence, partners can tailor marketing campaigns to address specific customer needs and differentiate your products from competitors.

Ultimately, the success of channel partner marketing campaigns hinges on a symbiotic relationship between channel enablement and partner commitment. Channel enablement empowers partners with the tools, knowledge, and resources they need to excel in marketing your products. Meanwhile, partners genuinely interested and invested in your business will leverage these resources to create marketing campaigns that drive brand awareness, customer engagement, and revenue growth. By fostering such partnerships, you can maximize the impact of channel partner marketing campaigns and unlock new avenues for success in the competitive marketplace.

5. Lead Response Time

Speed is a competitive advantage. Monitoring how quickly partners respond to new leads is a metric vendors should monitor closely. A swift response not only signals dedication but also hints at the potential to close deals faster. This has a profound impact on your sales pipeline and overall revenue.

Here’s why lead response time matters:

• Demonstrates Commitment: A rapid response shows partners are committed to seizing opportunities.
• Seizes Opportunities: Quick answers catch potential customers when their interest is high.
• Enhances Customer Experience: Prompt replies create positive customer experiences.
• Shortens Sales Cycles: Speedy responses streamline the sales process, reducing costs and enabling agility.
• Maximizes Revenue: Swift responses optimize revenue potential.

To harness this potential:

• Communicate expectations.
• Provide training and support.
• Implement feedback and accountability mechanisms.
• Consider technology solutions for lead management.

Channel partner lead response time reflects commitment and drives sales success. Cultivating prompt responsiveness and providing support can unleash its benefits, leading to increased sales efficiency and revenue growth.

The Bottom Line

Monitoring these partner engagement metrics is essential for the success and sustainability of your channel partner program. By staying attuned to partner profitability, satisfaction, and their level of commitment, you can make informed decisions to strengthen partnerships, drive growth, and ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between your organization and its channel partners.

Want to learn more about channel partner engagement?

Talk to your Zift Solutions representative or contact us here!

The post 5 Key Metrics for Effective Channel Partner Engagement appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Why are so many companies recruiting leaders to build RevOps?

“Businesses are selling into more channels and business models than ever before, making revenue management a significant challenge,” explains Forrester in its report The Rise of Revenue Operations. “As this complexity grows, so does the need for a cohesive department to accelerate growth and provide predictable revenue.”

RevOps is not focused on simply selling more but on keeping customers by delivering value across the customer lifecycle. That means breaking up silos and taking a holistic approach to revenue generation and management spanning departments, sales channels and partner ecosystems.

The emergence and increasing dependence on ecosystem partners for referrals, sales, service, deployment, integrations and retention is a significant driver for RevOps. Without it, organizations will struggle with a fragmented approach to revenue growth.

In this blog, we’ll explain RevOps, its benefits for partner-driven organizations and best practices for success.

What Is Revenue Operations?

Forrester defines RevOps as a business strategy designed to maximize customer lifetime value and company performance by unifying and optimizing data, processes, technology and talent across the customer lifecycle.

Let’s unpack that definition by taking a look at the essential components that make up end-to-end RevOps:

• People – All go-to-market functions like marketing, sales, service and partner channels must be aligned and work in concert to support the customer lifecycle.
• Processes – Enabling all these entities, including external partners, to work together requires cross-functional workflows and systems integration to support handoffs and information sharing.
• Data – Similarly, customer data must be unified and accessible across all departments and partner channels for a single source of truth.
• Technology – To make all this work seamlessly and automatically, the tech stack must support unified data and interconnected workflows across departments and partner channels.

What Are the Benefits of RevOps?

RevOps delivers many benefits to organizations by creating an end-to-end view of the customer lifecycle across the organization, including all functions and ecosystem partners, Gartner cites the following benefits in its report, Innovation Insight for the Transformation to Revenue Operations:

• Efficiency — An interconnected and observable revenue process enables organizations to see and address roadblocks across departments and partner channels much more quickly than one that’s siloed.
• Predictability — By assigning ownership, benchmarking and monitoring of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), businesses ensure consistent performance across departments and partner channels.
• Elasticity — With a holistic view of all routes to market, companies can scale up or down in response to shifting priorities.
• Resiliency — End-to-end visibility enables companies to proactively identify potential revenue disruptions and adjust to avoid them.

Overall, these changes lead to:

• Improved customer experience, which is the battleground where customers are won or lost
• Improved business decision-making based on data instead of best guesses based on incomplete information
• Improved revenue retention and growth by boosting customer lifetime value

What Are Best Practices for RevOps?

RevOps holds significant upside for partner-driven organizations to improve revenue management, but it requires a commitment to change go-to-market motions and restructure existing operations. To ensure success, follow these best practices:

• Secure Stakeholder Buy-in – For RevOps to be successful, it’s critical to have buy-in from the top down. Naming a CRO is a great start. But it also means educating stakeholders, including partner channels, about the benefits of RevOps and securing their support for the initiative, including use of tools that facilitate a holistic view.
• Prioritize the Customer Experience – Ensure all stakeholders understand customer pain points and align RevOps to address them, driving customer satisfaction, revenue retention and growth.
• Align Departments & Channels – Ensure that sales, marketing, service and partner channel teams have aligned goals and KPIs and understand how their efforts contribute to the revenue process.
• Standardize Processes – Document processes across the revenue lifecycle so all parties, including partner channels, know their roles and responsibilities, reducing overlap and inefficiencies.
• Communicate & Iterate – Regular check-ins, meetings, and feedback sessions can help identify bottlenecks, share best practices, course correct and keep everyone on the same page.
• Unify Data Management – Centralize customer data to ensure all teams, including partner ecosystem leaders, are working with the same information. Doing so ensures accurate forecasting, better customer insights, and a seamless customer experience.
• Embrace Data-Driven Decision Making – Regularly review analytics, KPIs, and other metrics to refine strategies and ensure you’re on the right track.
• Integrate Your Technology Stack – Select technology platforms that integrate across different functions. Customer relationship management (CRM), Partner Relationship Management (PRM), marketing automation and customer service tools should speak to each other.

Select the Right RevOps Technology Platform

The promise of RevOps is only realized by successfully orchestrating workflows and data from across internal functions and external partners. That requires a technology platform like ZiftONE PRM that simplifies RevOps by integrating the tech stack, automating data exchange, ensuring smooth information flow and unifying data across the entire ecosystem.

The post RevOps, Explained appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The Marketing Disconnect

Unfortunately, according to Forrester Research, only 43% of partners report to the marketing department, leading to a slew of data-related issues. Why is this a problem?

Limited Access to Customer Insights: 

When channel partners do not report to the marketing department, it often means that they have limited access to valuable customer insights and data. Marketing departments typically gather and analyze customer data, including behaviors, preferences, and trends. Without access to this information, channel partners may lack the critical insights needed to tailor their sales and marketing efforts effectively.

Misalignment of Strategies: 

Effective collaboration between vendors and channel partners relies on alignment in strategies. When partners operate separately from the marketing department, there’s a risk of misalignment. Vendors may have specific marketing and sales strategies in mind, but if partners are not closely integrated into these strategies, they might pursue their initiatives, potentially leading to conflicting or disjointed efforts.

Informed Decision-Making: 

To make informed decisions about how to approach customers and meet their needs, channel partners require access to current and relevant customer data. Without this data, their decision-making may be based on anecdotal information or outdated insights, which can result in suboptimal sales and service strategies.

Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: 

Effective sharing of end customer data can significantly enhance customer satisfaction. When channel partners have access to up-to-date customer insights, they can provide more personalized and relevant experiences to customers. This, in turn, can lead to increased customer loyalty, satisfaction, and higher chances of renewals, upsells, and cross-sells.

Optimizing Sales and Marketing Efforts: 

Data-driven decisions are essential for optimizing sales and marketing efforts. When channel partners have access to marketing data, they can refine their messaging, target the right customer segments, and execute campaigns more effectively, ultimately driving better results.

Vendors have to work to break down information silos and foster closer collaboration. Sharing end customer data can bridge these gaps, ensuring that partners are well-informed, aligned with vendor strategies, and capable of delivering superior customer experiences that lead to increased revenue and business growth.

Set Yourself Apart

Differentiation often spells the difference between thriving partnerships and fading into the background. Both partners and vendors have an opportunity to stay top-of-mind in each other’s organizations by sharing customer data and working together to win deals. After all, research from Forrester has shown that organizations with a system of data-driven insights are 140% more likely to create sustainable competitive advantages and 78% more likely to grow revenue. That’s a clear call to action. So how can vendors that leverage the power of data in their partner programs set themselves apart in the minds of their partners?

Transparency and Trust: 

Building trust is the foundation of any successful partnership. When vendors share end customer data with their partners, they demonstrate transparency and a commitment to mutual success. This fosters trust and strengthens the partnership, making partners more inclined to collaborate closely.

Tailored Partner Experiences: 

The data shared can be a goldmine of insights into customer preferences and behaviors. Vendors can use this information to provide partners with tailored support, marketing materials, and sales strategies. This tailored approach not only enhances partner performance but also delivers on the promise of partnership, inspiring loyalty.

Educational Initiatives: 

Many partners may want to embrace data-driven collaboration but might not know where to start. Vendors can take the initiative by offering educational resources and training programs. These initiatives can empower partners to harness the power of data effectively.

Collaborative Tools: 

Vendors can invest in tools like Partner Relationship Management (PRM) that facilitate seamless data sharing. These tools can provide partners with easy access to relevant data, ensuring that collaboration becomes a natural part of the partnership.

By sharing valuable end customer data with their partners and offering support in navigating this new terrain, vendors can create a unique position for themselves in the minds of their partners. The result is not only increased loyalty but also a stronger competitive advantage and revenue growth. 

It Isn’t Only Your Mandate

While it’s clear that vendors stand to gain from sharing end customer data with their partners, the equation of data-driven collaboration is incomplete without partners reciprocating. The aggregated data not only provides vendors with insights into partner engagement but also holds the key to optimizing mutual success.

Think about this: When vendors receive aggregated data, it offers valuable insights into how engaged their partners are. This data sheds light on which partners actively utilize the vendor’s sales and marketing initiatives. Moreover, it aids vendors in understanding how partners go about setting up, implementing, and providing support to end customers.

This data is not just valuable for vendors but equally essential for partners themselves. Here’s why:

Informed Decision-Making: 

Partners can leverage this data to make informed decisions about their engagement with the vendor’s sales and marketing programs. By understanding which strategies are yielding results and which need adjustment, partners can optimize their efforts to better serve end customers.

Mutual Growth: 

Data sharing fosters a culture of mutual growth. When partners provide vendors with insights into their activities and successes, it enables vendors to better support and tailor resources to their partners’ specific needs. This collaborative approach can lead to better results for both parties.

Strengthened Relationships: 

Reciprocal data sharing strengthens the vendor-partner relationship. It’s a two-way street that builds trust and mutual understanding. Partners who share data signal their commitment to collaboration and success, which can lead to increased support from vendors.

Enhanced Channel Management: 

Just as vendors benefit from understanding partner engagement, partners benefit from understanding how their efforts contribute to the vendor’s overall success. This insight can guide partners in configuring, implementing, and supporting end customers more effectively.

The Bottom Line

The importance of sharing end customer data between vendors and their partners cannot be overstated. It is a pivotal step toward fostering collaboration, driving revenue growth, and staying ahead in the competitive landscape. To optimize sales and marketing efforts, vendors must break down information silos and prioritize transparency and trust. Sharing customer data not only enhances loyalty but also creates a stronger competitive advantage.

However, it’s essential to recognize that data-driven collaboration is a two-way street. This synergy ultimately benefits both vendors and partners, leading to more effective channel management and increased success.

We all know that data is king, and organizations that embrace data-sharing as a cornerstone of their partnership strategy will not only set themselves apart but also position themselves for sustained growth and competitive advantage. 

The post Sharing is Caring: The Importance of Data-Driven Collaboration appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Only to find out those don’t work, either.

In marketing, success comes from discipline and consistency. With the right marketing strategies, building materials companies can skyrocket their ROI, reaching their ideal customers and generating sales leads. And when they use their network of channel partners effectively, they can further compound that ROI.

In this article, we will explore the key components of a successful marketing program for building materials companies and how they can use them to their fullest effect. We’ll also provide insights for how they can involve their channel partners in their marketing programs, unlocking their full potential to maximize ROI.

Attract and Engage Potential Customers with Content Marketing

Content marketing was made for the building materials industry. That’s because most building products are “high consideration” purchases. Whether it’s commercial or residential construction, the products will be in place for a long time. Customers – whether they are contractors, architects, builders or even consumers – want to know as much as they can about the products they buy.

Content marketing is a powerful tool for building materials companies to educate, inform and engage potential customers. By creating valuable and informative content, companies can position themselves as industry experts and build trust with their audience.

There are endless types of content building materials companies can use. Blog articles, white papers, case studies, installation videos, and how-to guides are just a few. The right mix depends on the specific needs and pain points of the manufacturer’s target customers.

The keys to success are patience and consistency. Content marketing is a long-term strategy. To maximize ROI, building materials manufacturers should understand that it can take months for a program to generate results, and that consistently staying in front of customers will have a cumulative effect on their results.

How to Involve Channel Partners in Content Marketing

A manufacturer’s channel network provides an opportunity to amplify their content marketing efforts. By providing blog posts, white papers, and other content through their channel management portal, manufacturers can give distributors the opportunity to customize the content for their specific markets. This allows them to be positioned as experts and trusted advisors, as well as the manufacturer.

Nurture Leads with Email Marketing

Although it’s been around for over 30 years, email marketing continues to be one of the most effective ways to nurture leads and turn them into loyal customers. Through personalized and targeted email campaigns, companies can stay top-of-mind with potential customers and provide them with valuable information.

The key to maximizing ROI of email is to provide immediate value. Remember, people often receive hundreds of emails every day, so building materials manufacturers must give recipients a reason to open emails, read them, and take action.

Emails should focus on a key customer pain point first, then position a product or service as the solution. They should also be segmented according to where the recipient is on the customer journey, gradually nurturing them from initial awareness to purchase consideration. This will be different for every product category, so understanding the customer journey is critical.

How to Involve Channel Partners in Email Marketing

Using a channel management portal, building materials manufacturers can work with distributors to develop email lists segmented by geography, customer type, and other factors. This allows them to create highly targeted emails that provide greater value to the customers. They can also provide customizable email templates so channel partners can create their own email campaigns, creating more touch points with the customers.

Connect with Customers with Social Media

Almost every manufacturer has a social media presence, but not everyone does it well. Social media is an effective way to create connections, brand awareness, and trust with customers, but manufacturers should craft their social media strategy carefully.

This starts with understanding their audience and determining the platform(s) where they spend their time. Selecting the right platforms also depends on the nature of the products the manufacturers offer. LinkedIn, for example, provides an excellent opportunity to engage with builders, contractors and architects with content that helps them run their businesses. Instagram, however, works well for manufacturers who offer more “photogenic,” design-oriented products.

While providing compelling content is important, many manufacturers overlook the importance of engaging with their customers on social media. By responding to comments and engaging in conversations, companies can build relationships with potential customers and create a sense of community. This fosters trust and loyalty, increasing the chances of converting leads into customers.

How to Involve Channel Partners in Social Media

Many building materials distributors and contractors don’t have the staff or know-how to use social media effectively. Manufacturers can help by providing assets, such as photos and videos, through their channel management portals. They can also offer social media training webinars and customizable social media posts to make it easier for channel partners to run their social media effectively.

Discipline, Measurement and Channel Involvement

Marketing is an exciting field because there are so many possibilities and opportunities to be creative. Taking an experimental approach, building materials companies can set themselves apart from the competition, creating brand awareness and sales opportunities in the process.

However, it’s important to be balanced. Whether they are using content, email, social media, or any other marketing strategy, building materials companies should be disciplined and consistent, continually measuring and adjusting to find what works and maximize their ROI.

And most importantly, they should involve their channel partners as much as possible. They are the ones who interact most with the customers, so it’s critical that they are integrated into their marketing strategies.

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Want to learn more about how ZiftONE can streamline your dealer/distributor program? Check out our Building Material Manufacturers page.

The post How Building Materials Companies can Maximize the ROI of their Marketing Programs appeared first on Zift Solutions.

In order to be successful in the building materials industry, manufacturers need more than great products that solve problems or wow homeowners. They need distributors who can effectively market and sell those products. To maximize the sales potential through that channel, the manufacturer-distributor relationship cannot be purely transactional.

It must be a strategic partnership built on trust and mutual success. Building those relationships requires careful planning, open communication, and a deep understanding of the distributor’s needs and goals.

In this article, we will provide the 5 keys to maximizing sales through distributors.

Why is the manufacturer-distributor relationship important?

For most building materials manufacturers, it’s not an option to exclusively sell direct to consumers or through big box retailers. And it’s not an option at all for commercial construction materials. They need distributors to sell to the contractors and installers who are the primary purchasers of the products.

Distributors act as intermediaries between manufacturers and end-users, ensuring that the products reach the right markets and customers. They promote and sell their products, and the more support they get from manufacturers, the more effective they are at selling them.

This means manufacturers should be more than a supplier. They need to be a partner. That means building long-term relationships based on trust, collaboration, and mutual success. This partnership approach brings numerous benefits for both manufacturers and distributors.

For manufacturers, becoming a valued partner means access to a wider customer base, increased brand visibility, and improved market penetration. It also allows manufacturers to leverage the expertise and market knowledge of distributors, enabling them to tailor their products and marketing strategies to specific markets.

Distributors also benefit from this relationship by gaining access to high-quality products, technical support, and marketing materials that can help them differentiate themselves in the market. Additionally, they can benefit from co-marketing initiatives and joint promotions, which can boost their sales and strengthen their position in the industry.

5 Keys to strong manufacturer-distributor partnerships

This kind of partnership doesn’t happen by itself. It requires intentionality and commitment by the manufacturer to build the relationship. Here are the five keys to building strong manufacturer-distributor partnerships to maximize sales.

🔑 Clear Objectives and Expectations

First, manufacturers need to establish clear objectives and expectations with their distributors. This will help them (and the distributors) align their goals and define how they will measure success. Typically these objectives and expectations include sales targets, market share goals, and other relevant metrics.

By establishing clear objectives, manufacturers can provide a roadmap for their distributors and themselves. It also provides a yardstick for evaluating the effectiveness of the partnership so that necessary adjustments can be made along the way.

🔑 Effective Communication 

After establishing expectations, communication is the most important aspect to the manufacturer-distributor relationship. Manufacturers should establish regular communication channels to keep distributors informed about product updates, promotions, and any changes that may impact the partnership.

Regular meetings, both in-person with field sales representatives and virtually with company leadership, provides a platform for discussing strategies, sharing insights, gaining feedback and addressing concerns. Feedback is especially important, as distributors often have valuable insights based on customer interactions.

A channel management portal makes it easy for manufacturers to stay in touch with their distributor networks. Manufacturers can send mass emails, direct messages, share materials and articles, and solicit feedback using one simple tool.

Informal interactions, such as social events, industry conferences, and networking opportunities, also go a long way in building personal connections and strengthening the partnership.

🔑 Value-Added Services 

Manufacturers should strive to provide value-added services to distributors. This usually takes the form of technical support, training programs, and marketing assistance offered through the channel management portal.

Technical support can include product training, installation guidance, and troubleshooting assistance. These kinds of services equip distributors with the knowledge and skills they need to sell and support the products, while also enhancing their credibility in the eyes of their customers.

Marketing assistance can involve providing customized marketing materials, co-branding initiatives, and joint promotional campaigns. Manufacturers can collaborate with distributors to create targeted marketing strategies that resonate with the local market. This not only helps in increasing product visibility but also strengthens the relationship between manufacturers and distributors.

🔑 Customized Marketing Materials

In the construction industry, geographic markets are different from one another in many ways. To help distributors in those markets, manufacturers should develop customized marketing materials that cater to their specific needs and preferences, and the dynamics of their customers and marketplace.

Whether it’s brochures, product catalogs, videos, digital assets, or other marketing tools, the materials should connect the selling points of the products to the unique pain points of the target customers. Manufacturers can work closely with distributors to understand their target audience and create marketing collateral that resonates with them.

By providing distributors with tailored marketing materials using the channel management portal, manufacturers enable them to effectively promote the products and differentiate themselves in the market. This not only boosts sales but also strengthens the overall brand image and reputation.

🔑 Training and Support

Finally, comprehensive training and ongoing support are vital for maximizing sales through distributors. This can cover the manufacturer’s products, but it can also help distributors elevate their own skills.

Using their channel management portal, manufacturers can offer training on sales techniques, objection handling, and customer relationship management. In addition to training, manufacturers should provide ongoing support to distributors, including regular visits to distributor locations, joint sales calls, and customer support.

By investing in distributor training and support, manufacturers empower distributors to become product experts and brand ambassadors. This leads to increased customer confidence, higher sales conversion rates, and improved customer satisfaction.

A Channel Management Portal is essential to building distributor partnerships

In summary, achieving sales success in the building materials industry hinges on forming effective manufacturer-distributor partnerships. These partnerships go beyond transactions and rely on clear goals, open communication, and value-added support. By tailoring marketing materials, offering comprehensive training, and utilizing a channel management portal, manufacturers can empower distributors as effective brand representatives. The evolving industry landscape underscores the importance of these collaborations, with the channel management portal playing a pivotal role in fostering connections, enhancing sales, and driving industry progress. Embracing these strategies can lead to shared growth and enduring success.

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Want to learn more about how ZiftONE can streamline your dealer/distributor program? Check out our Building Material Manufacturers page.

The post 5 Keys for Building Materials Manufacturers to Build Partnerships and Maximize Sales appeared first on Zift Solutions.

What is Channel Marketing?

Channel marketing is marketing to partners in an indirect sales channel. Marketing in the channel is often viewed as more challenging than traditional direct marketing because your partner program needs to communicate its value proposition not only to end customers but also to and through indirect sales channels. In addition, you must promote the significant benefits of the company’s channel program itself to recruit and retain partners.

Channel marketing typically includes the following four channel marketing strategies:

• To-channel marketing involves recruiting and engaging ecosystem partners and communicating why they should work with your company, the benefits of working with you, how you can help them attract and serve their customers, and so forth.
• Through-channel marketing involves marketing your products and services to end customers through channel partners. This encompasses sales-enablement training and materials your company’s ecosystem partners use to sell or evangelize your services.
• With-channel marketing is a strategy wherein your company works with partners to market your solutions to end customers. This strategy differs from through-channel marketing in that this is a purposeful joint go-to-market strategy between the supplier and partner. An example of this is a supplier and partner hosting an event to reach end customers together.
• For-channel marketing is a less common channel marketing strategy wherein your company runs a marketing program or deploys a tool, such as a partner locator, to reach end customer prospects for the benefit of your partners.

Why Channel Marketing Departments Should Leverage AI Marketing

Competition in the channel to capture partners’ attention is significant. Whether you’re offering commoditized solution sets, looking to create a new product category or everything in between, you must fight for mindshare with partners you want to recruit, activate, and enable to sell your solutions. AI assists your partner marketing efforts by:

• Saving time – AI and machine learning can help automate or speed up specific marketing tasks, freeing up staff time to focus on creative endeavors that lead to revenue production. While Zift doesn’t endorse any of the solutions below, here are some examples of processes where you can use time-saving AI tools. Keep in mind AI is changing every day, and there are always new tools hitting the market, so this list is accurate at the time of publication:
  • Data entry, email sending and report generation. Bardeen is a good example of a tool that can help here
  • If engaging with customers in direct messaging channels like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or LiveChat takes too much time, check out platforms like Chatbot
  • Website design is often best left to professionals, but tools like Durable make it easier for marketers to do it on their own
  • It’s best practice to take notes during meetings, but sometimes it can be hard to figure out what you were meaning to take note of after the meeting ends. Solutions like Fireflies help here
  • If you don’t even want to take notes, outsource that task to a tool like Magical for automated note-taking, scheduling and task management
  • We all know that video content gets more traffic than written content, so solutions like Synthesia can convert text into video content
• Defining ideal partner profiles and ideal customer profiles – AI-sourced data helps improve your understanding of partners, customers and other players in your ecosystem and informs high-level recruitment and engagement campaign strategies. Engines like Patri ICP Engine API find, refine, and monitor your ideal customer or partner profile by integrating with your CRM, BI, and sales and marketing automation systems
• Idea generation – Content-generating AI platforms can help your channel marketers create content when encountering “writer’s block” and jumpstart their productivity. While ChatGPT is the most well-known of these content-generating AI platforms, other platforms with similar capabilities include ClickUp, Narrato, Lately, Jasper, ai and ZiftONE.
• Improving campaign performance – The data insights provided by AI-driven platforms can help your channel marketing team adjust campaigns and identify conversion obstacles much faster, bringing in more qualified partners and end customer leads quicker. For example, Google AdWords provide AI-sourced recommendations for improving pay-per-click (PPC) campaign performance and helping digital marketing specialists optimize for conversions.

The Introduction of Content-Generating AI for Channel Marketers

Content-generating platforms that use AI, such as ChatGPT and its competitors Bard AI, Jasper Chat, Socratic, Bing AI, and others, have all helped to short-cut and speed up writing processes. However, these platforms also come with concerns to keep in mind, including security, data privacy, data breaches, unconscious bias and content accuracy.

As a channel marketer, you must take care not to input proprietary information into these platforms. And make sure to take the output it’s giving you with a grain of sale – it’s a best to practice to ask subject matter experts to carefully validate the accuracy of the content generated. In order to mitigate these risks some companies are implementing acceptable use policies for AI platforms. The Society of Human Resource Management has a great example of such a policy you can use as a starting point to help create your own.

Given AI’s productivity advantages, your leadership may be tempted to cut channel marketing staff in favor of using AI writing software. However, point out to them that such a move would be short-sighted; generative AI platforms aren’t mature enough to understand the intricacies of indirect sales channel models and require curation from an expert to produce accurate and worthwhile content. Rather than view these early tools as staff replacements, consider them as time-saving tools to assist existing staff in producing content more efficiently. AI can increase worker productivity by as much as 14 percent, according to a study by Stanford and MIT.

Generative AI Supports Channel Marketing Data Analysis

According to an analysis from McKinsey & Company, commercial leaders across the globe are using generative AI in marketing for:

• Marketing optimization, including A/B testing and SEO strategies
• Dynamic content, including websites and marketing collateral
• Marketing analytics and dynamic audience targeting
• Dynamic customer-journey mapping
• Automated marketing workflows and nurturing campaigns

What does this AI-driven analysis mean for your partner ecosystem? Generative AI can optimize your channel marketing strategies through A/B tests of marketing campaigns, such as website page layouts, ad copy, search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), PPC ad campaigns, automated lead nurturing campaigns and more. Predictive analytics also can help to provide your channel marketers with recommendations to ensure maximum return on investment (ROI) for program initiatives.

In a Nutshell

Through AI and machine learning, your channel marketing team can speed up partner recruitment and engagement efforts to lead to the financial success of your partner ecosystem.

When you’re ready to optimize your channel marketing initiatives, including taking advantage of AI, take a look at what the ZiftONE^TM platform can do for you.

The post How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Has Changed Channel Marketing in 2023 appeared first on Zift Solutions.

What’s going wrong? It could be that your channel marketing strategy isn’t well thought-out. 

For manufacturers in the residential and commercial building materials categories, having a well-thought-out channel marketing strategy is a must. It allows manufacturers to align their products with their dealers, distributors and customers, as well as leverage the sales opportunities offered by multiple channels. In essence, a channel marketing strategy is absolutely necessary to maximizing and sustaining sales growth.

But it can be challenging. There are many common mistakes and pitfalls companies make that undermine their channel marketing efforts. In making these mistakes, companies may learn the wrong lessons, thinking their strategies “just don’t work,” when in fact some fairly simple corrections would generate the desired results.

In this article, we’ll explore three common channel marketing mistakes that building materials companies often make. More importantly, we’ll provide practical, actionable tips on how you can avoid them, so you can optimize your marketing efforts and maximize the effectiveness of your channel.

Mistake #1: Poor communication with dealers

Communication is the foundation of any partnership, and the relationship between a manufacturer and its dealer network is no exception. The biggest mistake companies can make is communicating poorly (or not at all) with their partners. Your dealers are essential to your success, and it’s crucial to establish a solid relationship with them to ensure that your marketing efforts are aligned and effective.

Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities. If your dealers don’t understand your marketing strategy or your goals, they will not be able to effectively promote your products to their customers. At best, they will take matters into their own hands and promote your products how they see fit.

At worst, they won’t promote your products at all.

How to avoid it

To avoid this mistake, you need to establish regular communication channels with your dealers. This could include regular meetings or conference calls, emails and newsletters, webinars, and videos. This will help you make sure you’re providing them with the resources they need to effectively promote your products, such as marketing materials, product information, and training. 

A dealer management portal is an invaluable tool for maintaining open communication with your channel. It makes it easy to push out messages and provide the materials and information your dealers need.

Mistake #2: Ignoring the needs of dealers

The second mistake we see building material manufacturing companies make is to ignore the needs of their dealers. Partnership is a two-way street, and it’s essential for companies to understand the needs and concerns of their network to ensure that they’re working together effectively. 

An example of this is to know the resources and support a distributor needs to promote and sell the manufacturer’s products. When companies see partners struggling, they are better prepared to make adjustments to get them the tools and support they require. This in turn can also help companies improve their marketing strategies and increase sales, because they are in tune with what their channel partners need to execute their marketing plans.

How to avoid it

Avoiding this mistake is simple, but it takes time and effort, and it goes back to maintaining open lines of communication. You may want to conduct surveys or focus groups to gather feedback on your marketing strategy and the resources you’re providing. Another approach is to train your sales teams to talk to partners and actively listen to their feedback. 

That will allow you to use your dealer management portal to quickly and effectively provide the training, materials and tools your partners need.

Mistake #3: Lack of training for dealers

The more you understand your partners’ needs, the better you are able to give them the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. Your dealers need to have a deep understanding of your products, your marketing strategy, and your target audience to effectively promote your products.

Too many building materials companies make the mistake of neglecting dealer training. This can lead to a lack of understanding of their products, their brand messaging, and their marketing strategy. That leads to confused customers, poor sales and missed opportunities.

How to avoid it

Invest in training. This may include providing online training resources through your portal, hosting in-person training sessions, or even offering certification programs. Make sure that your training materials are comprehensive, up-to-date, and easy to understand.

Communication leads to effective channel marketing

Building materials is an intense, competitive landscape. One of the best ways companies can stay ahead is to have an effective marketing program run through a robust dealer network.

Navigating the complex landscape of the building material market can be challenging, and even the smallest mistakes can have a significant impact on your success. However, these mistakes are almost always correctable. By communicating with your network, and using a portal to provide the information and resources your partners need, you can have a channel marketing program that’s the envy of your category.

Want to learn more about how ZiftONE can streamline your dealer/distributor program? Check out our Building Material Manufacturers page.

The post 3 Channel Marketing Mistakes Building Material Manufacturing Companies Make and How to Avoid Them appeared first on Zift Solutions.

You can overcome these difficulties and successfully introduce your game-changing product to the marketplace using a dealer management solution (commonly referred to as a partner relationship management platform or PRM). And not just introduce it, but ensure its long-term success.

You just need to make sure your dealers and distributors are aligned with what you’re trying to do. In this article, we’ll look at some ways you equip your network to support your product launch.

But first, it helps to understand why the building industry is so challenging for disruptors to launch innovative products.

Why disruptive products are a challenge to market and sell

The business of building homes and commercial buildings is different than other industries, because the “product” builders and contractors create is so expensive, has to perform well, and has to last a long time.

That changes the calculus for the end users, whether they are homeowners or commercial facility owners. As a result, it changes the calculus for the builders, contractors and installers who buy your products.

The building industry in general is risk-averse. Builders want products they know will work, or at least products that won’t get them in trouble because they’re widely accepted. They may like the idea of new, innovative products, but they don’t want to be the guinea pigs.

In addition, many of the key decision-makers in building, especially contractors, are getting older. Having been in the business for so long, they are used to certain brands, products and processes. Few people like change, especially those who are approaching retirement.

Finally, there is a lot of noise in the building materials industry. Customers are bombarded with messages about new products and innovative processes. It’s tough for brands to stand out unless they have big budgets behind their product launches.

While there are definitely headwinds facing companies that endeavor to introduce disruptive products to the market, that’s not to say it can’t be done. After all, we’d still be in the stone ages if innovations didn’t find their way into the mainstream.

How to use your dealer management platform to introduce innovative products

Aside from spending big ad dollars, one of the best and most efficient approaches to building materials marketing is through your dealer and distributor channel. Your partners are a critical resource, because they have the ear of your customers.

Here are three approaches you can use to make sure your new product is successful.

1. Educate Your Customers

With a new product, process or technology, there will likely be a learning curve. Customers need to fully understand your product before they will adopt it.

Dealers can play a key role here, because they can provide a personal touch to making sure your customers are educated about your product. You should provide them with the tools and knowledge they need so they know your product inside-out and can speak about it with confidence.

2. Focus on the Problem, Not the Product

Innovations are created to solve a problem. In your marketing and channel communication, focus your messaging on that problem first.

If your customers are experiencing that problem, they will be receptive to any ideas that will help them solve it, thus making their lives easier. Most people don’t really care about what makes products innovative. They care about how it affects them.

3. Take Away the Fear of the New

As we mentioned above, customers in the construction industry are hesitant to try new things. They like tried-and-true.

For that reason, your messaging and education should typically downplay the idea that your product has never been seen before. If there is an aspect of your product that is proven – a material or a familiar technology – that’s a good starting point for your marketing message. Otherwise, be careful about using any messaging that states your product is new or disruptive.

Your Dealer Portal is Your Secret Weapon

For building materials suppliers, your dealers and distributors will be the most efficient and effective way to get your message through to your customers. Builders and contractors trust your dealers, and that’s to your advantage.

A SaaS Partner Management Solution (PRM), such as Zift Solutions, provides an efficient and effective way to get your channel partners aligned with your product launch. You can easily provide them with the right messaging, materials and tools to make sure they are communicating effectively with your customers.

Launching a completely new product is never easy, and it’s rare for them to get widespread adoption overnight. But working closely with your dealers and distributors to educate your customers, show how you solve their problems, and take away their fear of the new can make your launch go smoothly.

The post Breaking Ground: Launching Disruptive Products in the Building Material Manufacturing Industry appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Ensuring the channel content you provide on your dealer portal helps them do their jobs better, and ultimately will result in better sales. Here’s why.

Saves them time

Time is the most precious commodity any of us have, and that goes double for sales people. They need to spend as much time as they can researching and understanding their customers, solving their problems, building relationships, and taking their orders.

Any time spent searching for the right sales tools and product materials takes away from their main jobs. If you can personalize the content they receive through your channel management portal, you maximize the time they have to do what they do best.

Gives them information they can use right away

There’s nothing better than having the right tools, the moment you need them. That’s what personalizing your portal content does.

If a sales representative regularly uses training guides and spec sheets in certain formats, they need to be able to access them when they need them, not spend time sifting through a menu of available tools. That speeds up the sales process, helps create satisfied customers, and makes your channel sales people look good.

Helps them adapt to a changing marketplace

Smart sales people are not stuck in their ways. They are able to adapt to changing sales environments and respond to new scenarios. Especially if they have the right materials at their fingertips.

With content that’s customized to their needs and preferences, channel sales people can turn on a dime and use the right tools at the right time. And increase their opportunities and closing rates.

How to personalize your channel management portal content

Personalized content makes life easier for your channel sales people, but it may sound like it’s easier said than done. After all, your channel may have hundreds, even thousands of individuals, each with different needs and approaches.

But with the right channel management solution, it can be done.

Let sales people self-select

One of the first things you can do is allow sales people to tell you what they need. Provide options when they set up their account to let you know the types of materials they use most and how they use them. This will help you give them what they need, and also provide valuable insights into your channel sales force.

Provide options

Sales is not a one-size-fits-all process, and every sales representative has different preferences. To account for this, create multiple versions of your sales materials. Detailed and short versions. Digital and printable. Video and text. The more options you provide, the easier it will be for sales people to find the tools that work for them.

Get feedback and track usage

Finally, the best way to provide personalized content is to let the channel tell you what’s working and what’s not. If you solicit feedback, and act on it when you can, not only will you improve your materials, you’ll show your channel partners that their input is valued.

Of course, not everyone provides feedback, even when asked. So you should also track how your materials are used. Through this process, you will begin to notice patterns of how sales people operate and what materials work best. And that makes personalization easier.

Conclusion

Personalizing the content you provide through your channel management portal is an effective way of maximizing the effectiveness of your channel sales force. And better yet, it helps create brand loyalty.

It encourages your channel partners to use and engage with your portal because they perceive it has value. When more people use your portal, the greater return on investment you will realize.

But most importantly, it helps to create a true partnership with your channel partners because it fosters two-way communication. When your channel partners get the materials they can actually use, they feel like you’re paying attention to them and are trying your best to help them.

And that results in loyalty and dedication that can’t be achieved any other way.

Learn more about how ZiftONE and how it can help your building material manufacturing business drive revenue and stay competitive!

The post Personalizing Dealer Portals for Building Material Manufacturers appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The post How Do Partner Programs Create High-Quality Channel Marketing Programs? appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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Originally Published: February 22, 2022

• Without a tie-in to overarching goals, channel marketing typically takes a spray-and-pray approach to marketing in partner programs.
• To drive better performance, channel leaders should consider three deployment options; through-partner and for-partner marketing.
• Gaining the right balance along all three options ensures successful engagement and execution of channel demand programs.

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What is Channel Marketing?

Channel marketing encompasses marketing to partners in the indirect sales channel.

Technology companies leverage channel distribution strategies for software, IT services, telecom services and more. It’s become so prominent in the industry that marketing through these distributors, agents, resellers and consultants is referred to as “the channel.”

Marketing in the channel is more complicated than direct marketing because you need to communicate your value proposition not just to the end customer, but to, through and for your sales channels as well.

Over time, channel marketing leaders typically take a trial-and-error approach, looking for some combination of brand awareness, through-partner marketing and supplier-led marketing that yields the highest results.

While companies refer to these terms differently at times, they can be viewed through three lenses: 

1. Programs to drive brand awareness and engagement with partners.
2. Partner-led demand programs that partners execute on behalf of their suppliers.
3. Supplier-led marketing programs that help prospects connect with partners; these can be simply referred to as “to-partner,” “through-partner,” and “for-partner” marketing. 

This article will define these three delivery options and make suggestions along the way on timing, duration and key examples. I’ll also explain how having the right balance can yield the highest results.

Plus, here are 11 channel marketing best practices that can help engage partners and keep your program top of mind.

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To-Partner Marketing

The first of the three delivery options, to-partner marketing is when suppliers create marketing programs, treating partners like leads, to drive partner awareness or engagement in a specific activity.

Oftentimes referred to as to-channel marketing, this marketing delivery option usually means recruiting and engaging sales partners in your partnership with them—why they should work with you, benefits of working with you, how you can help them attract and serve their customers, and so on. To-channel marketing can have several layers, such as distributors and technology services brokerages (TSBs) as well as their networks of resellers or subagents.

In this first option, vendors may want to drive awareness for a specific activity they would like partners to engage in. For example, this could be deal registration or a reminder of an upcoming training program or event they would like partners to attend.

To-partner marketing has two primary objectives:

• Objective one: Sign up partners
• Objective two: Motivate partners to sell your solutions

To do this, channel marketers must use all content marketing vehicles at their disposal to establish thought leadership, generate interest and maintain mindshare.

Smart partners engage with partner programs that have strong marketing support to shore up this side of their business. One of the most important things providers can do to increase their indirect sales pipeline is build their company’s own brand, making it easier for partners to sell their solutions to end customers.

Key Examples of To-Partner Marketing

To-partner marketing activities might include all the communication required to get partners to attend a webinar, where they can learn about a supplier’s new portal.

Rather than taking a one-and-done approach, a supplier could send partners a timed three-part email cadence:

• Email one: Announces the webinar and why the partner should attend
• Email two: Reminds the partner to register for the webinar
• Email three: Final message, sent after the webinar, that could take them to a resource page where they download on-demand recordings of the webinar

Even the webinar itself, which may provide a demo of the portal, can be considered a vital element of a to-partner marketing tactic as it can contain key messages, guiding partners through best practices or activities the supplier would like them to engage in.

Other to-partner marketing examples might consist of:

• Newsletters sent to partners apprising them of new developments in the partner program
• Marketing events – both live and virtual – to raise partner awareness for new offerings
• Announcements for new training or certification programs

Timing and Duration of To-Partner Marketing

It’s critical to align the timing of to-partner tactics with the call to action (CTA) you want partners to execute.

For example, if it’s a webinar you’re asking partners to join, then ensure you’re inviting them three weeks out, just like you would a customer. If it’s a more immediate task, like asking partners via email to make sure they complete their profiles on the partner portal, take a more immediate approach by providing a link to an FAQ or guided tour so they can quickly act on your requests.

Longer, multi-touch to-partner marketing campaigns can be used to reinforce new program benefits, like deal registration or new offerings. In these cases, the campaigns should last as long as you want your partners to be made aware of the new offering – no need to sound like a broken record if the message has already been received.

Through-Partner Marketing

This second delivery option is sometimes referred to as partner-led marketing. It’s used to generate demand through partners by offering them tools, programs and campaigns they can use to reach new prospects or existing customers.

Sometimes referred to as through-channel marketing, this marketing delivery option means marketing your products and services to end customers through your sales channels. This might include some to-channel elements (such as what partners get for selling that product) as well as sales-enablement training and materials your sales partners use to recruit and close end customer revenue.

Often fueled by market development funds (MDF), through-partner marketing includes digital marketing programs, such as social selling or content marketing programs, which can be fully developed or customized by the partner with a message or CTA of their own.

Regardless, the objectives of these programs are to ensure partners can execute targeted marketing programs and upload their customer lists if needed, but not necessarily to make them expert marketers.

Key Examples of Through-Partner Marketing

Digital events fall into this category and are becoming more relevant to partners post-pandemic, having eclipsed live events. These programs contain all the elements needed for the partner to advertise, execute and follow up on a digital event regardless of geography. Key ingredients include a strong mailing list, registration and resource pages, and follow-up email campaigns to nurture leads.

Another example partners favor is “Social Selling” programs that allow them to syndicate content through their social accounts, like LinkedIn, and reach contacts within their network. This is a popular tactic with channel marketers who want to tap into a partner’s network of prospects and customers. Key to this program’s success is the ability to curate social content on a regular basis, then later link this content to inbound landing pages and follow-up offers. Channel marketers can automate campaigns such as these for partners using partner relationship management (PRM) software platforms, like ZiftONE^TM.

Through-channel content is similar to what your company would develop for direct marketing initiatives. The primary difference is that all physical and digital assets are typically designed to be branded or co-branded by your partners. Top channel marketing programs go further than just allowing partners to add their logo and website; they enable partners to customize channel marketing collateral with their own messaging that promotes their value proposition as well as your products. Examples of brandable content include:

• Flyers and data sheets
• Battlecards
• Blogs
• Case studies
• eBooks
• White papers
• Presentations
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Webinars
• Events
• Digital campaigns
• Social campaigns

Timing and Duration of Through-Partner Marketing

Ensure adoption with partners for any through-partner marketing effort by letting them know what’s in it for them and how they can participate.

Precede the actual marketing activity, like executing their first campaign, with a brief webinar you can use to invite targeted partners and track those that attend, then reach out to them immediately afterward to execute the next step, using a partner concierge if necessary. The actual demand gen programs themselves should have a cadence in terms of touches, email drops, etc., that will support the target buyers’ journey. This should last as long as necessary, which is typically determined through marketing planning that factor in the buying process, average selling price (ASP), method of buying (committee, consensus or transactional) and type of demand (new concept, new paradigm or established market).

This process will describe the campaign and assets to reach the target buyer, whether a transactional purchase under $15,000 ASP (think broken router) that requires a one-touch inbound search engine optimization (SEO) campaign or a multi-touch nurturing program that could last for months for an enterprise computer software (SW) purchase involving multiple decision makers.

For-Partner Marketing

The third deployment option, for-partner marketing, is used when the supplier is delivering a marketing program or deploying a tool on their website, like a partner locator, directly to the prospect for the benefit of a partner.

Key Examples of For-Partner Marketing

In the website prospecting example mentioned above, a lead is sent to the partner when a prospect requests to connect with a partner who can help them. Here, the supplier delivers the assets directly to the customer on their website and any resulting inquiries will be passed on to a specific partner.

Another example could include a competitive marketing program, where the supplier is trying to steal market share from a competitor by targeting a list of prospects and connecting them with a partner who can facilitate a try-and-buy offer. In this example, it’s better for the supplier to drive the competitive message since the partner often plays the role of a trusted advisor, and it wouldn’t work well if they were seen as biased.

Timing and Duration of For-Partner Marketing

These types of programs should not be overused, lest they create a dependency on suppliers to find leads for partners. Instead, they’re typically used as “silver-bullet” campaigns that are targeted and used within a limited timeframe in support of an offer, such as a financial incentive offered in Q4 or competitive win-back program lasting 30-90 days.

Tools, like the partner locator or online configurator that can help a customer learn more about solutions and where to find them, could last longer but should be periodically audited for effectiveness.

Achieving the Right Balance in Marketing Efforts

There are two ways to look at the collective use of To-Through-For partner marketing. One way is to think about the three options individually, to determine if your organization is employing too much of one option over the other.

Sometimes channel marketing leaders will complain that they’re doing too much for partners, handing them leads from their website with little agreement to follow up with them in a timely manner. In this case, the supplier may be looking to shift the activities from for-partner to through-partner as in the example below:

Or you might hear them say they spend too much on messaging partners in newsletters, emails, events, etc., with little insight or ROI on whether their communications resonate with partners. In this case, they may want to spend less time over-communicating and more time getting partners to take the next step.

You might be wondering, “What is the right balance?” Well, there’s good news and there’s not-so-good news…

The Not-So-Good News About Balancing Marketing

The not-so-good news is that all partner programs may differ in the types of partners they support, so no one model works for everyone.

A reseller program may require a hefty amount of to-partner marketing to remind smaller resellers to engage.

An alliance program between two suppliers that also includes direct sellers and respective channel partners could require a completely different distribution of activities.

The Good News About Balancing Marketing

You aren’t alone. Most programs already track their spend in these areas. For example, if your company is working with MSPs, it wouldn’t be hard to find the right balance for those types of partners. You need to benchmark how suppliers, master resellers, agencies and other channel providers engage with these types of partners.

A good rule of thumb that works with most partners who resell third-party products and their services is to spend most of the effort on through-partner activities, mainly because they are revenue-generating and can show ROI.

Next, consider what it takes to effectively communicate with partners on these activities with at least a 25-30 percent investment in to-partner marketing. Why? Because if you don’t, most suppliers report that the engagement for the through-partner drops below 15 percent without a steady use of awareness programs reminding the partner – what’s available, what’s in it for them, how they can engage and where and when to get started.

The final delivery option – for-partner – should be limited to specific tools or programs to help customers connect with partners, like a partner locator or a specific campaign, such as a financial offer made to customers directly and later fulfilled by a partner.

Best Practices: To-Through-For- Partner Marketing Investment

Again, these are limited programs and should not, on average, take up more than 10-15 percent of overall channel marketing investment unless you are uniquely required. This distribution is illustrated in the table below:

We’d like to hear from you!

Want to gauge your own investment against other channel marketing programs? We’re surveying channel suppliers online at this link. 

Please join others in submitting your distribution and the types of partners you support by filling out the survey. Once you do, we’ll provide you with an approximate benchmark of your channel marketing investment compared to others supporting similar partner types.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The post Getting the Right Balance: To-, Through-, and For-Partner Channel Marketing Strategies appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Have you struggled with keeping your partners up-to-date on what’s going on with your products: what’s available, what’s new, and what’s had a pricing change or has an instant rebate? Have you ever wanted to have a blog on your partner portal to inform your partners about your events or what’s going on with your company?

Introducing ZiftONE Portal Posts, a new feature to help you add more dynamic content, like blog posts, latest news, product articles, and announcements to your partner portal. With Postal Posts, you can easily build a searchable collection of related news articles or stories, keeping your partners engaged by giving them easy access to key information.

Portal Posts are another way Zift is making it easier to add content to your Partner Portal. You simply create a new post and set its active dates. The widgets and feature page takes care of publishing content to the portal. You also have four different styles to choose from when displaying posts, so you can tailor your look and feel. With post content tags, you can create collections of posts on different topics and display them on different pages. Best of all, you can set an end date for each post and use filters, so that your partners only see what’s relevant to them right now.

Make it easier for your partners to know what’s going on at your company. Start using Portal Posts today. If you’re a Zift customer, ask your Customer Success Manager about Portal Posts or try it out today. Not a customer and want to see ZiftONE in action? Start a conversation with us.

The post Introducing Portal Posts appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Cary, N.C. – May 12, 2022 – Zift Solutions, a leading provider of partner relationship management (PRM) and through-channel marketing automation (TCMA) software, today announced several new additions to its ZiftONE platform. With its three technology-first features, suppliers using Zift can better and more easily empower their partners for digital marketing and communications.

• Co-Brandable Videos: Co-brandable videos allow partners to upload and personalize their logo on supplier-provided videos, providing an additional marketing tool that reflects their brand while still using the supplier’s messaging.
• Through-Partner Social Media Syndication: ZiftONE’s improved Through-Partner Social Media Syndication helps suppliers share videos and photos in posts to partners’ Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. ZiftONE supports both company and individual seller’s accounts. Now, suppliers can more easily identify periods lacking content with an expanded media calendar view and access comprehensive reports.
• To-Partner Emails and Pop-Ups: ZiftONE’s enhanced tools with drag and drop functionality and a WYSIWYG editor to make it easy to build emails and in-app pop-up messages for announcements. With filters, suppliers can be sure that the messages only reach their intended audience. They can also get reporting to see who has and who has not interacted with the message.

“ZiftONE empowers channel marketing through selling partners in an increasingly virtual world,” said Gordon Rapkin, CEO of Zift Solutions. “This is the next step in our expanding focus on digital communications. Earlier this year we delivered virtual event campaigns to enable a data-driven approach to promote webinars through third-party sellers. Zift’s shareable co-brandable videos and Zift’s scalable social media syndication further help companies give their third-party sellers a dynamic online presence featuring their products. By extending ZiftONE’s to-partner communications abilities, suppliers can easily share and promote to their partners these new and improved tools to help partners become master digital marketers.”

All three features were rolled out to customers as an integrated capability of the powerful ZiftONE all-in-one platform, and are included in Zift’s top-rated through partner marketing automation feature set with no additional licensing fee for new customers.

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About Zift Solutions

Founded in 2006, Zift Solutions has a decade and a half of experience delivering Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA). As the global leader in Enterprise Channel Management, the company’s ZiftONE platform integrates channel sales, marketing, enablement, and operations in a single end-to-end channel management solution that oversees the entire funnel from lead to revenue. In 2020, Zift was named the only leader in both Channel Marketing Automation and Partner Relationship Management by Forrester Research. For more information, visit www.ziftsolutions.com.

The post ZiftONE Expands Digital Communication appeared first on Zift Solutions.

This week, Zift improved the administration for social media, making it even easier for suppliers like you to create new posts, see what posts have been created, and view engagement results of the posts that have already been distributed through partners.

• New Post Scheduled: ZiftONE’s post scheduler is even easier to use than it was before. It offers a simple, visual way to create a post with full support for videos and multiple photos. Create scheduled posts and posts for your library–where partners can pick and choose posts to send later–all at once.

• Weekly Schedule and Calendar View: See where you have posts scheduled and what platform they are on in both a calendar and weekly view. You can use your filters to see posts by tag and better identify when you have holes in your schedule to ensure a robust schedule of social media posts for your partners.

• Social Hub Dashboard: See what’s working and what isn’t with quick-to-access built-in analytics. Get a comprehensive view of your posts’ performance so you can optimize future content.

With these new changes, your partners will still get the same great experience that they’ve come to know from ZiftONE, including the ability to auto-post or review posts, subscribe to posts by topic, and customize certain posts you specify before they go out. Recently, Zift gave partners the ability to connect their personal accounts as well as company accounts, so everyone who sells for you can represent you on social media.

The updated Through-Partner Social Media Administration is already available to existing Zift customers. Not a customer and want to see ZiftONE in action? Start a conversation with us.

The post Product Update: Social Media Administration appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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• Through-channel marketing is vital to sales partner relationship development and revenue generation.
• Like many areas of digital marketing, through-channel marketing can be enhanced, scaled and customized through automation.
• Experts expect through-channel marketing automation (TCMA) use to increase this year.
• Simplicity is a dominant theme in TCMA for both vendors and partners.
• TCMA faces many of the same challenges as other marketing and channel initiatives (strong content, partner engagement, etc.).
• In addition to ease of use, flexibility and reporting are key TCMA platform attributes.
• Even simple TCMA programs require at least some level of partner training.

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8 Fundamentals of Through-Channel Marketing Automation

Through-channel marketing automation delivers significant benefits to your company and your partners. It builds trust between your teams, helps you and your partners generate revenue, and its importance is on the rise. Predictions of greater through-channel marketing activity this year, originally detailed in our 2022 partner program predictions, were proven in our March Customer Event. This event revealed that companies are investing more in through-channel marketing than in to-channel and for-partner marketing combined. 

You can dig deeper into the benefits of through-channel marketing in our article 6 Best Practices for Through-Partner Communications.

Like all areas of marketing, through-channel marketing can benefit significantly from automation. To dig into this vital subject, we turned to eight channel marketing leaders for insight into through-channel marketing automation fundamentals and some best practices. Our expert panelists include:

• Amy Bailey, Senior Vice President of Marketing for technology solutions brokerage Telarus
• Heather Tenuto, Chief Revenue Officer for partner relationship management (PRM) and channel management platform provider Zift Solutions
• Khali Henderson, Senior Partner for channel consultancy and technology marketing firm BuzzTheory
• Kris Blackmon, Chief Channel Officer for channel consultancy JS Group
• Kristine Stewart, founder and CEO of channel consultancy The Lexington Group
• Marie Steyl, a longtime marketing and channel expert with leading tech companies
• McKinley Thompson, Senior Global Partner Marketing Manager for communications and risk insights provider Smarsh
• Rich Long, Vice President of Channels for unified call and conversation recording platform Dubber

Want to skip ahead? Check out our eight fundamentals of TCMA:

1. Ease of Use is a Top TCMA Platform Requirement
2. Speed to Market Drives TCMA Usage in 2022
3. Attribution is a Critical Function for TCMA
4. Lack of Time and Training Are Barriers to TCMA Adoption
5. Content is Key to TCMA Success
6. Reporting Is Vital to TCMA Selection
7. Make MDF Claims Easier with TCMA
8. Get Feedback

What is Through-Channel Marketing Automation?

Through-channel marketing automation (TCMA) applies marketing automation’s scale and customization power to the indirect sales channel. Through TCMA, technology vendors and service providers can develop and deploy turnkey messaging and digital campaigns that help their partners go to market with their products and services.

McKinley Thompson of Smarsh defines TCMA this way: “Through-partner marketing is the enablement of your partners to communicate your message to prospects and customers through various marketing tactics. A TCMA platform is a tool that enables these partner marketing initiatives at scale and makes it as easy as possible for partners to promote your products and solutions on your behalf.” 

Kris Blackmon of JS Group defines TCMA similarly while emphasizing the ability for vendors to leverage the local strengths of agents in their markets without suffering messaging confusion or brand dilution.

“TCMA is a SaaS solution that enables vendors to distribute a cohesive value proposition, brand persona and marketing message through indirect channels,” Blackmon says. “Partners have strong voices in their local markets but often lack robust marketing skills. And vendors work hard on their messaging and don’t want it diluted or have their message lost somewhere along the way. With TCMA, vendors make it easy for partners to represent their brands, deploy marketing campaigns, generate leads and track those leads through the funnel.”

That focus on lead and customer lifecycle management is essential to developing a successful channel partner engagement plan, says BuzzTheory’s Khali Henderson. “It’s true that sales partners are often better on their feet, face-to-face with customers, than they are at marketing,” she says. “TCMA can provide them with turnkey programs they can use to generate more in-person opportunities, but it also empowers those partners to compete on equal footing in the digital realm without becoming experts in digital marketing tactics and platforms. Partners value that, and vendors that get it right win on two fronts— the direct sales they generate from those efforts and the uptick in overall engagement and mindshare they gain when they help partners grow their businesses.”

Channel marketer Marie Steyl details the pros and cons of TCMA for the vendor and the partner. “Brands benefit from TCMA because it enables their local partners to create brand-compliant marketing materials and effectively manage their co-op dollars,” she says. “Brands include manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and providers of services with a distributed network of partners (dealers, agents, franchisees, operators, sales reps, retailers or whatever the industry label demands). These partners have a significant impact on the brand’s ability to sell products and services in a given local area. Because many brands have hundreds or thousands of local partners across the nation or even the world, it can be challenging to execute cohesive corporate marketing campaigns at scale without a TCMA platform

Steyl adds that partners benefit from TCMA because it empowers them to easily create brand-compliant marketing materials at a subsidized cost. “Because local partners are often small business owners or managers with a lot on their plates, they don’t have a lot of time or resources to devote to marketing,” she says. “Therefore, brand compliance isn’t a high priority for many partners, especially those that sell competing products and services simultaneously, such as telecommunications dealers. Through-channel marketing automation solves for that by providing simple, scalable and cost-effective marketing solutions. The platform provides marketing templates and resources that match the current corporate campaign and can be customized for increased relevancy within their local market.”

 

 

8 Fundamentals of Through-Channel Marketing Automation from Top Channel Partner Programs

We dug into the nuts and bolts of TCMA with our experts and came out with eight fundamentals that you can use in your through-channel marketing plans.

1. Ease of Use is a Top TCMA Platform Requirement

Our expert panelists emphasized that a key requirement of TCMA platforms is easing campaign execution for partners.

Sales partners don’t have the time to decode complicated tools and systems, says Steyl. “As a seasoned user of various multinational vendor TCMA systems, I rate ease-of-use as the top requirement for any TCMA system,” she says. “If a TCMA system is too complicated to use, a channel partner with multiple other business priorities will simply not bother to use it.

“Partners want a one-stop-shop where they can easily complete essential channel marketing tasks, such as accessing logos, templates, promotional material and visibility of MDF (or co-op funds).”

Steyl’s list of typical components includes:

• A simple, step-by-step streamlined workflow
• A library of compliant and customizable marketing assets
• Governance, including brand and co-branding guidelines
• Robust analytics to track and measure performance and fund usage
• An efficient portal from which marketing programs can be launched, tracked and measured

The Lexington Group’s Kristine Stewart agrees, noting that a TCMA platform should provide sales partners with:

• The ability to easily operationalize asset delivery 
• A simple way for partners to see and spend their marketing funds
• An option to get localized/translated content
• Access to analytics and customer insights such as predictive modeling

2. Speed to Market Drives TCMA Usage in 2022

As we discussed earlier, through-channel marketing is on the rise in 2022. And so is automation, according to our experts. 

Heather Tenuto from Zift summed it up: “Any time you have increasing demand for a multistep or complicated process, the demand for automation rises with it,” she says. “Partners need platforms that enable them to go to market quickly and easily. And so do vendors. They need to deploy and update assets across their entire partner base easily. Given the speed of innovation in our space and ongoing talent shortages, TCMA fills a vital business need for vendors that will only grow over time.”

Thompson from Smarsh agrees with Tenuto about the importance of time-to-market for vendors and their partners. “The ability to rapidly customize and execute brand-compliant marketing activities that resonate with the market versus completely starting from scratch saves both parties time and money, allows for scale and helps you demonstrate partnership success quickly,” Thompson says. “A new and promising partnership can quickly be put at risk if processes, asset creation and approval cycles cause delay. TCMA can aid in the speed-to-market and ensure you stay top of mind with partners and demonstrate your commitment to them and their success from the beginning.”

Henderson from BuzzTheory notes that time-to-market is also vital for channel programs to hit their numbers. “Delayed market entry is the greatest threat to any growth projection,” she says. “Channel programs aren’t immune from that reality. TCMA gives you instant scale across your indirect channels for accelerated product rollouts, ramp-ups and promotions.”

3. Attribution is a Critical Function for TCMA

Smarsh’s Thompson also sees TCMA as a valuable attribution tool. “Channel marketing attribution is something that every company has struggled with at one time or another, given the breadth of marketing tactics and limited budget dollars. If you can’t demonstrate the success of a channel-based marketing or sales approach to leadership, budget will go elsewhere, and the channel will never reach its full potential. The ability to report on marketing activities with partners from a centralized place and attribute the impact of these activities to achieving your overall marketing objectives is a central benefit of TCMA.”

Attribution is critical for partners as well as vendors; TCMA should deliver both, says Dubber’s Long.  “[Partners] should be able to use the engine to track effectiveness and capture leads. A TCMA tool should be able to sync with the partners CRM tools for greater efficiency and visibility,” Long says. “If the TCMA tool is hosted by a supplier, that supplier should be able to … track the usage by the partner community to track effectiveness themselves, especially tied to MDF/co-op requests and program structures.”

4. Lack of Time and Training Are Barriers to TCMA Adoption

When discussing the challenges of TCMA adoptions for partners, JS Group’s Blackmon observes that time – or a lack thereof – is make or break.

“For partners, it’s really a matter of truly taking advantage of these offerings and putting them into action in their practices,” Blackmon says. “Lots of partners are small businesses where one person can be the CEO, head of sales and head of marketing, and sometimes it can be hard to carve out time for marketing no matter how easy vendors make it.”

Dubber’s Long agrees. “Time and interest will always be a challenge for partners adopting TCMA,” he says. “It’s helpful for marketing teams at a supplier to spend [one-on-one] time with the key partners to help design initial campaigns and social media outreach to foster ongoing adoption.”  

Lexington Group’s Stewart also blames low usage on a lack of training on how to use TCMA platforms, which are often not intuitive or even difficult to use.

Henderson agrees, “Untrained partners can waste valuable time, becoming frustrated and unwilling to use the portal and less invested in the vendor partnership. Partners will always choose the path of least resistance.”

Long adds, “If the partners are not using the tool, the supplier’s investment isn’t realized. Wherever possible, making the use of TCMA part of a program’s requirements or rewarding for its usage is key. This way, a supplier’s field sales team can then begin to adopt the usage of the TCMA and its results into conversations they are already having and make it a strategic part of the engagement.”

Training on TCMA may need to start with marketing 101. Many sales partners are novice marketers and might need training in basic marketing concepts like multitouch campaigns. “Consistency is key,” says Bailey from Telarus. “Many times, we see partners send an email and think the leads will just come rolling in. They don’t realize a successful campaign needs to touch the reader on a consistent basis.”

5. Content is Key to TCMA Success

Dubber’s Long notes that TCMA is, like all marketing, about content, and content challenges can impact TCMA results. “Keeping the content fresh and relevant for partners is a challenge,” he says. “Suppliers must constantly make the partners aware of the new content and often take the lead with key partners to ensure they are using the tool often. …Creating content that is industry-specific, vertical-specific helps usage and isn’t always just about one supplier.” 

Bailey from Telarus says vendor-neutral content is critical for partners who position their firms as unbiased advisers. “Channel programs want to push their message to the end-user,” she says. “Partners want to send more generic content about the topic at hand, not the specific supplier pushing their solution. For example, partners want to push a cybersecurity email to their customer base, not an email from a specific supplier about what they do in the world of cybersecurity.”

6. Reporting Is Vital to TCMA Selection

When selecting a TCMA platform, Thompson from Smarsh says reporting is vital. “Having the ability to report on marketing performance and provide in-depth analytics that demonstrate ROI should also be a top consideration when selecting a tool,” she says. “Measurable results are important to the success of any partnership, and marketing activity is no exception. Being able to analyze the success (or failure) of a campaign can provide both parties with invaluable insight into if your joint offerings, messaging, and value proposition resonates with customers and prospects and can inform larger strategic areas of the partnership if leveraged properly.” 

Thompson says that reporting can help drive partner engagement. “You should be consistently monitoring performance, discussing results, and refreshing the content available to partners to keep them coming back. I would recommend frequently looking at trends in new and repeat users, activity execution, and MDF claims and setting KPIs attached to the use of your TCMA tool as a way of measuring success in addition to the results of the individual marketing activities themselves. Look at partner engagement and success indicators as a result of your TCMA tool, in addition to marketing results tied to prospects and customers. The two are equally important.”

7. Make MDF Claims Easier with TCMA

Executing campaigns and tracking leads are critical capabilities for TCMA platforms, but our panelists say they also should take some of the headaches out of MDF programs for both the vendor and their partners.  

“There needs to be robust capabilities to support MDF initiatives, including an easy way for partners to supply proof of performance data for MDF reimbursement,” says JS Group’s Kris Blackmon.

The Lexington Group’s Stewart says ideally, a platform also would make it “easy to access funds for purchase and specifically for claims.”

“If simple and easy to use, [TCMA is] a great way to spend their all too often underspent MDF,” says Stewart. “In particular, for those partners that can’t afford much in the way of their own marketing resources.” 

She adds that vendors can make an impact by enabling partners to spend MDF for “access to a creative service team or even a virtual marketing concierge end-to-end service.”

8. Get Feedback

Zift’s Tenuto encourages vendors to gather partner feedback on their TCMA initiatives during their channel partner program QBRs. “It’s important to know how your partners perceive your TCMA platform,” she says. “Find out what your partners do and don’t like about it and dig into why some partners are successful with it and others are not. Take what you learn to improve your program internally and develop best practices for partners externally.”

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Zift takes feedback seriously and is pleased that the ZiftONE platform was ranked No. 1 for TCMA in the Spring 2022 report by G2, the largest software marketplace with unbiased, validated buyer reviews.

With ZiftONE, you can manage all channel marketing materials in one place and create customized marketing campaigns – emails, co-brandable collateral, social media posts and microsites – with no coding required.

All of us at Zift are thrilled that channel marketers told G2 they love ZiftONE’s capabilities and we’re especially gratified to hear that they can count on our people-powered support. Here’s just one example: 

The post 8 Fundamentals of Through-Channel Marketing Automation appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Sales calls, events, lunch and learns, and other related outings were a requirement for channel partners building business for both themselves and their suppliers. 

With the current shift from physical to digital, suppliers and partners alike are having to find new strategies that meet the same needs.

Virtual Events: The New Relationship Avenue

A digital transformation has been unfolding for quite some time. This isn’t new to anyone in the channel. What is new is the development of tools to support channel programs at this time. Vendors are listening to the needs of partners and coming up with solutions for digital marketers.

One such solution? Zift’s Virtual Event Campaigns capability. ZiftONE users now have the ability to fully integrate the webinar experience and drive the top of the funnel in a more data-backed approach than ever before. 

We’ve previously equated the current digital transformation with the re-skilling of channel marketers to become digital warriors. Virtual Events takes the channel back to the proverbial boot camp and creates a platform for leveling up your marketing approach.

With Virtual Event Campaigns, channel marketers can now:

• Get back to square one on your approach to webinars. Instead of a complicated and tedious event promotion process, Virtual Events enables you to promote your very own thought-leadership webinars (and roadshow series) all in one platform.
• Put power into your partners’ hands. Suppliers can let their partners host lunch-and-learns and other events through ZiftONE.
• Track which partners are actively promoting events and who is driving registrations.
• Empower partners to connect webinar registration with other lead tracking to get a holistic view of which customers and prospects are engaged.

The days of being a one-trick marketer are over. Following the digital transformation, everyone in the channel must now locate and use tools that help us embrace all things “virtual.” The new Virtual Event Campaigns capability is just one new tool to add to the marketing toolbelt. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how Virtual Event Campaigns can serve your channel program’s needs, be sure to contact us at this link.

The post Create a New Relationship Avenue with Virtual Events appeared first on Zift Solutions.

ZiftONE Virtual Event Campaigns create standardized and co-brandable event promotions and the ability to integrate event-specific data with other data housed in ZiftONE. This measures the efficacy of events in lead generation and engagement.

In addition to empowering partners to promote suppliers’ events, the new capability enables partners to promote their own webinars with pre-packaged campaigns from suppliers. This allows companies to better syndicate and standardize customer training and appreciation events across various partners by sharing co-brandable emails and presentations.

“With the challenges of the past two years, many of our customers have embraced online events and webinars in a way they never have before,” said Gordon Rapkin, CEO of Zift Solutions. “ZiftONE Virtual Event Campaigns measure where registrations are coming from, create standardized and co-brandable event promotions, and integrate data that identifies and scores leads and tracks the buyers’ journey.”

All registrations from these events connect with Zift’s lead tracking capabilities, helping ZiftONE customers and their partners better identify highly engaged leads. The marketing campaigns directly integrate with both Zoom Pro and Cisco Webex, giving vendors and their partners options for how they host webinars.

“Joint events have the power to ignite excitement and interest amongst participants. As we’ve seen, this can accelerate buyer decision-making. If joint events are done well, there’s all the more reason to capture and share insights in real-time,” said Stephanie North, VP Channel Services at bChannels. “As our global teams continue to see digital events climb back up the ranks of demand generation tactics for through partner marketing, our ability to integrate event promotion and lead scoring data into our partners’ buyer journey sequences via the ZiftOne platform is super exciting!”

Virtual Event Campaigns were rolled out to all ZiftONE customers as an integrated capability of the all-in-one platform, and are included in Zift’s top-rated through partner marketing automation feature set with no additional licensing fee for new customers.
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About Zift Solutions

Founded in 2006, Zift Solutions has a decade and a half of experience delivering Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Channel Marketing Management. As the global leader in Enterprise Channel Management, the company’s ZiftONE platform integrates channel sales, marketing, enablement, and operations in a single end-to-end channel management solution that oversees the entire funnel from lead to revenue. In 2020, Zift was named the only leader in both Channel Marketing Automation and Partner Relationship Management by Forrester Research. For more information, visit www.ziftsolutions.com.

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You’ll have your channel managers out in full force visiting with their assigned partners. Ask them to sit down, review the year ending, and talk about the new year that’s about to begin.

The question is, how can you help them make the most of those conversations?

When planning for channel partner success, face the brutal truth

Jim Collins, in his book Good to Great, encourages us to face the brutal truth. Leave the sugar coating behind. Everyone gains the most (and channel partner success happens) when we honestly assess what went right and what went wrong.

Some questions you may want to review with your partners include:

“Which targets did we hit, and which did we miss?”

An important part of the planning process is to set goals and then come back to assess how well you fulfilled them. Remember that you have a tremendous amount of data available to you. Look at last year’s goals and compare them to the actuals with the following questions:

• How many new clients did you create?
• How successful were you at selling more to existing customers?
• Did we hit our top-line revenue targets together?
• Did you generate the gross profit margin you intended to hit?
• What was the mix of product sales to services sales?
• How profitable were each? Which contributed more gross profit?
• Have we consistently kept our pipeline full or do we need to be doing more canvassing and prospecting?
• What was our average closing ratio for the past year?
• Were we pursuing the right market segments? Should we have targeted larger customers? Smaller?

“Which marketing initiatives landed well, and which landed with a thud?”

It’s really not enough just to ask what worked and what didn’t. Go deeper.

• Why did some things not work well?
• Was it the messaging?
• Was it the mailing list?
• An unattractive offering?
• Problems with the call-to-action (CTA)?
• Should you have chosen another medium?
• Why didn’t they work?

Now, strap in for this one…

“How well is our partnership working?”

• Are we both getting what we expected out of working together?
• Were our expectations too low? Too high?
• Is this an equitable partnership? That is, are we each bringing enough to the table?
• Does the partner still feel there’s a meaningful value proposition for their customers?
• Can the partner generate enough services revenue around your products to make them worth their while? Competition makes margins slim. Can they compensate with related services?

Okay, enough looking backward. Let’s turn our focus onto the future. After agreeing that you should continue partnering in 2022, it’s a good time to make changes, adjustments, or just fine-tune the partnership.

Discussions should include:

Re-establishing and resetting your goals

• What are our joint revenue and profit targets for the coming year?
• How much of that revenue should come from sales of your product and how much from your partner’s services?
• What overall gross margin do we expect to generate for the partner from sales of your product?
• What overall gross margin do we expect to help your partners generate for themselves?
• If you provide products in multiple categories, perhaps break down the revenue and profit numbers by category.

Deciding what target performance ratios are

• What percent of our sales do we expect to come from existing customers? New?
• How many new clients do we plan to create in the coming year to fulfill our goal for sales from new customers?
• What are our plans to recruit those new clients? (This will take longer to answer…)
• What are our plans to sell more to existing customers?
• Will we be adding new products?
• Will the partner be adding new services?
• Have we analyzed our customers to see what else they need from us?
• What do we expect our average closing ratio to be?

Determine what should continue as it’s been done before

• Hey, no reason to mess with success.
• What else should we be doing that we haven’t been doing.
• Are there specific events coming that we should be marketing to?
• Do we have an established marketing/communications calendar?
• How do we want to take advantage of the co-selling motion?
• What changes do we want to make to our sales process?

Did you see what we did there?

Obviously, a comprehensive list of strategic and tactical planning directions would be book-length. Perhaps multiple books. Our goal here was to get you thinking in more detail about the planning process, and how it lends itself to channel partner success. The more structured your process is, the more participation you will enjoy and the better a plan you will produce.

As we left 2020 we felt sure that 2021 would be a better year. We join all of you in our commitment to make 2022 a better year, a great year, a truly happy new year.

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Plan. As in Ben Franklin’s classic, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

In this case, the focus is on planning your channel partner marketing. Some channel partners see marketing as something they probably should do once in a while, so they send out an email here and there. All one-shots.

But marketing is not a one-shot event. Very few one-shots get traction. This is just one of the reasons some manufacturers and software providers have low opinions of channel partners’ marketing ability.

Well-planned, thought-out campaigns properly executed will bring new business and new revenue! When you help your partners plan such a campaign, first get them to think through the following:

• Who are you targeting? New customers or existing?
• If they’re targeting existing customers, what are you offering them that you haven’t already sold to them?
• If they’re targeting new customers, what’s the value proposition you’re offering them?
• How do you plan to reach them? Which media? Email? Direct mail? Social networks? Calling? Webinars? Seminars? (Hint: it’s better when it’s a combination of several or all of these…)
• How long would you plan your campaign to run?
• How aggressive do you want to be? Soft and nurturing? Hard-hitting? Somewhere in-between?
• How do you plan to work in the products and services of the vendor who is funding this campaign in whole or in part?

This is just the beginning. Once these decisions have been made, you get to start crafting your messaging. Here’s where most channel partners who try to do it on their own trip over themselves, so this is what you need to explain to them:

Write Everything in the Context of the Customer

You can actually check to see if your partner already knows this before you begin! Go to their website and count all the paragraphs on every page. This usually won’t take as long as it sounds. As you go, also count how many of those paragraphs begin with the words “I”, “My”, “Me”, “Our”, the name of the partner’s company, or some other reference to themselves.

Don’t be surprised if almost all of them do. That’s just not uncommon. Most people write in the context of themselves, what they think, and what they want the reader to know. How many times have you gone to a webpage and read something like:

“We’re the Acme Tech Company. We’ve been solving customer’s problems around here for 20 years and they all love us for the way in which we do it.”

 It may not be quite that overt, but you get the idea.

 Help them flip these paragraphs upside down. Perhaps more like: 

“You may be challenged by the demands placed on you to provide better tech services to support your team’s effort to serve customers better. We can help with that!”

There’s a lot more to effective messaging than just that, but for now help your partners understand that the first thing their messaging needs to do is to convince the reader that you know their pain and can help them resolve it.

The moment your partner gets their first positive response to the messaging you help them craft, you instantly become their hero, and your own Channel Marketing Manager will join them in their enthusiasm!

The Formula for Great Channel Marketing

Extending that messaging advice, help your channel partners realize that marketing is not the process of bragging about yourself. It’s the process of convincing the customer or potential customer that you understand their business, their challenges, and you can provide solid evidence that you have a successful track record of solving similar problems for other customers just like them.

Many people still think that to be successful, marketing must “rise above the noise.” Well that’s just plain impossible with all the noise that’s out there now. Nothing rises above it. So what is a marketer to do?

Go back to Sales 101. Sales professionals know that the very best marketing comes from the power of referrals. Nothing beats it. Nobody beats it. In fact, they know that the referrals they get from a sale are more valuable to them than the commissions they earn for that particular sale. Those referrals build their future successes.

The Power of Requesting Referrals

Marketers borrow a page from that book and are sure to include encouragement in every message in an effort to encourage their reader to share it with their associates, friends, customers, even their competition if it’s friendly! “If you liked what I have to say, please share it with others.”

By leveraging those who are already reading your messages and getting them to share them with others, you’re cutting right through the noise to get to a broader audience. This is something you just never stop doing. The more you do it, the larger your audience becomes, the more new candidates you reach.

Where YOU, the Supplier, Fit In

Focusing on that last bullet in the previous section about how channel partners should incorporate YOU into their messaging is actually pretty simple.

Your channel partners want to promote themselves and the services they can provide to customers. Anything you do to help them achieve that is channel magic. All they need to add is messaging about what they do using YOUR products and services and they’ve delivered the most powerful message you could ever ask for. Not just how great your product is, but rather how great what your product does for the customer is. Any product is just a brick until it starts delivering value to a customer.

How to Support Your Partners in their Channel Marketing Strategy

Many manufacturers and software providers make sure they focus not only on to-channel marketing for recruiting and encouragement purposes, but also on through-channel marketing which helps their partners market to customers. Here are some suggestions to improve that through-partner content.

Equip your portal with customizable content

Many channel partners balk at using the collateral manufacturers provide because “it’s all about them!” Also, they know their competitors are sending out the very same stuff.

The more partners can customize your materials the better. And customization doesn’t just mean crash-imprinting their logo and address on it. It means incorporating their value propositions prominently in the copy. You want them to make their content sing about the wonderful things they can do for customers using your products and services.

Bake marketing services into your programs

Several larger manufacturers recruit external resources to provide packaged marketing programs channel partners can have customized and use. These can be very extensive, including a true multi-media approach to capturing customer attention. When making them available to partners they may allow them to apply their accrued MDF to pay for them, or they may offer a shared-funding program.

When selecting these resources, take care to select those that are appropriate for your level of partner. Many marketing agencies serving the channel still focus on the reseller making their programs more retail in nature. Seek those who clearly market professional services if your partners are MSPs, CSPs, or similar.

Use a marketing-friendly PRM

Here’s where we address “the tricky part” of marketing; measuring results.

Knowing what works and what doesn’t work is perhaps the most important information a marketer can have. A solid PRM solution helps with these metrics in many ways. It also keeps your channel management staff as fully in touch with the partners’ marketing efforts and their results as possible.

When selecting your PRM, ask about how extensive the support is for channel marketing!

Highlight the benefits of strong channel marketing from day one

When is the best time to solve a problem? Before it becomes one.

Many channel partner companies came into being when the technical team of an existing partner decided to leave their company and stab out on their own. Awkward, but they took many customers with them. That’s where their early revenue comes from. But then, there’s the problem… Those customers get saturated. They’re not going to be buying more for at least another cycle.

That’s why you need to get in there early with them and encourage them to start marketing for new customers immediately. Starting when they run out of revenue sources can be a disaster. By starting immediately they’ll be ready when that time comes.

Provide hands-on support to set partners up for success

The best channel managers love to roll up their sleeves and dig right into the work of effectively marketing their customers. Show and tell beats just tell any day. Show your partners how to be most effective in their marketing, helping them drive plenty of new revenue, and you will find they completely redefine the word “partner’ when it comes to you and your products.

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1. Why Sales and Marketing Should be Combined
2. How to Bring Sales and Marketing Together
3. Tools to Help Sales and Marketing Alignment
4. How to Teach the Fundamentals of Sales and Marketing
5. How to Build Relationships in Your Teams

1. Why Sales and Marketing Should be Combined

If salespeople are viewed as actors on a stage, marketers are the people who bring the audience into the theater. For marketing to attract an interested audience, it’s important to ask two questions:

1. What are the value propositions for the products and services to be sold?
2. Where can qualified prospective customers be found?

While sales has the knowledge to find customers, it’s reliant on marketing to translate that knowledge into enablement material. Ensuring a partnership between sales and marketing ensures that all customer-facing language and material accurately reflects the value they will find in products. After all, value is what customers buy.

2. How to Bring Sales and Marketing Together

Sometimes, the relationship between sales and marketing needs more clear definition. In order to achieve the mutual goal of creating more profit, it’s important that everyone recognize and appreciate the precise role they play in the company.

Marketing is most effective when it sees sales as its customer. Marketing produces messaging that compels prospective customers to express interest. In turn, salespeople can follow up on that interest.

Great marketers recognize that top sales professionals know what their customers find value in. Marketers use this information to shape their messaging to reach the best qualified candidates and focus on the messages that will attract them most effectively. It all begins with intelligence from sales.

3. Tools to Help Sales and Marketing Alignment

The currency of sales and marketing alignment is feedback. Marketing aims to create highly effective marketing collateral, messaging, and other materials to bring more qualified customers to their sales teams. They depend upon those sales teams to furnish useful feedback to help them improve their production.

Many collaboration platforms now allow users to evaluate materials provided by others. Marketing is best served when they use these capabilities to gather feedback as rapidly as possible from salespeople using their materials in the field. 

In a very real sense, this is “smarketing;” the value-creation version of DevOps. DevOps brings together the software developers and the operators of the computers that run the software to accelerate user feedback. From there, developers can more quickly upgrade the software which operators deploy, then begin the entire cycle again. The goal is continuous improvement through continuous deployment (CI/CD).

In the smarketing version of DevOps, the faster that sales can provide more feedback to marketing, the faster that marketing can improve the messaging to reach even more qualified prospects. This starts the next iteration of the cycle. Again, CI/CD.

4. How to Teach the Fundamentals of Sales and Marketing

While you may understand the fundamentals of sales and marketing, don’t assume that everyone does. If you don’t know where to start with training, we recommend beginning with the following information:

The fundamentals of selling are best defined by following the course of a typical sales process: Leads move from the broad, unqualified top of the sales funnel to the narrow, well-qualified bottom where sales occur.

Marketing’s work begins above the top of the funnel. They start by offering compelling evidence that a product or service is desirable to members of a target audience. Then, they track those who express an interest in learning more. Since their interactions with the contact are limited, they can’t find out much more beyond that expression of interest.

Marketers set thresholds for their leads; one of which is a marketing-qualified lead (MQL), at which point they will refer that lead to sales for follow-up.

The next step in most sales processes is to greet the MQL and communicate with them to achieve further qualification. Salespeople start by finding out what the customer’s needs are and then seeing if they align with the value the product or service provides. If they don’t, the salesperson may recommend other products and services that are better suited.

Once a desirable product has been identified, the salesperson must then determine the answers to several important questions:

• Is the customer ready to buy?
• Is the customer ready to buy from this exact company?
• What is their timeframe for making the purchase?
• Have they allocated sufficient budget to make this purchase?
• Is the contact you’re communicating with the sole decision-maker? Or will you need to convince other people in their organization?

Once positive answers have been obtained for all these questions, the MQL becomes a sales-qualified lead (SQL). At this point, work may begin to produce a recommended solution, a proposal for that solution, and the materials necessary to convince the SQL to buy.

Once the SQL has become a customer, the feedback loop to marketing should bring valuable information back to them to better inform targeting and messaging.

Over the long run, marketing wants to know which materials, which events, and which activities were most effective at attracting leads that ultimately convert to customers.

5. How to Build Relationships in Your Teams

The progress between marketing and sales teams can often be seen as an assembly line of sorts.

Marketing takes untested leads and messages them to identify MQLs. These are then passed along to sales. MQLs can be moved forward to being an SQL, or they might be removed from the process. Sales then converts those SQLs into customers. Alignment between sales and marketing ensures that this process can constantly be improved and propelled to its next iteration.

To most effectively build relationships between sales and marketing, it’s crucial to establish trust above all else.

• Sales must trust marketing to create and present effective and persuasive materials, events, and activities to attract contacts. They must then trust marketing to accurately identify MQLs. This can help sales feels comfortable investing time and effort into them.
• Marketing must trust that the feedback they receive from sales is well-considered, positively-intended, and valuable.
• During regular meetings, marketing benefits from reviews of current pursuits. Reviews can help them learn more about what prospects respond well to and what falls flat. This fine tunes marketing’s messaging. Sales has the opportunity to report on new learnings about customer interests that will inform future messaging from marketing.
• What may be most valuable to marketing is the opportunity to see which of their promotional efforts has translated into SQLs and closed sales.

Marketing and Sales Alignment: Takeaways

Ultimately, sales and marketing have two different functions that contribute mightily to the customer journey. When both teams can speak the same language, align goals, and understand their role in driving revenue, the joint effort can result in superior business outcomes.

These two groups are inextricably interdependent. One cannot function without the other. Shared goals cannot be achieved until sales and marketing alignment has taken place by being on the same page.

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“Do the people who are responsible for marketing in your organization know who their customer is?”

Their salespeople do. Anyone in sales knows who buys from them. They know what those customers buy. If they’re really good at it, they even know why their customers buy. But no matter what, salespeople understand who customers are.

If marketing believes customers are solely theirs, they’re only half right. They’re also sharing with sales.

Why Sales & Channel Marketing Go Hand in Hand

While you’re talking to your partners, another question to ask is: 

“What do your customers buy?”

No, this isn’t a trick. While every customer is different, there is one thing they all buy. Your partners’ sales teams are selling it, but it’s pivotal that marketing promotes it in tandem: Their value to those customers.

Partners may have thought their customers buy products and services, and they’d be correct. But an important question this raises is, why do they buy those products and services from them? Why not their competitors?

More often than not it’s because your partner has built a stronger perception of value for their customers. The core of messaging, sales, and marketing must all point customers in the direction of value awareness. This requires that everyone in the company be aligned in their ability to highlight for customers exactly what that value is. They also need to be able to leverage that value to differentiate themselves from their competition.

Channel Marketing Takes the Lead

Marketing must lead this effort by distilling the company’s value propositions into a set of messages to be conveyed to prospective customers. If those messages are compelling enough, and the value is clear to them, they’re more likely to convert to active customers. If they don’t, it’s likely there are one of three root issues at hand:

• Sales did not qualify and target the customer properly
• The message didn’t adequately amplify the distinguishing value
• The value proposition lacked clarity, resulting in misinterpretation

Partner account managers can get ahead of these issues by taking the following steps:

• Evaluate value propositions
• Provide an objective outsider opinion on how attractive the value props sound
• Track the progress of each message in your partner relationship management (PRM) system

Your partner will appreciate any help you provide in measuring the effectiveness of each message and fine-tuning them.

When marketing messages clearly convey specific value that is desirable to target prospects, they can help convert themselves into leads through calls-to-action. At the end of every great marketing message is an easy-to-understand, easy-to-execute call to the prospect to take specific action to continue the sales motion.

Why Sales and Marketing Alignment Matters

The reason why alignment between marketing and sales is so important is simple: consistency. Once a prospective customer has expressed interest in the value proposition marketing has conveyed to them, salespeople must be speaking the exact same language when they follow up. 

The implications of the effectiveness of value messaging go well beyond any specific lead, prospect, or customer. When those values are defined, promoted, and effectively sold, with delivery made on your value proposition, you’re likely to turn customers into marketers.

How Sales and Channel Marketing Work Together Effectively

The last question to ask your partners is: 

“Who defines your distinguishing value proposition?”

Marketing may write the content, but the actual value itself comes from the entire company:

• Professional and managed service professionals produce tremendous value for customers
• The logistics department processes orders and procures needed equipment and software
• The policies and procedures developed by the partner’s leadership team help to define and focus the value
• Marketing packages it all into compelling content to attract new customers
• Salespeople drive the message home by convincing and closing on sales of that value

Everyone in your company has a role to play in creating, defining, promoting, and selling the company’s value to well-qualified targeted prospects. What’s important is to develop these roles clearly so that team members are empowered to understand and successfully fulfill their role. When everyone commits to their part in producing the value proposition, it resonates with customers!

Sales & Marketing Alignment Tools: Equipping Your Partners

It’s not uncommon for partners to believe that the only thing you want to see promoted is your product or service. Those with less marketing acumen may simply turn around your collateral and only message the features and benefits.

By following channel enablement best practices, you can help partners translate what they do with your products and services into real value for their customers. Remember that the bulk of their profitability comes from their own services, so when you help promote them you become a friend and valued partner.

Example in action? Consider companies like Star2Star Communications. Teams like Star2Star have dedicated staff working on partner success in marketing. With co-branded videos, email marketing campaigns, and more services, partners are given access to marketing material at no cost to them.

You can also work with your own in-house marketing team to produce channel marketing collateral that promotes your own products and services in the context of what a partner can do with them. The more customized this can be to a specific partner, the more value they will perceive and the more enthusiasm they’ll generate for working more closely with you.

Lastly, by leveraging reports from your own PRM system you’ll be able to provide insight to partners regarding the effectiveness and impact of marketing activities. The more insight you provide, the more you will help them fine tune their entire approach to marketing. This alignment will serve sales well, producing greater results for the entire company.

Have personal experience with sales and marketing alignment? Clue us in to your best practices, tips, and suggestions in the comments below.

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If you have partners in Kansas City, Boston, and Florida, would you send them all a message about looking forward to the Bills game? Of course not – you’d customize it to them.

Your partners may not even be saying it, but for many of them, your collateral just isn’t working.

If you were to ask why, they might come up with a million excuses. But the ones who are being honest will tell you, “because they’re all about you!”

Gain Perspective

That may sound odd at first but think about this from your channel partner’s perspective. They’re in business to make money, which means they need to sell themselves first. Then they can sell your products.

Also, if they’re in a sizable market and there are several other partners nearby, the last thing they want to do is look the same to customers. If they’re all sending out the same materials as the competition, they lose. Nobody likes to lose.

So what’s the answer? As a Channel Account Manager, get creative, get innovative, and start producing templated channel marketing collateral your partners can customize to lead with their message. Let them promote their quality services and then promote the value they can offer customers using your products. This paves the path of progress from your warehouse to full utilization of the product by the customer. In other words, it gets the whole job done.

An Easy Template for Customizing Marketing Collateral

We’re talking about way more than leaving space for partners to crash imprint their logo on your collateral.

While every marketing item is different, they all follow a fairly standard, predictable path.

The Hook

• This is where most amateur marketers make their first mistake. Many will start with “Hello, my name is…” or “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to propose…” If that’s your opening, its very likely that’s as far as anyone will read.
• Give your partners a provocative first sentence that will grab the reader and show them you and your partner understand their problem, and follow up in the rest of the first paragraph assuring them you’ve got the right stuff to solve it.

The Evidence

• In the second sentence, present evidence of your claims. Show how your products resolve the pain described in the hook. Be sure to speak in terms of benefits, not just product features. What is the value your solution provides to them?

The Opportunity

• Here’s the partner’s opportunity to explain how they leverage your product to deliver real value, as well as express their preference for your product.

The CTA

• The Call-to-Action must be easy for the customer to accomplish and put them directly in contact with the partner.

Your channel managers may not have the marketing or writing experience to help partners customize these, so consider having your marketing people coach them, or make those marketing resources directly available to the partners for such help.

Integrated Strategy

While important, providing customizable collateral is just one aspect of an overall solution that will help your partners be more successful. The rest of the solution starts with conveying the mindset to your channel management team that you and your partners are truly collaborating and co-marketing to leverage each others’ value propositions in order to sell both your products and services.

If your channel management team are not marketing oriented, considering positioning a regional marketing resource who helps partners craft effective marketing communications. When paired with a tailored marketing material strategy, these investments will pay off handsomely with sales dividends on both sides.

(Josh Allen just scored big with some partner-first channel marketing collateral in 2021…but the big game will have to wait until 2022.)

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Because at no time has it been more challenging – or more important – to prove the value of the channel in driving revenue growth. While 2020 was the season of change, 2021 is the year where successful channel leaders need bold, new moves to reach buyers through skeptical partners.

We tackled topics such as:

• • What role will the Channel influencer play?
  • Why map and personalize the Partner Journey?
  • What am I missing with funnel and pipeline management?
  • Which programs are at risk of not surviving?
  • What is my untapped competitive advantage?

As it turns out, one hour wasn’t nearly enough time to answer all the questions in the (very busy!) chat. So, we’ve gathered them here. Without further ado, the answers to your burning questions, wrapped neatly with a bow. Happy Holidays.

Proving Your Channel’s Value in 2021 – Your Questions Answered

Can you talk more about incentives for multi-attribution models/teams?

Understanding the buyers journey and touch-points of a sale will help a channel chief put an incentive plan together that takes multi-attribution into account. Combining MDF, Rebates, Rewards and Deal/Opportunity Registration will create a solid incentive plan to help incentivize the proper individuals/company throughout the selling cycle. MDF and Rebates are generally table-stakes for incentive programs, but if you layer in Rewards to target the individuals at your partner organizations and Deal/Opportunity Registration at the company you have a way to layer in touch-points to incentivize throughout the sales cycle.

~Vistex

What do you see as the biggest incentives for cloud based partner programs?

When setting up a partner program specific to cloud based programs, MDF is the first priority. It’s a competitive market for cloud based tools and helping partners focus on marketing activities and build their pipeline is important as this market grows. Rebates, Deal/Opportunity Registration and Rewards will help, but getting in front of the sale and providing MDF will aid the partners in the initial stages of growing their businesses and selling your cloud based solutions.

~Vistex

How can we help partners be successful selling remotely?

The key is to help partners make their digital transformation so that they can use remote tactics like social selling, webinars and multi-touch marketing programs that can nurture leads. Sellers will rely more on marketing tactics today as they are not in front of the customer, so helping them in any way to communicate value to the customer using digital tactics is the way to go.

~Zift

How do you work with partners who don’t know how to measure data for marketing, don’t want to share information or are just plain not interested?

Actually it’s the data that will convince them to join in your marketing efforts. Start by showing them how more and more buyers (up to 67% per Forrester) are using the web to find solutions. Next show them what they can do to attract those buyers and convert them into leads. Once you have done that, use the same approach to describe how much more expensive it would be to find that lead by just calling prospects — it would be hit or miss. Once they are convinced you can start measuring marketing productivity, e.g. for every $1 you invest in marketing, you can grow to $X pipeline. That will get their attention!

~Zift

How do we best encourage our partners to leverage our educational pieces / trainings, when we’re not their only vendor? It’s common that they have ~4 vendors and they tend to pick and choose only a handful of the trainings.

Partners often complain that supplier efforts to train them are typically one-and-done. They also want to leverage training with their customers, for example touting their certifications. So I would combine the two to create an approach that offers partners some form of continuous learning that they can be certified once they complete. Make sure you answer “what’s in it for them” when you invite them into the training, showing them how other partners have gone on to grow their business. Nothing will convince a partner more than another partner reference who has succeeded.

~Zift

Lots of discussion around leads, but what about pipeline marketing? Supporting in closing leads and contributing towards conversion.

I agree with your question, specifically marketing’s role in advancing leads in the bottom stages of the funnel. There are several places where marketing strategies can help you do better here, for example this is one areas where Channel Data Management can help. For example on the ZiftONE platform we’re using data to help make suggestions to partners who have deals that may be “stuck” in the funnel. By analyzing what other partners are doing to move similar opportunities, we can make suggestions on what next steps to take, e.g. invite the prospect to a webinar, suggest a social media blog, etc.

~Zift

How would you approach SaaS products with traditional partners who have no-to very little competence in this area?

Similar to how to incentivize cloud based programs, beginning with MDF will help partners who have little experience in this area. Creating an individualized business plan with the partner(s) that focuses on marketing activities, training and certifications, etc. will help them be able to target the areas you believe, as a vendor, are important to bring a partner up to speed in SaaS products. Ensure the partners have the resources and understand if they are able to dedicate time to this new line of business. Providing them with the content and tools to be able to execute the plans will go a long way to help smaller partners who may not have in-house marketing support.

~Vistex

When you talk influencers in the industrial ecosystem, do you mean a third party that echoes your message, or influencers within your partners?

YES. It could be lead generation / referral partners, it could be third parties who influence during the sales cycle, and/or it could be individuals or companies who wrap services around your solutions and thereby influence your solution…think the Salesforce model.

~AchieveUnite

Have you defined what the journey could look like for different LOBs and influencers?

Yes, as well as where they fit in each of the customer journeys and the touch points. Often the vendors leave out these influencers and partners and we don’t maximize the opportunity to leverage those partners through the journeys, especially as we get into line of business buyers.

~AchieveUnite

Thoughts on expanding the Alliance approach into the rest of the partner ecosystem?

Yes, That is key!! Agree.

~AchieveUnite

The post Proving Your Channel’s Value in 2021 – Your Questions Answered appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The post 10 Channel Strategies to Drive Higher Sales & Marketing ROI appeared first on Zift Solutions.

So, the needle swung. And it swung far. In conference rooms across the country, Marketing became a math formula:

25% of our whitepaper leads become Marketing-Qualified Leads (MQLs) + Our Sales Development Reps (SDRs) qualify 25% of these MQLs to Sales-Qualified Leads (SQLs) + Our Account Exec’s close 10% of these SQLs to revenue = We need 5 deals a month to maintain our growth trajectory.

And that translates to, “Marketing: Go get 800 white paper leads this month — and we’re also hiring 4 new SDRs next month. They’ll need leads, too.”

And it worked — for a while.

In the world of UX, the term banner blindness refers to “a phenomenon in web usability where visitors to a website consciously or unconsciously ignore banner-like information, which can also be called ad blindness or banner noise.” Nine years after the publication of Predictable Revenue, we’re experiencing the same phenomenon albeit mutated. Buyers have been blasted by nurture programs and sales cadences, all designed to wrap them in a neat, measurable funnel.

And they know it. And they aren’t buying in. So, what’s the plan? How do we as direct or indirect marketers appeal to this empowered buyer?

Go Where the Demand Is — And Double Down

Rather than trying to create new high-intent demand from cold leads (with channels that should lean more toward brand), identify where in-market prospects are doing their research and double down on those channels.

Do you have a presence on websites like G2, SoftwareAdvice, and TrustRadius? These sites allow in-market prospects to read reviews, compare solutions, and form opinions about your business; all before ever talking to a sales representative. The real estate on these pages becomes some of the most valuable real estate in your arsenal. Ensure that the information you’re providing clearly addresses the problems and pains your prospects are facing — and clearly positions your solution as the key to addressing these pains.

How about your own high-value web properties, like your demo or contact pages? As marketers, we spend tremendous money driving in-market prospects to these pages. We should be running regular experiments to ensure that the information and value provided on these pages align with prospect expectations — encouraging them to share their incredibly valuable contact information.

Money spent driving high intent traffic to a demo page that’s all but abandoned is wasted money. And unearned or purchased contact information is a commodity. But a prospect willingly providing that same contact information and explicitly asking for sales follow up? That’s a treasure.

Become a Good Citizen of Your Industry

Ask five different members of your company what the most important asset in your company is, and you’ll likely get five different answers.

• Our direct sales team: They crush it!
• Our channel partners: They’ve extended the reach of our company by 3X!
• Our product: It’s leaps and bounds better than our competitors’ solutions!
• Our direct and channel marketing campaigns: We drive so many leads for our sales teams!
• Our customers: The feedback they provide is essential!

There’s one asset that wasn’t on that list, and it’s an asset that will accelerate all of the above: Value.

Ungated value. Value that doesn’t have an ask attached to it. Value that doesn’t lead someone to a funnel. Value and information for the sole purpose of giving back to the industry you’re earning a living on.

When you stop creating content for the sole purpose of fulfilling a lead obligation and start creating content with a focus on true prospect value, something magical can happen. Prospects start engaging with your content every day, in an environment that facilitates lively discussion with their peers. They incorporate your strategic guidance into their every day. And they want more because you’ve provided them with knowledge to help them be the hero of their own journey. You’ve positioned yourself as not just a vendor — but a trusted advisor that has earned the right to their attention.

Ask yourself: If you’ve spent six months building a sales enablement strategy and are ready to purchase a solution, are you going to call the company that provided daily strategic sales enablement advice and didn’t ask for a thing in return? Or are you going to call the company that you downloaded a whitepaper from and have been trying to sell to you since?

Measure What Matters Most

Let’s walk through two scenarios.

Scenario 1: Your marketing team is producing 300 whitepaper download MQLs per month, which you’re sending to sales. Given the low intent, sales is only closing 5% of them to new business. At an ACV of $10,000 you’ve generated $150,000 in revenue.

Scenario 2: Your marketing team has ungated all their valuable content, and is amplifying it with no funnel-driven call-to-action (CTA) for your target audience. This month, via their analytics platform they know 150 prospects have not downloaded content — but consumed it. Of those 150 prospects, 50 have explicitly asked to speak to Sales — a true MQL. Given the high intent from the prospect raising their own hand, Sales is closing 30% to new business. At an ACV of $10,000 you’ve generated $150,000 in revenue.

Both scenarios have generated the same exact revenue. But that’s not the whole story. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Which scenario had the more valuable MQLs? (Revenue / # of MQLs)
• Which scenario took more of Sales’ time and therefore incurred a higher CAC?
• Which scenario had a higher Opportunity Cost?
• Which scenario fostered a more trusting relationship between Marketing and Sales?
• Which scenario promoted a more positive brand image?

So what really matters? Not just leads. It’s certainly not just lead volume. And despite it being the north star metric for the large majority of the work we as marketers do, it’s not just pipeline. It’s how we get there, and the resonation from that journey. Whether it’s internal between your own teams or the perception of your brand from the prospects that you ultimately need to grow.

The winds are shifting yet again. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to me talk about these and more best practices for digital marketing on this week’s episode of Channel Chatter LIVE. Take a listen to the podcast and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

The post Tracking the Winds of Change in Growth Marketing appeared first on Zift Solutions.

MAKE IT EASY

Many of today’s partners are representing multiple brands, sometimes selling as many as 10 to 15 vendor products and solutions. You’re fighting to keep mindshare. To grab and keep their attention, particularly amid the current COVID crisis, you must make it extremely easy to work with and within your channel program.  Already pressed for time, partners will turn to the easiest, most lucrative, and least time-consuming programs. So, keep your portal straightforward and easy to access.

MAKE IT RELEVANT

Partners won’t log into your portal out of the goodness of their hearts. You have to give partners a clear reason to log in. Tell them the benefits of doing so and provide updates to pique their curiosity. This will be more likely to get them to take action and keep taking action on a regular basis. A periodic nudge, like an email newsletter, with details on new content in the partner portal, is a great example of one way to spread the word.

KEEP IT FRESH

Stale and irrelevant portal content is your enemy. Fighting that enemy takes planning,  resources and flawless execution. Once you’ve launched a partner portal, you must commit to continually maintaining and adding fresh content to it regularly.  Suppliers who build and load a steady stream of valuable portal content, which they regularly promote with a steady cadence, are those who keep partners active and engaged. 

EXTEND YOUR REACH

Partners can’t power success on their own, neither can their Partner Account Managers. Ongoing engagement with the supplier-side extended team is imperative for success. They must be able to tap into regional marketing, field marketing, channel sales, corporate marketing, and product marketing departments to support and promote your partner portal. They can often contribute info, assets and valuable product information useful in partner communications and campaigns.  and even work directly with partners and subject matter experts. It remains up to the program owner to evangelize your portal with others and emphasize how important the extended teams’ role is to the program, since “rallying the troops” can have a beneficial effect on program success and partner engagement.

CALENDARIZE IT

To support the 3 Cs of To-Partner Communications Amid COVID (Clear, Concise & Cadence), you’re going to need a plan. I would typically advise creating and sharing a content calendar that schedules to-partner communications along with marketing content and campaigns you intend to deliver to partners as far out into the future as possible. In today’s transformed climate, aim for a quarter or two. Then call upon extended teams to formalize your content creation process. For example, work with Corporate Marketing to share your brand’s overall strategic initiatives to keep the pipeline flowing to partners. Check in with Product Marketing on training and enablement tools and/or messaging you can share with partners.  

AS A RULE, SOLICIT FEEDBACK

Times have changed dramatically. With events and handshakes off the table, partners will likely need more digital assets and marketing campaigns to connect with customers. Instead of guessing what they want: Ask them. Consider conducting a survey of your partners to understand what they really want and need to maintain or even grow their business now. You can also use the survey to gauge your partners’ resources and capabilities to determine how complex campaigns can or should be.  Utilize the results to inform your calendar and prioritize content. Once they know the content they want and need is always available through you, your partners will not only use but seek out your portal and program.

TURN TO THE EXPERTS

Looking for more expert insight on how to engage and motivate your partners? Check out Zift’s new Essential Channel Visions Vol. II. It’s packed with advice from close friends of mine (they just happen to be channel leaders and analysts) who can show you to amp up and turn up the volume on your partner marketing and engagement: Check it out now!  

The post How to Amp Up Partner Engagement Now appeared first on Zift Solutions.

CREATING DIGITAL WARRIORS

We have all heard the term ‘digital transformation’ ad nauseum for years, but this is a digital transformation of a different kind.  This is a transformation to digital where we already have the tools — and it is a transformation that we can’t delay. Channel partners need to transform into digital marketers now. They have to learn to drive the top of the funnel with digital tactics. Then they have to transform those hand-to-hand combat skills they’ve honed for years into online skills to improve qualification and selling without face-to-face contact. This digital transformation is a re-skilling of the channel to become digital warriors. It is back to boot camp for the channel.

It is also a time for suppliers to re-skill and digitally transform as well.  Many channel organizations rely heavily on the annual massive partner conference where you lock all of your partners in a room and PowerPoint them to death with your products and programs. Without the benefit of a big conference and captive audience, supplier’s digital messages have to be much better at capturing mindshare. Suppliers must be better at segmenting their communications and targeting their audiences with highly personalized to-partner communications if they are going to achieve digital effectiveness.

LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT: WHY CADENCE & VIRTUAL CONFERENCES MATTER

Drill sergeants know that their soldiers run farther and faster when chanting and following a cadence. Cadence is equally valuable in the channel. Regularly delivering information and valuable content to channel partners is paramount. Suppliers that communicate with their channel only when they want something will see momentum falter and the audience slip away.  The communication equation requires suppliers to transform their tactics to focus on attracting and maintaining mindshare and engagement, rather than simply blasting out messages and assuming they have their partners’ attention.

Suppliers also have to consider on-line conferences which are a whole digital transformation in themselves. An online conference has to overcome the distraction factor that goes with the audience sitting at home instead of in the convention center.  Virtual events don’t carry the punch of a face-to-face conference unless the supplier dramatically ups its digital game to drive attention and enthusiasm. Simply moving a physical conference to a virtual setting is a recipe for failure. Converting a partner conference to a virtual event requires a complete transformation.  A good rule of thumb is to plan the conference from the perspective of a distracted participant. Think about what it is going to take to keep them engaged.

The good news is that all of this digital transformation is becoming evident in the C-Suite. CMOs and CEOs are looking at channel marketing budgets and realizing that all the money originally allocated to events and face-to-face tactics now needs to be redirected to digital marketing if the channel is going to continue to be a contributor to corporate success.  That means there is money to fund the transformation and to help the channel re-skill. This is a digital transformation we can execute!

Interested in learning more? Join me (and Laz Gonzalez) for a conversation about the tactical transformation occurring in the channel today in this episode of Zift’s new podcast, CHANNEL CHATTER LIVE!

The post Back to Boot Camp for the Channel appeared first on Zift Solutions.

THE WHYS & HOWS OF PARTNER ENGAGEMENT DURING A CRISIS

Channel expert Laz Gonzalez’s recent blog, No Handshakes, Please! Coronavirus’ Impact on B2B Channel Leaders, did an excellent job explaining why now is the time to invest in the channel and partner engagement. As Director of Channel Enablement here at Zift, I want to take a few minutes to dig into how you can drive partner engagement at any time, but especially during any crisis that creates an infodemic. 

Laz made the point that it’s vital to avoid losing partner mindshare, especially now when it is so easy for channel partners to be distracted. To-Partner communications are a must-have. And B2B brands and suppliers should be segmenting their partners in order to optimize and strengthen those messages and connections. Once you have segmented partners, simply follow the 3 Cs of To-Partner Comms to grab and keep partner attention amidst the current media and communications chaos: Clear, Concise & Cadence. 

• CLEAR: Partner communications must be targeted, relevant, and action-oriented to stand out in the midst of so much information. This is particularly important right now when partners are receiving tons of messaging around their business needs in the face of the coronavirus. Channel leaders need to talk to their partners about the things that matter most to the partner and their business. Everything else is just noise that gets ignored – and repeated noise leads to avoidance, even when the message IS relevant.
• CONCISE: Keep your messages short and get to the point. Answer the partner questions of “Why should I care?” and “What’s in it for me?” quickly. And always provide a strong Call to Action (CTA). Tell partners exactly what you want them to do next, such as click on a link to their ZiftONE Partner Portal.
• CADENCE: Ideally, channel brands and suppliers should communicate with their partners at least two times per month. Again, messages should be targeted, to the point, and relevant to the audience – think Partner Groups! Don’t just tell them what’s going on now (NEW Release Notes, Campaigns, Promotions, Training or Certification Courses). Tell them what’s coming up – well enough in advance that they can plan for it. Give them educational-based information and/or best practices to help them be more successful overall. Or, feature a partner as a Channel Spotlight/Success Story to get the other Partners motivated and engaged.

It’s not just partners that are easily distracted. Everyone is feeling a little overwhelmed and scattered. Stay organized by creating and sticking to a communications calendar. It doesn’t matter if you use a Google or Excel Sheet, Smartsheet, Trello Board, etc. Map it out and track it in the way that makes the most sense to you and your partners.

In summary, To-Partner communications should follow the 3 Cs and keep messages:

1.       Clear and relevant
2.       Concise with a strong call to action
3.       In a regular Cadence

Let us know what you’re doing to connect with your partners in the comments section below. 

The post The 3 Cs of To-Partner Communications Amid COVID-19 appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Sound familiar? 

While Zift may not be able to cure your insomnia altogether, we can provide answers to the channel-related questions keeping you up at night — particularly when it comes to channel demand and lead generation. 

A lack of lead gen programs likely isn’t what’s worrying you. 61% of suppliers offer supplier-generated lead programs, where they market for partners. 63% offer partner-generated lead programs, where they market through partners. Referral lead programs are on the rise as well. It’s far more likely that a lack of strategy and insight into the impact of those programs is what’s got you tossing and turning. 

WHY COUNT SHEEP – WHEN YOU CAN COUNT ON DATA? 

Why are the channel chiefs running best-in-class channel programs sleeping soundly?  For one, their programs are data-driven. They have immediate access to data on nearly every measurable touchpoint. So their channel programs start off strong with data on buyers and partners — and track their actions and success across the entire sales cycle. 

Having a targeted buyer persona or personas for prospects also gives partners a leg up when trying to sell. If they know who their prospects are, and how to talk to them, it’s much easier to hone in on what really resonates with their audience. Suppliers can also benefit from creating partner profiles for their own recruitment practices. Knowing your channel partner can help know your buyers, too. Surveys are a great way to get this information. 

AUTOMATION = NO WORRIES ABOUT THOSE EMAILS GOING OUT

Looking for a way to increase partner participation and campaign execution capabilities? Automated partner enablement processes have got your back. Partner enablement is an increasingly important topic for channel marketing professionals; it’s what keeps partners invested and participating in the program. An automated process provides a way to let partners pick their own pace for starting out with the program, which is a big plus for most partners, who are often busy trying to sell your products or solutions. 

Outcome-based programs are more likely to succeed, due to marketing plays with prepackaged (and preferably automated) elements that anticipate buyer needs. The channel is more about customer and partner experience than ever before — their happiness and ability to easily access campaigns matters. Another important element for partner experience is a prescriptive approach. Concierge services that guide partners and can even perform for-partner campaign activities go a long way toward helping partners succeed. 

MEASURABLE KPIS ARE LIKE THE COLD SIDE OF THE PILLOW

A channel strategy element that is often misused or overlooked is tracking performance Key Performance Indicators or KPIs. Predictable, measurable data KPIs should be determined in advance of a program to help you know if you’re on track to meet your goals or need to make adjustments. KPIs work particularly well with campaign planning, buying processes and across the sales cycle. 

Want to learn more? The SiriusDecisions Fast-Tracking Channel Demand Model demonstrates exactly how to create the lead generation program of your dreams. Forrester’s Maria Chien and our own Laz Gonzalez discuss the SiriusDecisions Fast-Tracking Channel Demand Model and much more in this webinar, where you can learn more lead gen tricks to keep those nighttime worries at bay. Watch it now or before bedtime tonight.

Have any additional channel questions keeping you up at night? Leave us a comment below, or contact us directly. We’d love to chat. 

The post Lead Generation Keeping You Up at Night? Your Dream Channel Strategy is Waiting appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Excitement is infectious. Excited partners selling to customers make for excited customers. There is another factor at play here, though.

The highest performing salespeople generally have one trait in common: a high EQ. Yes, you read that right — not IQ, but EQ, which stands for Emotional Quotient. Having a high Emotional Quotient measures Emotional Intelligence, which plays a key role in understanding the importance of fostering good relationships with customers. 

In fact, Emotional Intelligence and emotional agility are essential to professional and personal success. Brownwyn Hoffmann, a Fortune 500 Consultant & Executive Coach, shared this knowledge with several hundred leaders at the 2019 Women of the Channel East event in NYC.  

How can you nurture these sales powerhouses and match their EQ with excitement for selling your products? 

Carefully nurturing your connections is a great place to start. Enabling partners is not just a best practice we recommend for any channel program. It’s something that is vital to channel health to keep those high performers going strong. Keeping them updated on business and market-valued competencies gives partners a reason to keep coming back, and not focusing on other vendors. Train them on not only your products and business objectives but also competitive differentiators. This will really give them an edge when making a sale. 

Think of enablement as connecting through videos or training in your portal. It might be time to reinvent the content and timing of your to-partner communications.  What about offer campaigns with calls to action that will excite buyers to connect with your partners? Maybe it’s time to reevaluate the messaging and clarify the problems your solution solves uniquely and offer your partners training on how to refresh their pitch. 

Enablement is more than an activity. It’s an approach to creating mutual success. 

I hope that 2020 is the year where your channel relationships help your business to soar!

The post Up Your Partner Enablement Game with EQ Nurturing appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Of course, SiriusDecisions analysts and guests brought their A-game to a week of B2B marketing and sales presentations primarily focused on Supercharging the Revenue Engine Tech Stack. And, at least for me, it was hard to miss the delightful cross-over between Rudolf and his old pals from the Island of Misfit Toys and a key theme carried across many of the SiriusDecisions educational sessions.

A COLLECTION OF MISMATCHED TECH

The opening keynote session from SiriusDecisions’ experts, Senior Research Director of Technology Strategy John Donlon and Gil Canare, Senior Research Director of Marketing Executive Services, demonstrated just how many organizations struggle to grow revenue with a disjointed tech stack. Without a holistic approach to receiving, processing, interpreting and reacting to buyer signals across channels and functions, they struggle or even fail. John and Gil discussed how easy it is to end up with a collection of mismatched and siloed solutions within your technology stack that can’t support revenue growth or deliver an exceptional buyer or customer experience. Moreover, they underscored a fact that Zift has been shouting from the rooftops for some time: It’s time to shift away from functionally siloed technology management. It’s time for a horizontal cross-functional stack that delivers true Enterprise Channel Management. 

With mismatched channel technologies, data is dispersed and can’t serve as an asset or deliver comprehensive business insight. Business decisions are made without the proper information and customer experience gets lost in the shuffle. In addition, singular tech solutions are often mismatched and integrations can be the stuff of nightmares, much like the terrifying Bumble in Rudolf’s adventures — or Frank the ChanTech Monster felled by ZiftONE in 2019.  

TRAVERSING A NON-LINEAR BUYING JOURNEY

Event attendees heard this message again and again from analysts and business leaders on the main stage and in breakout sessions. Kerry Cunningham, Senior Research Director of Marketing Operations for SiriusDecisions, and Steve Silver, Service Director, Sales Operations Strategies, emphasized the need to provide a unified technology experience to attract and keep modern B2B buyers, who are traversing a very non-linear buying journey. 

“The modern interaction mix should use the latest innovations to attract, engage, qualify and close deals with buying groups; optimize buying groups for conversion, and provide a unified experience across devices and channels for any path buying groups may take on their journey,” said Silver. Zift couldn’t agree more. 

In their presentation, “The Ties That Bind: How Connecting to Back-Office Tech Improves the Customer Journey,” Lisa Nakano, SiriusDecisions’ Service Director for Customer Engagement Strategies and Liz Herber, VP, Principal Analyst for Forrester, also stressed that, “Customer engagement, retention, loyalty and advocacy suffer when revenue technology is disconnected from enterprise systems or connected to outdated enterprise systems.”  

REV UP REVENUE ENABLEMENT 

SiriusDecisions Service Director for Channel Marketing Strategies Maria Chien along with Heather Cole, Service Director for Sales Enablement Strategies, detailed the impact of disjoined tech during one of my favorite presentations, “Maximize Your Torque With the Ultimate Revenue Enablement Tech Stack.” According to Heather and Maria, “Scaling sales enablement to deliver learning, assets, and communications to diverse internal and external teams requires a tech stack that enables real-time delivery of what to know, what to say, what to show and what to do next in every customer interaction. This tall order can only be accomplished with a well-thought-out strategy supported by an integrated tech stack.” Amen. 

If your tech stack looks more like an island of mismatched and misfit toys, it’s time to get it together. Learn more about Zift’s vision and winning business philosophy of Enterprise Channel Management — and how you can connect and simplify channel sales, marketing, and operations with just ONE solution: ZiftONE. 

The post The Island of Misfit ChanTech Toys: Scenes from SiriusDecisions Tech Exchange 2019 appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Today, largely due to the onset of digital marketing and an increasingly informed buyer, partners cannot rely solely on finding prospects and selling to them so much as they can no longer take anything less than a personal approach. In fact, if you ask partner sellers what has changed most in their interactions with buyers, they’re likely to say:

• Buyers are less inclined to engage with partners early in the sales cycle
• When they do, they are more informed and more skeptical
• Buyers are needing more and earlier returns on their investment

So What Works?

The only proven way to go is through helping partners tell their stories using a variety of marketing tactics that align with the buyer. Using a combination of inbound and outbound tactics not only increases program efficiency, but it also attains better results for partners. 

For example, if a partner wishes to upsell a current customer who is buying a different supplier’s product or service, it would be easy for that partner to leverage their existing relationship with the prospect through targeted emails. However, it would be even more effective if that partner started earlier in the buyer’s journey with some social posts on how the new product can save time and money. Any of the prospects who respond to the posts, either by sharing or commenting, could be scored higher and sent follow-up emails with offers to learn more. 

This multi-tactic approach avoids the “spray-and-pray” method used by many channel marketers in favor of offering compelling content to the prospect at each stage of their journey, starting with loosening the status quo and committing to change, then proceeding further through the buyer’s journey into the selection and validation stages.

Fine-tuning the Message

Instead of rushing to tell their own stories, channel partners need to tell two combined stories: theirs and their vendor’s. To do so, a multitouch approach that takes into account where the buyer is in their journey helps build an integrated, harmonious journey. Think process first when delivering your digital ads, emails or offers. Often a partner will follow up with a prospect after they’ve had a chance to hear their supplier’s overarching message in an ad or campaign. This “air-cover” works best once a prospect shows interest. A partner could be the next one to contact them, either by showing them an offering to learn more or delivering supplier-provided content. This coordinated hand-off marks a characteristic common to best-in-class channel marketing organizations. It requires a cadence between the supplier and partner to deliver the right message at the right time.  

Needless to say, it also requires an end-to-end platform that can capture all information provided by partners and use that to develop targeted marketing campaigns — and that’s just what ZiftONE is capable of. We’re helping many channel marketing and sales organizations drive higher performance with their partners, especially when it comes to employing modern marketing strategies and best practices. I’d like to hear more about your own efforts to increase the effectiveness of your channel marketing efforts.  Feel free to reach out to me, or to leave a comment below. 

The post The Rise of Modern Marketing in B2B Channels appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The post Channel Onboarding, Engagement, & Services: Lessons from Oxford and London appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Manually controlling sending each piece of a marketing campaign is similar. You have your pieces all lined up in your CMM, but pressing “go” is a critical part of that process — and if you accidentally press “go” too soon on one email, well, you have to catch all those falling marketing suitcases as they tumble out of your car. You risk sending too many emails in a row, annoying contacts. 

Investing in an automated campaign manager can solve this whole problem. It’s like your organized friend whipping out a tape measure and putting each piece of luggage in your car for you, leaving you free to gather up your family members and head out. Here’s some of the problems a campaign manager can help solve — and a taste of the good things that come with campaigns being sent out automatically. 

Put Time Back on Your (& Your Partners’) Side

We’re all busy. It takes time to set up campaigns and manage them day-to-day. Time that could be better spent on selling or taking care of customers. Dealing with the intricacies of campaigns takes valuable (and often scarce) resources away from other outlets, and trying to capture modern best practices in those campaigns can be intimidating as well, especially for smaller organizations. Plus, you and your team might be busy dealing with a monster ChanTech mash, which can take resources away on your side.

Are You on the Pulse of Digital? 

For partners whose digital efforts aren’t integrated with their overall sales and marketing, using one form of digital marketing alone may not seem worth it. Worse yet, using just one form may actually dilute the brand, misrepresenting their values and products. Companies who rely on word-of-mouth or direct mail with one sparsely filled-out Facebook page may strike a bad chord with customers, who can pick up on how savvy companies are with digital marketing very easily. And, as with before, often partners don’t have the time to completely change up their marketing strategies. 

Let’s Get Digital

We’ve covered the problem — partners either may not have the time, resources, or know-how to enable complicated digital marketing campaigns on their own. One solution may be an automated campaign manager. 

With simplified campaign execution and delivery, even partners who struggle with adopting digital marketing tactics can easily enable campaigns. Essentially, it’s just a matter of pushing a button for marketing materials to start going out at a preset cadence. Automation also ensures customers won’t be inundated by too many marketing materials at once. We’ve all been on the receiving end of overly enthusiastic marketing campaigns. 

Grouping automated campaigns by partner type goes even further to drive engagement and results. Targeted campaigns for specific groups can eliminate the paralysis of choosing one campaign from many and help partners pursue prospects aligned to their business specializations. 

No matter how you configure your marketing suitcases, automation helps both you and especially partners — automated campaigns for partners puts them well ahead in the game of campaign management. Consider it like giving partners a diagram for their own puzzle. Without having to juggle all the pieces of a multi-tactic digital marketing campaign, they’ll have the time and tools to close more deals.

Want to learn more? We’d love to chat more — or leave a comment on your experience with automation in the channel. (And if you have any tips on stacking luggage, those would be welcome, too.) 

The post How Campaign Management Can Save Time & Resources appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Recently we spoke with AchieveUnite’s founder and CEO Theresa Caragol about how our alliance benefits vendors and their partners, what they’re excited for in the rest of 2019, and thought leadership that’s changing the channel. 

Q: Why is AchieveUnite partnering with Zift Solutions?

A: Founder & CEO Theresa Caragol for AchieveUnite: Fifty percent of the sales cycle is done before a person ever talks to another person. So, the notion of marketing self-to-self is incredibly important in the channel right now — Arguably, more important than ever. Zift has a very good marketing automation platform and capabilities for vendors to pivot from, and we want to help bridge that gap with vendors and channel partners.

Another reason we’re partnering with Zift is the real thought leadership talent present in folks like Laz Gonzalez, who are bringing concepts and strong thought leadership to the channel. At AchieveUnite, we really resonate with that! 

Q: What can AchieveUnite and Zift do for channel organizations and their partners?

A: On our end, we help companies in three areas: channel marketing, strategy, and planning expertise. We ask what results they need to drive and how they plan to get those results, then we help execute those goals. 

The second area that we help with is channel marketing automation. We drive companies towards best practices in how they scale their SaaS, their incentives, and rewards. How do they scale so that they can offer the best solution at the most optimal cost for their partners and ultimately end-customers? We help them answer that question.

And then, the third area is in specific marketing and enablement initiatives to help drive adoption of the plan and automation. That could be a custom enablement program around business planning or marketing planning, or it could be digital forensics for partners to make sure that they are doing their best sales in the marketplace.

Q: What is AchieveUnite’s primary focus area of expertise?

A: We have a few areas of focus. We focus on consulting and we have a practice that focuses on channel strategy, channel analytics, and channel programs. There’s also our automation market, which is our integration services. It comes from an automation perspective and covers the whole suite of channel program automation that companies need to adopt. We consult and we educate.

Our practices include complete partner program assessments around partner recruiting and engagement, deal and opportunity management, onboarding, content management, concierge services as well as automation readiness and tool implementations. We also consult on modern marketing strategies which include best-of-breed digital executions and social media insights.

Our Channel Acceleration Bootcamp launches in October, which is great for companies or individuals who need to learn the channel from a strategic perspective. We’ll be focusing on topics like what go-to-market model you should have if you’re trying to build a channel program and all the different aspects of channel strategy. 

We also have ACE: Leadership by Influence. This teaches all the hard and soft skills required to be a channel leader in the industry. For instance, if a company needs to drive partners to improve their digital presence, we’ll show them exactly what a best-in-class digital presence looks like. Then we accredit them at the end of that program once they’ve adopted those recommendations. Essentially, we coach around all different aspects of the channel through our ACE program.

Q: Do you integrate with or provide specific services around ZiftONE? 

A: We’re a Zift Zone Service partner, which means we provide strategy and services as a complement to ZiftONE. Additionally, we help clients integrate and connect with ZiftONE, making sure that all the programs and services are built accordingly to make our clients successful. 

Q: What are the broader business challenges that Zift and AchieveUnite can help tackle together?

A: I would say there are two answers in this one. We’ve recently completed research with the University of Glasgow around the lifetime value of partners. You can think about customer lifetime value like this: If one customer goes and buys a car, and they’re all the same value, and they buy ten cars, that’s a 10X value, but a partner can do that a hundred times or a thousand times. So, you can basically quantify partner lifetime value. What are the six predictors that you have to have for your partner program in order to be successful to retain your partners for life? The research in our eBook: The Key to Long-Time Partner Success answers that. 

We are also going to be coming out with our 2020 channel marketing predictions soon, so be on the lookout for that.

Want to learn more about AchieveUnite? Head over to their blog and subscribe for more great channel thought leadership. They’re at CompTIA ChannelCon this week as well. Be sure to stop in on August 6 at 10:45am or 1pm to hear Theresa Caragol speak more on channel strategy and partner value props. We’ll be at ChannelCon, too. Looking forward to seeing you there!

The post AchieveUnite, Channel Acceleration & the Lifetime Value of Partners appeared first on Zift Solutions.

While going into great detail on how much and which initiatives they invested in, I collected how much they spent in three categories: To-, Through- and For-Channel Marketing. That research stands on its own and is available through SiriusDecisions, who continues to publish excellent channel briefs and core strategy reports. But here’s what was really interesting: most suppliers want to know how much should they spend in each bucket.

How Do Suppliers Spend Their Channel Marketing Budgets?

How companies invest in channel marketing, from agency involvement to tools used to deploy marketing campaigns and partner engagement, is uniquely different based on the type of channel a supplier has and the products or services on offer.  

A two tier-channel – one consisting of a supplier-to-reseller model – typically invests the majority of their budget in “through-partner” marketing (>50%). This generates demand and creates leads for partners and suppliers (hopefully!). Next, they invest almost a third (25-30%) in “to-partner” awareness programs, to remind partners what initiatives, activities, and training are available. Lastly, they invest a small amount in “for-partner” marketing, which is sometimes found when suppliers run marketing campaigns directly aimed at end-user customers, but pass these leads to partners instead of taking them themselves. 

For instance, a supplier may run a financial stimulus campaign at the end of the year to motivate customers to “buy-now” and get one extra month of maintenance, or defer payments to the new year. These programs are much more reassuring when offered by a large supplier, like IBM, than a small partner who may not have the financial where-with-all to stand behind such an offer. In these cases, the supplier may spend up to 15% of their budget in these types of supplier-to-customer programs, or what some call “for-partner” channel marketing. It’s not a large amount, and it mostly is used as a silver bullet to accelerate sales or fill an important marketing gap for partners.

Is It Time to Rethink For-Partner Marketing?

I learned through benchmarking that some suppliers are very different in their channel marketing spend than others. Suppliers who have many smaller partners that only do one or two transactions per year, commonly referred to as “long-tail” partners, tend to see less engagement from these partners on their portal when asking them to use this to access new marketing programs. Many have given up on marketing with these partners, who seem to be less engaged or distracted. 

However, one thing that many suppliers suffer from is the lack of data they have on these partners. In some cases, they may even be bigger than expected, yet not focused on some suppliers and very focused on others. If suppliers were to collect the right data, like vertical industries partners sell to, certifications or other channel programs they belong to and the products and services they sell there, then they could run marketing programs for these partners, helping generate new leads FOR them versus trying to continually improve their marketing capabilities in order to market THROUGH them! These programs would take an “AutoPilot” approach, linking partners to pre-set campaigns and letting them run with little or no partner intervention. The partner would benefit by receiving the leads, then following up with customers. 

Putting Your Channel Marketing on AutoPilot

In order for the “AutoPilot” approach to work, suppliers would need to capture important data on each partner. Sometimes this can prove to be quite elusive, especially if it’s not already collected during the partner’s onboarding. While there are tools in the market that are traditionally used to gather intelligence on buyers, they can be used to do the same for partners. Linking these tools to a database where partner data can be kept, then later accessed by a channel marketing engine would be ideal. This way, marketing programs can be developed with target partners in mind. The campaigns would be aligned to both the target customer and the partners who may already have specific expertise. 

Next, suppliers would need one platform where all this data lives, because it would be too difficult to connect disparate data. For example, partner data may reside in a PRM, while marketing programs could be stored in a corporate Eloqua platform or even a channel marketing and management (CMM) software. While some companies may find ways to integrate two or more of these platforms, gathering intelligence and using it to execute laser-focused channel marketing campaigns is a whole different matter! An all-in-one approach allows for easier integration of data since it’s all housed in one source. This can prevent some confusing mash-ups of channel platforms — at Zift, we’re all about preventing ChanTech Frankensteins. 

The last step would include running the programs for the partners. This may sound strange to some, but anyone that knows my thinking here knows that I’m a big advocate of taking the “easy” approach when it comes to partner marketing. Instead of trying to convert partners who admittedly don’t invest in marketing and don’t have extensive marketing teams, why not just get them to agree to execute the programs on their behalf? Marketing enablement is key here: best practices indicate that partners who attend marketing training are much more likely to take the next step and execute a marketing program.

But instead of taking them to a portal, where they can become pseudo-marketers and customize whitepapers or echo social posts, why not have everything ready for them using the data collected on the target partners and offer them a set of plays they can simply execute?  Welcome to the new world of Channel Marketing, where applications sit on a common data stack, where partners don’t have to become expert marketers to generate leads, where suppliers don’t have to struggle to engage partners but drive value from day one!

To get a more in-depth look at how to-, through-, and for-partner marketing can strengthen your channel strategy and demand creation, download the SiriusDecisions Research Brief, Building Discipline into Channel Demand Creation, here.

The post Rethinking To-Through-For-Channel Marketing appeared first on Zift Solutions.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell

At SiriusDecisions Summit 2019, I introduced Kerstin Demko, North America Director of Partner Marketing, to a room packed with fellow channel leaders excited to learn how Sage’s world-class channel program prepares for success. For the 100+ attendees, she modeled leadership, showing how she is cultivating successful partners with intentional, layered marketing programs across North America for Sage.

As she discussed her journey leading partners through a digital transformation, she opened her presentation with this message:

‘Change is about action.

Transformation is about cultivating belief.’

Helping partners adopt funnel-filling best practices was clearly not easy. Many partner organizations first needed to understand Sage’s changing business model, transitioning to the cloud.   

Working with partners on the changing model required intentional sales and marketing enablement.  Referring to a 2018 PartnerPath State of the Partner survey, she reminded her peers that the cloud requires partners to adapt to new business models. Regardless, many partners are not adopting cloud fast enough, though the data clearly shows that the most progressive partners are diversifying and excelling in sales.

The Sage team had two imperatives: 1) Partners need to learn to market and sell solutions (not just products), and 2) Partners need to transform their business to the cloud. In light of the changing channel, Kerstin described the 4 intentional steps that helped shape the actions and beliefs of the partners within the Sage program.   

• Understand your Audience / Start with the Data: The data revealed that most channel partners, with the exception of the largest, have a limited digital presence and limited marketing expertise. Why? Most of the Sage resellers are SMBs that built their business on technology sales with Sage, not needing to focus on reaching new buyers for new solutions. They did not possess the digital marketing expertise required to create new demand for cloud solutions. In fact, 84% of the partners did not have a dedicated marketing resource. And finally, only 50% of their reselling partners had a plan to move to the cloud — with 42% of the partners admitting they didn’t know where to start. While the statistics were not pretty, they set the baseline for the sales and marketing enablement efforts.

• Educate your Channel on the Buyer’s Journey: To start the change process, Kerstin’s team focused on teaching the channel partners to understand the buyer’s journey and the critical importance of creating awareness and interest. Partners learned to understand the funnel and understand how buyers evaluate solutions at specific stages in the selling journey. This literacy supported the next steps.

• Deliver Content to Support the Buyer’s Journey: Kerstin’s team then focused on creating content for partners through a technology platform to support the marketing and selling efforts at each stage in the buyer’s journey with a range of tools and campaigns to help buyers understand challenges and to commit to the result.

The team supported the program with prepared campaigns, including prepackaged marketing plays, a campaign marketplace as the home for the campaigns, and Sage-sponsored concierge services. The campaigns included multi-touch marketing plays with content including top-of-funnel landing pages; eBooks and articles; social posts and banner ads; nurture emails and landing pages; and nurture content, such as guides and checklists.

This type of content preparation and delivery requires a deep understanding of the buyers and a deep understanding of the partners.    

• Track Results: Finally, the evidence of the changing channel is revealed in the data. The layered approach of training, packaging campaigns and supporting transformation with a platform for delivering campaigns delivered significant results, including closed deals resulting from a lift in Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs).  

As a change agent at Sage, Kerstin continues to lead by aligning people, changing processes and providing further support with tools and solutions that simplify internally and externally. The results in her program are transformational.

About Kerstin Demko

Kerstin serves as the North America Director of Partner Marketing for Sage. With Sage for five years, she is responsible for driving innovation, demand generation, and setting strategic direction to enable partner success. Kerstin is recognized as an industry leader and was recently honored by The Channel Company as a 2019 Woman of the Channel for her commitment to partner success. 

The post SiriusDecisions Highlights: Leading the Changing Channel appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Okay, no, keep reading! Let’s make this a mental exercise.  

How many steps does it take to access the information you’re looking for? Double check that number. Are there multiple login pages to reach your (or your partners’) destination? If it’s too complicated, you’re losing insight and, potentially, partners, from the get-go.

So, what should you be looking for in a great user experience or UX? I’ve included several best practices to point you in the right direction.

Get to Know UX

Before I get into any of that, though, let’s take a step back. What is UX — and why does it matter so much?

UX, or user experience design, prioritizes how users interact with websites when building out both individual pages and websites as a whole. Making decisions based on what will most benefit the user encourages those users to interact more with your site than otherwise. A user-friendly experience pays off.

To be a little more channel-specific, your partner program being UX-optimized can only bring good things for you and partners. Partners get a website that is easy to navigate and use, and you get partners staying in your portal longer.

Ease of Use is Your #1 Priority

Keep in mind that login process from before. Too many steps will tear your engagement rate to shreds. On that note, too many menu options and submenus will do the same thing. Don’t overwhelm partners with options; Present a smaller complement of easy-to-understand menu items. Consolidate where you can to prevent option overload.

A clear visual hierarchy is really important as well. Obvious calls to action and backlinks will help prevent frustration in new users (ever been on a website where you had to hunt for the information you needed, or even just a download button? Don’t be that website).

We’ve followed our own advice here with ZiftONE. The top menu has minimal options, with a sidebar that pops up for further options. Even in those further options, we tried not to overwhelm with so many options people click out instead of in.

Patience Pays Off

Don’t add too many options when launching your program. The tendency to add a ton of features won’t pay off as much as a clean, easy-to-navigate UX, at least upon initial release. To start: Be lean, patient, and, most of all, consistent with what partners are going to see.

With ZiftONE, personalizing and making custom pages in your partner portal is incredibly easy. We wanted to give customers the option to create custom pages and get them up as quickly as possible. How these pages look is up to vendors, but we’d suggest an uncluttered page if you’re just getting it up and running. You can always add a little more to pages as needed, but be patient and see how partners are interacting with your web content first.

Move into Mobile

I can’t stress enough how important the mobile experience is for channel partners. It’s 2019. People aren’t working strictly at their desks. More than ever, people are accessing online features from their phones — why make it difficult for them to do so? Partners are on-the-go and scoring sales wherever they are. Make it simple for them to add updates and new leads where you can.

How can you take this and help your own program? Focus in on the areas partners access when they’re away from their desks. Updating an opportunity should take high priority over, for instance, editing an email template, which partners almost certainly do at their desktop computers.

Now that you’ve got a better grasp on the importance of UX design, what are you seeing in the systems you’re using now? What would your ideal UX look like? Have any best practices of your own to share? Leave a comment and let me know.

The post UX Best Practices for the Channel appeared first on Zift Solutions.

I’m just back from this year’s SiriusDecisions Summit where I had the chance to watch as two of Zift’s customers were named Channel Marketing Program of the Year Award Winners by SiriusDecisions. Both award winners, Cisco and Citrix, shared a similar focus: The digital transformations of their programs working alongside their partners, SiriusDecisions and delivering through Zift.  

Citrix’s Marcio Moerbec, Director of Worldwide Partner Marketing, framed the challenge this way: Partners are in a tug of war to grow business outside of their referrals and customers, and the only way to win new business is to activate digital marketing. He described how their Kickstart Program married content, planning, budget and resources to deliver education and content to partners. The results of the investments are paying dividends.

Kelsi Doran, Omnichannel Strategy Lead, Global Partner Marketing, shared how Cisco is connecting disjointed programs across the omnichannel to create personalized experiences for their partner communities.

Their successes showcase how people inspired to create change — and equipped with innovative processes supported by a capable platform — drive measurable change within the business.

Change and transformation was a theme. In another post next week, I’ll share insights that Kerstin Demko, Partner Marketing Director at Sage, shared in her best practices case study with conference attendees.  

So, channel marketing leaders, what does this mean for you?  

First, in a world where 6 in 10 B2B buyers make decisions about who to talk to about a product or service offering before EVER talking to a salesperson, your reach has to cast a net to best-fit buyers. Second, digital marketing when combined with personalized content is hands down one of the best ways to cut through the clutter to reach and communicate to the needs and challenges of your best-fit buyer. And finally, to execute and deliver with your partners’ communications, training is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s imperative. They need to know how to execute.

World-class channel marketing programs have learned to trust our solutions to support their programs.

We are inspired by their creativity and their success and hope you are, too. Congratulations to Citrix and Cisco!

The post Views from the Summit: The Best of Channel Marketing appeared first on Zift Solutions.

As a Channel Engagement Manager who works with partners, resellers, and dealers working in IT, network communications, manufacturing industries and more, I see how often this influential piece is missed. In the end, it’s about more than just being “plugged in” to what’s happening online. Entering the social media environment invites heightened brand recognition and adds financial value to the books.

Share Your Voice

When a singer steps onto a stage, they don’t simply sing at the top of their lungs. On the contrary, to get the audience crying out for an encore, the performer tries to please the crowd. The same happens in a social media environment. To perform well, a company illustrates who they are with the tools allotted within that space. They upload a logo, add a value proposition that plays to their company culture and goals, and share and create content that develops the voice and personality of the brand. As more and more posts go up, that brand voice starts to get heard in the midst of competitive voices within the industry.

Remember, your competition is also ramping up their social efforts. This means there’s a good amount of content on the ground already. Use this to your advantage: Find out what customer pain points are, and where thought leaders for your industry are focusing. This could unlock potential new content avenues for you to share on, increasing your own thought leadership and reach.    

Undiscovered Sales Opportunities

According to MarTechAdvisor, B2B marketers are thick on the ground on three social sites in particular: 89% on Facebook, 81% on LinkedIn and 75% on Twitter. The massive amount of B2B professionals found on these sites warrants immediate action to any company with goals of increasing profits. There is a precise goal as potential buyers visit social platforms and that is to gather more intel.

16% of B2B buyers use LinkedIn in the evaluation/implementation stage of a sale. LinkedIn, in particular, is a great place to start the buyer’s journey for your brand. Considering 78% of salespeople using social media perform better than those not promoting themselves and their brand, this is a huge opportunity to take advantage of. It could literally make or break a deal.

Where to Start?

It’s not too late to begin tapping into the social gold mine. Start taking note of what your current future customers are saying. Create your accounts on the platforms that make sense for your audience and industry (Consider Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to start), complete your profile, and start sharing industry news and content. Most importantly, though, show your company’s personality in a professional way.

The post Make Yourself Heard: The Importance of Social Media Branding appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Put Keywords in the Backseat

Want to set yourself up for SEO failure? Treat all keywords the same. Beneath every keyword is search intent. Understanding and creating content for that intent is more important than any individual keyword. What do we mean?

Keywords can generally be organized into four different “buckets of intent:”

• Navigational: When users search for a brand name or a specific description of a brand. Example: Zappos website
• Informational: The user has a question, and needs an answer stat. Example: How to lace a shoe
• Investigational: The user has a query that straddles the line between informational and transactional. Example: Compare Doc Marten prices.
• Transactional: The user is seeking to purchase something, and uses buy-centric verbiage. Example: Buy red Doc Martens.

As a marketer, each example above is an opportunity to craft content to fulfill your users’ needs. How to lace a shoe? Great example of a “how to” article for your blog. Compare Doc Marten prices? Offer up a quick and easy table that compares top vendors online that sell boots. Buy red Doc Martens? That better lead to a well-optimized product page, because that’s a hot selling opportunity.

Takeaway: Give users what they ask for. If someone searching for “Buy Doc Martens” ends up on your FAQ page, they’re going to spend little time on your website, bounce quickly, and are unlikely to return.

Link Building is Dead! You Heard it Here First!

Does this email look familiar?

Hi [insert some name that may or may not be yours],

Saw your blog, and I have to say, it’s great. I really like the article about [insert an article here that’s not on the first page of your website so it looks like they did their research]. My company talks about very similar stuff, we have so much synergy! I think it would really benefit your readership if I wrote an article about [insert topic that’s only, and just barely, relevant]. I think it would also benefit your readership if, in this amazing article, I used the anchor text “BUY RED SHOES ONLINE” and linked back to my website.

I expect this sounds good to you. I’ll start the article now.

Again, awesome website!

Thanks,

Mr. I Sent This Same Email to 50 Websites

Don’t be that guy. Instead, focus on creating a wide variety of content that is so good that other websites feel the need to link to it. Write an article that’s twice as useful as the top-ranking article on Google. Create a video. Create an interactive infographic. Create a downloadable template. Create material that establishes you as the leader in your niche.

Takeaway: Don’t spam people for links. Create authoritative, leading content that other websites can’t help but link to.

Back to Basics: Is Your On-Page SEO Solid?

While the world of SEO is ever-changing, one core principle has remained: Make sure your on-page SEO is solid. What is on-page SEO? Moz offers a great description: “…the practice of optimizing individual web pages in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. On-page refers to both the content and HTML source code of a page that can be optimized, as opposed to off-page SEO which refers to links and other external signals.”

Let’s say you’re writing an informational blog article on channel marketing best practices. Take a look at the elements below, and choose the option that best answers the question: Does Google know what this webpage is actually about? More importantly, are users satisfied if they land on this page after using the search phrase, “channel marketing best practice guide”?

Title Tag:

1. Channel Marketing – Get a Demo | The Channel Guy
2. Channel Marketing Best Practice Guide | The Channel Guy
3. Channel Marketing Best Practices | The Channel Guy

URL:

1. https://www.thechannel.com/channel-marketing-best-practice-guide
2. https://www.thechannel.com/channel-marketing-definition
3. https://www.thechannel.com/channel-marketing-demo

H1:

1. Channel Marketing Best Practice Guide
2. Channel Marketing
3. Channel Marketing – How to Win

Meta Description:

1. Learn channel marketing best practices.
2. Need to improve your channel? Learn how today.
3. In this guide, learn channel marketing best practices for 2019 that will set you apart from your competitors. Read today!

Answers:

1. Title Tag: 2. The full keywords are right in the title, and it’s very clear what the web page offers.
2. URL: 1. Matches the title tag, and again offers clear insight into the topic of the page.
3. H1: 1. Reinforces the title & URL slugs
4. Meta Description: 3. Clearly tells the user what to expect, and ends with a proper call to action.

Takeaway: SEO is always changing, but its roots are in proper on-page optimization. Neglect it and it doesn’t matter what else you do — Google won’t reward you with targeted organic traffic.

Mobile-First Indexing is Here

In the past, Google’s web crawlers analyzed the desktop version of your website and populated the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) accordingly. In April 2015, Google officially began rewarding websites with a well-optimized mobile experience. In 2018, two important mobile landmarks occurred: There were officially more mobile searches than desktop searches, and Google released Mobile-First Indexing, which means that web crawlers would specifically look at your mobile website for ranking and indexing.

Don’t offer your users a rich mobile experience? Time-on-site will go down, bounce rate will go up and your SERP rankings will suffer.

Takeaway: Optimize for mobile. Don’t use technology on your website that most phones do not support (Flash), implement responsive design and make your mobile website as easy to use as possible.

Marketers, we want to hear from you. How has your SEO strategy shifted for 2019? What’s working? What’s not working? Leave a comment below!

The post SEO in 2019: 4 Paths to Success appeared first on Zift Solutions.

But even if you craft the perfect email, it will go directly to spam if you’re not sending it to the right contacts in the right context. How can you improve your deliverability rates?

What is Email Deliverability?

Email deliverability refers to the rate at which emails make it to subscribed inboxes. This is different from email deliveries (meaning the email has made it to the recipients’ inbox) or sends (meaning the email has been sent, but may not have made it to all inboxes yet). Both matter in terms of marketing, but ultimately deliverability is a leading indicator of email marketing success. If the email you spent so much time creating doesn’t get out of the gate, what good is it doing you?

Why Does Deliverability Matter?

If your business sends out emails, deliverability matters. Hitting your target audience’s inbox remains a great path to precious clicks and potential sales. Otherwise, you’ll be relegated to the dreaded spam folder, along with other unfortunate emails, legitimate and otherwise (I doubt a Nigerian prince is really asking for your help).

Opt-in or Opt for Penalties

It doesn’t matter how many inboxes your emails get sent to if the recipients haven’t opted-in to receive an email from you. You’ll need to stay in compliance with the laws in both your country and the country where your recipient lives. Thanks to CAN-SPAM and GDPR, you can get penalized for buying email lists, so we do not recommend that practice. There are also practices to stay in compliance with Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, and Email Service Providers, or ESPs. Stay on the good side of the law, ISPs, and ESPs, and you’ll have no trouble on that count.

When contacts sign up for your emails, they should have a very clear idea of what they will be receiving, and they should be able to opt out at any time. If a contact signs up to receive alerts for new blog posts, they do not automatically want to hear about upcoming events. Make it simple to unsubscribe from lists and adjust preferences, and you’ll stand a better chance at making it to inboxes.

Deliverability Dos and Don’ts

How can you improve your deliverability rates? To end up in your desired inbox, you have to avoid getting flagged by spam filters. This is largely determined by your sender reputation, which is how ISPs judge if you are a legitimate sender. Two metrics heavily factor into your sender reputation: complaints and hard bounces.

Complaints mean a recipient marked your message as spam. If your company’s complaint rate exceeds 0.1%, you risk suspension or losing the ability to send emails. The suspension can be short- or long-term, depending on the severity of the complaint rate. Hard bounces indicate your email was sent to an address that no longer exists. There is slightly more margin for error with this metric, but you should strive to remain between 0-1%. Get to 5% or higher hard bounce rate, and you’re at risk for suspension. Clean up your contact lists regularly to lower bounce rates.

Now, look at the emails you’re sending. Are you sending content opted-in contacts want to see? No matter how well-crafted the email, if it isn’t relevant to your recipients’ interests or isn’t what they signed up to see, you run the risk of spam complaints. Your email marketing health depends on sending contacts content they signed up to see — so don’t send irrelevant content or too much of a good thing.

A really easy way to improve deliverability? Check your subject lines before you send. ISPs look unkindly on certain phrases associated with spam emails, like “risk-free” or “FREE.” Keep your subject lines short, snappy and genuine, and emails should slide through spam filters no problem.

Confident your emails will pass the spam filter and land in inboxes? Let us know how you conquered the pitfalls and kept your sender reputation intact in the comments below.  

The post Email Deliverability: How to Land in Contacts’ Inboxes appeared first on Zift Solutions.

It’s difficult for people outside of China to fully grasp the influence and importance of WeChat. It’s similar to Facebook’s presence in America, but even more so. In China and parts of southeast Asia, WeChat is where you go to read your daily dose of news, it’s your digital wallet, and it’s how you chat with groups of friends. It’s become a cultural phenomenon, and with its subsidization by the government, it’s becoming even more deeply ingrained in daily life.

Over one billion people opened their WeChat accounts on a daily basis last year. 45 billion messages are sent on the platform every day. Facebook is even eyeing WeChat for inspiration — Mark Zuckerberg has indicated interest in implementing a WeChat Pay-style digital wallet on Facebook.  

So, the question here is: Why and how should you get your piece of the WeChat pie?

Why WeChat?

WeChat can bust doors wide open, metaphorically speaking, in China. Posting to WeChat means millions of potential views in a sometimes hard-to-crack market for businesses that aren’t locally-based. If you’ve got a base of operations or business ties in China, it’s well worth your time to look into getting an account set up. Flagging the attention of an audience that views WeChat as their phone’s base of operation pays off — WeChat is China’s Facebook, Uber, and PayPal all rolled into one.

How Can You Get Started With WeChat?

It is not nearly as simple to create a WeChat account as it is to create a Facebook account. You won’t be able to spin up a bare-bones account in an hour, but don’t worry. You can create a WeChat Official Account, which is similar to a Facebook company page, even if you aren’t based in China.

From there, you’ll be able to push social posts to followers and pursue organic as well as paid ad strategies. Wondering if Zift integrates with WeChat? Of course, we do. With Zift, you can create syndicated posts for WeChat and send them out to authorized accounts.

Keep in mind, there are over 10 million Official Accounts on WeChat, and all of them are subject to stringent rules on content. Posting rules vary from industry to industry. You’ll need to be careful to tailor content to the audience’s cultural values. IT companies have little to fear from this, though. B2C companies are far more heavily affected.

Are you using WeChat in your global or APAC marketing efforts? Leave us a comment and tell us about your WeChat experiences!

The post WeChat: The Social Media Giant You Should Be Paying Attention To appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Channel Journeys is a consulting firm that aims to accelerate growth for IT vendors in the channel space. Their podcast series features thought leadership from leading experts in the field, from Jay McBain to Rod Baptie. It’s well worth your listen! I chatted with Channel Journeys founder and podcast host Rob Spee myself recently, and we got to talking about what prevents some channel programs from ending up on top.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’re facing with your program? The way I see it, there are the massive challenges that you tackle piece by piece, and then there are the day-to-day challenges everyone feels. Day-to-day challenges are often callbacks to misalignments in the way your program is organized. Let’s discuss two of the most common day-to-day challenges that may be tripping up your footwork.

Misalignment Got You On the Mat?

The benefits of channel technology really become visible when the program is fully aligned. Here at Zift, we see these programs because we help both sides of the equation. Channel marketers view us as the engine creating demand with partners, and sales view us as a tool for measuring and reporting. Combine these two, and you’ll find some great results. A siloed channel program can never be fully effective, but this has been a problem for quite a while. Ten years ago, channel marketing was part program, part sales effort and part marketing effort. It was very segmented and, at the same time, not a well-defined function for most suppliers.

But what helps break down these silos? Data. Data runs through the system from partners into marketing activities and helps fuel further successes, if you apply it forward. Keep data flowing between channel sales, marketing and operations, and toward establishing future goals. For example, sales inputs lead data that helps establish future marketing campaigns targeted at that particular segment.

Meet Your Match with Partner Engagement

Another big challenge a lot of programs face: Getting engagement up and keeping it up. At Zift, we see all kinds of channel programs, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to a partner engagement plan. However, there are some golden rules to keep in mind that can help you out.

Another way alignment can help you out: Look at marketing and sales activities cohesively versus taking a one-and-done approach. Every activity adds up. They aren’t individual activities, but part of a whole, and it’s a suppliers’ job to make this clear to partners. On average, partners are busy enough balancing activities among six or seven suppliers, so suppliers need to ensure that every marketing activity is tied into one overall experience.

Don’t leave it to partners to initiate activities, either. Send to-partner communications whenever new marketing activities are available for them. Reach out with automated, helpful onboarding at the start, and run incentives programs to keep partners active. Market to partners, in short, as if they are customers.

In fact, you can market to prospective and existing partners as well as customers with awareness campaigns. Let’s say you’ve got a new solution to offer. Treat partners like leads — get them engaged and excited about your new offering so they’ll turn around and share that enthusiasm with customers. Use campaigns to target partners and build awareness just as you’re using those same campaigns to generate leads. You can also drive recruitment with those same campaigns by running them in watering holes where prospects go to get information, such as eBooks or webinars.

Once you’ve energized existing and new partners, though, you’ve got to sustain that level of energy. Make next steps obvious and include the magic phrase: “Partners, here’s what’s in it for you.” That’s the K.O. punch to defeat lackluster partner engagement.

Got any ideas of your own on how to pick up a win in your match against channel challenges? Drop a comment below — I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The post Misalignment Mayhem: Defeat Your Channel Challenges appeared first on Zift Solutions.

There’s a simple answer: Listen. Listen to what your customers and prospects are saying directly to you — and about you on social. Search this feedback out whenever and wherever possible. And, again, really listen.

Listen & Learn

Imagine an artist showing their work and trying to build a following. Perhaps they believe they’ve created some great work. But if gallery owners aren’t happy with one aspect, what can the artist do? Of course, they could continue to paint their way, without listening to any feedback. Or, they can use the feedback to experiment and create new pieces that win rave reviews. You can do the same with social media. Either block out critics entirely — or take in critiques and even use them to your advantage as you adjust tactics and acquire new fans and followers.

Social media listening is more in-depth than keeping track of mentions and responses to social posts. It’s a high-level, analytical tracking process focused less on details like shares and comments and more on patterns and themes. Keeping an eye on mentions and shares is, of course, important as well, but looking at posts on an individual level can make social listening more intensive than it needs to be.

Mention Mayhem

About 30% of tweets that mention a brand don’t include that brand’s handle. So, how can you track and respond to mentions? A quick word of warning: Don’t try to find every single mention across the entire Internet. You’ll be pulling your hair out from frustration. However, do keep track of as many moving parts as you can. While you can’t monitor every single mention, you can monitor general sentiment and easily keep a pulse on how your company is viewed as a whole. This will help you get a handle on customers’ feelings for your brand, which is a powerful metric to have in your toolbelt.

One easy way to do this is to use a tool to keep up with PR and other news on your company — Google Alerts is an easy (and free!) way to monitor every time a certain phrase, such as your company’s name or a specific product line, is mentioned in the news.

Another way to listen is not to focus on your brand specifically but on your overall business vertical. For instance, if you’re involved in selling cloud solutions, you could track the hashtags #cloudcomputing, #cloud, #aws, #security, #bigdata, #datascience, or #iot to start. Drill down even further to find out who is looking at those tags and how you can support their needs.

Aim to Impress

Social listening presents a huge opportunity to impress customers. If they have a question, complaint or feedback, you can jump in immediately and provide assistance accordingly. This accomplishes two things: It gives you an air of authority, leadership and responsiveness.

Answering customer questions quickly is something customers have come to expect. 41% of US customers expect a response to questions on social media in 24 hours or less — and preferably less. Try to get back to customer inquiries within the hour. This should help to leave the customer satisfied and ready to recommend your company to others.

Have any thoughts on social success? What techniques do you use to keep an ear on the pulse of social? Share them in the comments below — we’d love to listen!

The post The Art of Social Listening appeared first on Zift Solutions.