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 Too many Channel programs falter here, throwing partners into a complex maze of disjointed systems and outdated tools.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.

Often referred to as the “Olympics for HR professionals,” the Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize the best employers and HR achievements globally, spotlighting outstanding workplace culture, employee engagement, and leadership practices.

Unlike awards companies may pay to enter, this Stevie Award was earned through a rigorous application process. Laura Crawford, Chief People Officer at Zift Solutions, expressed excitement about the win, noting that the award showcases the company’s genuine dedication to fostering an environment where employees can thrive. “This recognition speaks volumes about the caliber of achievements we’ve put forward,” Crawford said. “We’re thrilled it highlights our true focus on employee engagement and professional development.”

What Makes Zift Solutions Stand Out

Zift Solutions has distinguished itself in areas crucial to modern employee satisfaction and engagement. The company’s efforts in employee engagement, professional development, and creating a culture of happiness were central to earning this accolade. These elements, combined with a focus on clear communication and fostering connections in a virtual work environment, make Zift an attractive place for current and prospective employees.

Some of the standout initiatives include:

• Employee Engagement Programs: With an 89% employee participation rate, Zift’s initiatives focus on keeping employees connected and motivated through in-person and virtual activities.
• Professional Development: Zift has prioritized development programs with 100% employee participation in learning programs designed to elevate business understanding and skill sets. The company has crafted customized training and group sessions to encourage team collaboration and growth.
• A Culture of Happiness: By promoting a safe and inclusive work environment, Zift encourages employees to bring their authentic selves to work, leading to higher engagement and overall satisfaction.

Commitment to Customers Drives Company Success

Crawford highlights a common thread among Zift employees: their passion for customers. Whether through innovative solutions or customer engagement, Zift Solutions is committed to delivering outstanding client results. This dedication and clear communication about company strategy have kept employees aligned and focused on the company’s vision.

Leading the Way in a Competitive HR Landscape

The Stevie Awards take work to come by. This year, over 1,000 organizations from 35 countries were nominated for awards in various HR-related categories. More than 100 professionals participated in the judging process alongside a public voting system that garnered over 34,000 votes. The stiff competition and stringent selection process make Zift’s achievement even more remarkable.

The award celebrates the company’s internal success and its role as a trailblazer in modern human resources practices, mainly when employees demand more than just a paycheck—they seek meaning, growth, and alignment with the company’s values.

A Vision for the Future

Zift Solutions continues to foster an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and empowered. As the company embraces its new identity as Unifier, the core values that have driven its success remain intact. The focus on unity and alignment—having “one voice, one team, and one understanding”—ensures that employees and customers are part of a cohesive journey towards innovative solutions and customer satisfaction.

As Zift Solutions moves forward, this Bronze Stevie® Award is a testament to its commitment to its people and future success. The organization’s continuous investment in its employees and dedication to creating a positive, growth-focused work environment promises to keep Zift at the forefront of the industry for years to come.

Join us at Zift Solutions and learn more about career opportunities here.

The post Zift Solutions Shines with Bronze Stevie® Award Win for Great Employers 2024 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.

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.

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.

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.

Why Cross-Channel Marketing Matters for Vendors

Cross-channel marketing goes beyond traditional marketing by ensuring a cohesive message across all platforms, enhancing brand recognition and trust. Think of it as the Swiss Army Knife in your marketing toolkit. It’s versatile, effective, and, frankly, pretty cool when used right. For vendors, it’s an opportunity to extend their reach and create a harmonious marketing ecosystem with their partners.

• Consistency Across Channels: Imagine telling a joke where the punchline changes every time you tell it. Confusing, right? That’s what happens when your brand message isn’t consistent across channels. Maintaining consistency ensures that the brand message remains constant, whether a customer interacts with the brand on social media, via email, or through a partner’s promotion. This uniformity builds trust and reliability in the customer’s mind.
• Expanding Market Reach: By helping your partners embrace multiple channels, you’re basically throwing a wider net. More fish, more fun. It’s all about maximizing visibility and not missing out on potential customers. This not only benefits the partner but also increases your visibility in new markets.
• Mutual Growth and Success: When partners succeed in their marketing efforts, it directly contributes to your growth. A PRM platform can facilitate this shared success by providing collaborative tools and insights. 

Understanding Partner Needs and Goals

The foundation of effective cross-channel marketing with partners is understanding their unique needs and aligning them with your strategies:

• Regular Communication: Set up regular catch-ups with your partners. Discuss what’s brewing in their world, their challenges, and their aspirations. Regular check-ins and open communication channels are essential. This helps in understanding the evolving needs of partners and aligning marketing efforts accordingly.
• Market Analysis Assistance: You can offer resources and expertise in market analysis, helping partners to tailor their marketing strategies for different channels. Offer insights and tools to help them understand and conquer their market.
• Feedback and Adaptation: In every good story, there’s a twist. Feedback is your twist – it can change the direction of your strategy, making it more aligned, more precise, and more effective. Creating a culture of continuous, data-based feedback allows strategies to be refined and adapted to suit the changing market and partner needs.

Developing a Joint Value Proposition

Creating a value proposition that resonates with both the vendor and the partner’s audience is the goal here. The art of crafting a joint value proposition with your partners involves understanding and blending your strengths to create a compelling offer:

• Synergy is the Star: Finding the right balance between what you and your partners offer is essential. It’s about creating a value proposition that highlights the best of both worlds.
• Shared Goals, Shared Success: Aligning your objectives with those of your partners ensures that everyone is working towards the same endgame.
• Co-Branding: Developing co-branded messages that resonate with both your audiences is crucial. It’s about finding that sweet spot where both brands shine. Remember, your ultimate goal isn’t to push your product, but rather help the partner sell their own value proposition to indirectly support your own goals.

Empowering Partners with Tools and Resources

Giving your partners the right tools and resources is key to their marketing success. 

• Access to Marketing Platforms: Vendors should provide partners with access to top-notch, advanced marketing platforms, which can be facilitated through a PRM system. For instance, ZiftONE’s marketing platform offers full funnel management, so they can both execute marketing campaigns and see the performance of the campaign, including conversions and click tracking, in the ZiftONE system. 
• Customizable Marketing Collateral: Offering a range of customizable marketing materials allows partners to adapt these to suit different channels and audiences.
• Ongoing Training and Support: The marketing world is always evolving. By keeping your partners in the loop with training and updates, you’re giving them a map in a constantly-shifting terrain. Regular training sessions on the latest marketing trends and technologies can keep partners well-equipped and informed.

Co-Creating Marketing Content and Campaigns

Working together on content and campaigns ensures that your efforts are aligned and effective. It’s a partnership where both parties bring their best to the table:

• Collaborative Content Creation: Jointly creating content helps ensure that it aligns with the branding and messaging of both the vendor and the partner.
• Unified Campaign Strategy: Developing a campaign strategy that is cohesive across various channels can maximize impact and reach.
• Regular Campaign Reviews: Reviewing the performance of campaigns together helps in identifying what works and what needs tweaking.

Data Sharing and Analytics

Sharing data and analytics is key to understanding the effectiveness of marketing strategies. It’s about working together to decipher what the numbers are telling you.

• Transparent Data Access: You should provide partners with access to relevant marketing data, which can be efficiently managed through a PRM system.
• Joint Analysis Sessions: Analyzing campaign data together can lead to valuable insights, helping to refine future marketing efforts.
• Actionable Insights Sharing: Sharing insights that are actionable can help partners in making informed decisions and optimizing their marketing strategies. You’ll want to see campaign performance overall, across multiple partners, and recommend high performing campaigns to your partner to activate.

Incentivizing and Motivating Partners

Incentives and motivation play a significant role in driving partner engagement:

• Performance-Based Incentives: Implementing incentive programs that reward effective marketing efforts can drive motivation and performance.
• Recognition Programs: Recognizing and celebrating the marketing successes of partners can further encourage their efforts.
• Supportive Communication: Maintaining a tone of support and encouragement in all communications can significantly boost partner morale.

Case Studies and Best Practices 

Sharing real-life success stories and best practices can be incredibly instructive for partners:

• Success Story Showcases: Detailed case studies of successful partner marketing campaigns provide real-world examples and insights.
• Guides on Best Practices: Distributing comprehensive guides on cross-channel marketing best practices can empower partners with the knowledge they need to succeed.
• Learning Workshops: Hosting workshops or webinars where partners can learn from experts and each other fosters a community of learning and growth.

The Bottom Line

In the end, cross-channel marketing for vendors is about embracing the challenge, understanding the importance of each channel, and working in tandem with partners to create cohesive marketing efforts. It’s about being there, being consistent, and being ready to adapt. Remember, in this ever-evolving marketing landscape, it’s not just about showing up; it’s about showing up right. With the right strategy, tools, and mindset, you and your partners can turn the cross-channel marketing challenge into a success story. 

Want to know how ZiftONE enables effective cross-channel marketing? Book a demo today.

The post The Art of Cross-Channel Marketing appeared first on Zift Solutions.

There is no blanket approach in channel sales, says West McDonald, Founder of GoWest.ai. Every vendor has a different go-to-market strategy, and they all sell and provision their products and services differently. To McDonald, there’s a great deal of similarity between channel and the animal world: They both need to be adaptable and flexible. 

“The natural world is full of examples of accomplishing the same end through different means,” he says. “All animals need oxygen to survive, right? But some get it through lungs, others through gills, and yet others through absorption through the skin. Which way is best? Depending on the situation, they are all the best.”

In essence, the VAR world thrives on adaptability and diversity, where customization and bundling of solutions are the keys to success.

Unleashing the Revenue Potential of Resale

In the diverse ecosystem of channel sales, the art of reselling has evolved but the foundational elements remain. Whether it’s tangible hardware or cloud-based software, reselling channels present unique opportunities for growth. Let’s explore the traditional practice of hardware resale, with its upfront investments and physical inventory, and see how it compares to the modern approach of SaaS resale, which offers flexibility and recurring revenue in a digital landscape.

Hardware Resale: Traditional Roots with Modern Relevance

Hardware resale remains a cornerstone of channel sales, stemming from a simple yet robust business model. In this traditional approach, resellers act as intermediaries who purchase physical products—ranging from servers and storage to networking equipment—from manufacturers or distributors. They then add value through additional services, expertise, or bundled software, and sell the complete package to end-users, typically at a markup. This markup represents their profit margin, compensating for the inventory risk, sales efforts, and added value.

Unlike SaaS models, hardware resale requires managing physical inventory, which can include challenges such as storage costs, product lifecycle management, and logistics. The capital investment and risks are higher due to the need for upfront purchases and the potential for unsold stock. However, the tangible nature of hardware often facilitates a straightforward value proposition and a one-time, larger revenue spike per sale.

SaaS Resale: New Model, New Opportunities

In a SaaS world, resale offers a distinct set of opportunities propelled by the continued growth of the cloud services market. Tech giants are reaping substantial revenue rewards from their reseller partnerships, underscoring the significance of this channel.

According to Gartner, global SaaS end-user spending is projected to skyrocket to $195.2 million in 2023, emphasizing the ever-increasing demand for SaaS products and services. For those considering entry into this channel, the prospects are promising.

Offering a SaaS reseller program gives your company the opportunity to diversify your income streams with attractive profit margins. In this program, resellers acquire products at wholesale rates and then market them with markups similar to a traditional reseller, but SaaS programs also provide comprehensive resources and training, simplifying the entry process into this expanding market.

SaaS reselling stands out for its flexibility and freedom. For instance, this adaptable model aligns well with evolving work environments and reduces overhead costs typically associated with traditional office spaces.

As if the benefits were not already clear, adding to the appeal is the recurring revenue model. Partners count on consistent income streams generated through monthly or annual subscriptions, establishing a reliable source of revenue. The numbers underscore the potential, with an overwhelming 96% of SaaS companies recognizing the significant contribution of reseller partners to revenue growth.

Empowering Your Reseller Channel for Success

To harness the full potential of your reseller channels, consider the following strategies:

• Select the Right Partners: Not every reseller is right for your business. Identify partners who complement your offerings and possess the market access and trust required to represent your brand effectively. Recruitment strategies should align with your brand’s values and evaluate potential partners based on their reputation, industry expertise, and commitment to the partnership.
• Grasp Partner Needs: Define clear compensation and referral structures to avoid misunderstandings. Enhance your value by creating tiered partnership models with greater rewards for top performers. Understand your reseller partners’ unique challenges and tailor your partner program to address them effectively.
• Empower Your Partners: Equip your resellers with the knowledge and resources they need to excel. Offer comprehensive training programs and targeted marketing materials, especially for higher-value products. Informed partners drive more sales, so be sure they are well-versed in your product’s features, benefits, and unique selling points. Offer MDF (marketing development funds). This can help your reseller partners offset the costs of marketing your products and services. Provide sales and technical support. Your reseller partners may need assistance with closing deals or providing technical support to their customers. Be sure to provide them with the resources they need to be successful. 
• Incentivize your reseller partners: You can incentivize your reseller partners to sell more of your products and services by offering them discounts, bonuses, or other rewards. Include milestone incentives (training courses completed, certifications earned, years in your program) as well as revenue goals.
• Maintain Open Communication: Establish clear expectations and adapt to your reseller partners’ preferred methods. Regular communication sustains mindshare and gathers invaluable feedback, strengthening your partnership. Implement a partner satisfaction plan that includes regular check-ins, quarterly business reviews, and peer-to-peer discussions.
• Avoiding Conflicts of Interest: Prevent conflicts of interest by ensuring that your reseller channel partners don’t offer competing products or services. Collaborate with partners to identify cross-selling opportunities and co-marketing initiatives that mutually benefit both parties.
• Track Your Results: We cannot stress this enough: Measurements matter. Implement regular reporting and adjust as needed. With strong financial results you can increase engagement with the resellers who are driving business and understand how to activate those who are not.

The Two-Tier Distribution Model: Integrating with Reseller Channels

The two-tier distribution model is a staple in the reseller channel, acting as a strategic framework that manufacturers and vendors utilize to extend their reach and streamline the distribution of their products. This model involves two distinct layers: the manufacturer and the distributor at the first tier, and the reseller at the second tier. The integration of this model into the reseller channel is a dance of balance between efficiency, reach, and control.

Manufacturer to Distributor: The First Tier

At the heart of the first tier is the manufacturer or vendor who creates the product. Instead of selling directly to resellers or end-users, the manufacturer partners with distributors. These distributors are selected for their logistical capabilities, market reach, and value-added services. They purchase products in bulk, benefiting from economies of scale, and take on the inventory risk that manufacturers are keen to avoid. Distributors are the linchpin in this model, as they provide a buffer that absorbs market fluctuations and demand variability, which can be a burden for manufacturers.

The advantages for manufacturers are manifold. By leveraging distributors, they can focus on product development and brand building, leaving the complexities of logistics, storage, and broad-based market coverage to their partners. Distributors also often provide after-sales support and technical services, which can enhance product appeal in the eyes of the resellers and, ultimately, the end-users.

Distributor to Reseller: The Second Tier

The second tier is where the reseller comes into play. Resellers obtain products from distributors. The resellers are closer to the end-user market and have the insights and relationships needed to effectively sell and customize solutions for their customers. They serve as the face of the product and brand, providing personalized service, implementation support, and potentially, their own complementary products or services.

Resellers depend on distributors for timely delivery of products, marketing support, and sometimes credit facilities. Distributors, in turn, depend on resellers to push products into diverse markets, translating the products’ features into benefits that meet specific customer needs. This synergy is essential, as distributors generally do not have the bandwidth to understand the nuances of every end-user requirement, while resellers lack the capability to efficiently handle logistics at scale.

Navigating the Two-Tier Model

Navigating the two-tier model requires manufacturers to carefully select distributors that align with their strategic goals and can provide the necessary support to resellers. Similarly, resellers must choose distributors that offer competitive prices, reliable delivery, and additional support services that can help them succeed in the market.

A key challenge in this model is maintaining communication and alignment across tiers. Manufacturers must effectively convey their brand message and product information through distributors to resellers. Conversely, resellers need to provide feedback up the chain to inform product development and market strategy.

The Model’s Place in Today’s Market

In the digital age, the two-tier distribution model continues to hold significant value. For hardware sales, it remains a vital part of the supply chain, managing the complexities of physical product distribution. In the SaaS world, while the “physical” distribution is non-existent, the model adapts to include distributors as cloud aggregators or brokers, providing a similar bundle of services and support for software products.

This model endures because it offers scalability and efficiency. It allows manufacturers to expand their reach without diluting their focus, and it enables resellers to access a vast array of products and services to meet their customers’ diverse needs.

The Bottom Line

Leveraging a reseller channel is an opportunity for remarkable business growth, unlocking doors to new markets and recurring revenue streams. By investing in your reseller channel partnerships and defining your ideal reseller partners, you can harness the full potential of your brand’s reach and growth opportunities.

Remember, nurturing and optimizing these partnerships is an ongoing journey, not a race. However, the rewards are more than worth the effort, as your reseller channel can evolve into a potent engine for business growth.

The post The Reseller Channel: How and Why to Use It appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Fast-forward to 2022, Gartner’s research shows even more B2B buyers (75%) prefer a rep-free sales experience, yet they’re more likely to regret self-service purchases. Gartner goes on to say that B2B buyers who receive validation that a purchase feels right are 30% more likely to complete a complex purchase that meets their expectations. The research firm says this so-called “value affirmation” is 2.3x more likely when buyers engage with a human during the purchase process.

As a result, Gartner says B2B sellers must seek a balance between digital and human-led sales. But not just any human will do. B2B buyers report that they value third-party interactions 1.4x more than supplier interactions.

“Buyers want to feel confident throughout their purchase journey, and third-party sources can help get them there,” said Rick Lafond, Director Analyst in the Gartner Marketing Process, when the research firm released the data.

Increasingly, that means brands must enlist influencer partners, who can guide decision-makers and validate their purchase decisions, to be part of their partner ecosystems.

What is the influencer channel?

In 2020, Jay McBain, Chief Analyst – Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Canalys, introduced the concept of the “trifurcated channel,” which flanked the traditional sales or “transactional channel” with a pre-sale “influencer channel” and a post-sale “retention channel.”

“With buyers spending 68 [percent] of their journey digitally before speaking with a salesperson (direct or partner) and an astounding 71 [percent] of them reaching vendor selection after a digital-only journey, brands are wising up to the importance of getting in front of customers early and often,” McBain wrote in 2020. “Creating an ‘influencer channel’ made up of affinity partners, referral agents, affiliates, advocates, ambassadors and alliances is critical to success.”

McBain says the key for channel leaders is to understand that most influencer partners are not transactional and have no interest in selling the solutions they recommend. Instead, leaders must begin to recognize and compensate partners at the “point of value” rather than the “point of sale.”

Who are influencer channel partners?

The influencer channel is not a homogenous group. It includes various partner types, each with a unique role in the pre-sale value chain. Some examples from the technology channel include:

Affiliate partners

Affiliate partners market solutions online and receive a commission for web traffic or closed sales. Look for bloggers, product review websites, social media influencers, etc., as potential affiliate partners.

Affinity partners

Affinity partnerships between two or more non-competing businesses with similar customer demographics enable each partner to extend its reach and enhance its credibility in association with the others. For example, a software provider may partner with an industry association to offer members access to specialized tools at preferential pricing. Find affinity partners in adjacent specializations targeting your ideal customer profile.

Referral partners

Referral partners or agents are companies that proactively recommend solutions to their clients in exchange for a commission, typically a percentage of the sale. When recruiting referral partners, look for organizations that provide complementary products or services. Professional services providers are often good candidates. An accountant, for example, may recommend a SaaS accounting software suite.

Advocacy partners

Advocates are typically satisfied customers mobilized to talk about a brand, product or service, typically on social media or review sites. Often, they’re incented with discounts, gift cards or rewards points redeemable for various perks. Ask your account managers to help identify potential customers who can serve as advocates. Don’t overlook employees and transactional partners as potential promoters.

Ambassadors

Ambassadors are similar to advocates (and may start as advocates), but they’re typically paid to represent or endorse a brand. Identify experts that have developed their own following to enlist as ambassadors.

Communities

Similar to advocates, communities are user groups that meet in online forums to share best practices for using tech products or solutions. Set up a user group and reward participation and helping others in the community with badges or other perks.

Analysts

Industry analysts conduct research, provide insights and offer recommendations that can impact B2B purchasing decisions. Develop an analyst relations program to keep analysts up to date on solutions. Consider engaging analysts for paid services, such as advice on strategy, participation in customer ranking surveys or sponsorships at events where B2B buyers are present.

Consultants and Advisors

Consultants and advisors are professionals or firms that provide expert advice. They often come in early in the buying process and may specify criteria and recommend solutions. To maintain their objectivity, consultants are usually paid by customers, but vendors often offer them perks, such as early access to new products, that help them keep abreast of technological changes that can impact their clients. Find these experts by asking your customers who they trust and identifying third-party experts who speak at events or are quoted in industry media.

Alliance Partners

Typically, alliance partners offer complementary products or services that augment the value of the primary vendor’s solution. The two organizations often engage in joint marketing or exchange listings in each other’s online marketplaces, which implies endorsement. On the back end, they receive compensation on closed deals. Discover these strategic partners by asking your customers or your competitive intelligence team about solutions that fill gaps in your offering.

Interested in becoming a ZiftZONE Strategic Alliance Partners? Learn more about the program here, and contact us today!

How do influencer channels add value?

By leveraging a combination of influencer channels, businesses can cover multiple customer touchpoints, achieving results such as:

Driving Awareness and Sales

Influencer channels can drive awareness of new products, services and technologies, potentially leading to increased sales.

Providing Expert Insights

Influencer channels offer insights and opinions that help their audience make informed decisions.

Expanding Customer Reach

Most influencers have their own sphere of influence, which allows brands to extend their reach to new targets.

Targeting Niches

Similarly, some influencers cater to niche audiences or vertical industries, helping brands reach these targets through a credible source.

Engaging Customers

Some influencer channels can help engage customers with brands through content or interactions about the brands they promote.

Building Trust

As discussed at the beginning of this blog, influencer channels provide the all-important third-party validation buyers want and help build customer trust in the products and services they recommend.

Validate Influencer Value

Clearly, the influencer channel can play a significant role in shaping opinions, driving product awareness, and providing valuable information and insights to potential customers. Ideally, brands can leverage the influencer channel to enhance their marketing and sales efforts, build stronger customer relationships and grow revenue.

However, the effectiveness of influencer channels may vary depending on their authenticity and alignment with brand values. B2B organizations must take care when engaging and managing influencer partnerships so they remain valuable and credible extensions of their brand and partner ecosystem.

Ready to experience the ZiftONE platform and ecosystem?

Demo the ZiftONE platform today.

The post The Influencer Channel: How and Why to Use It appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Before diving into the specifics, it’s important to admit to an all-to-common mistake: Vendors often overlook their partners once the initial interaction is over. Enthusiasm wanes after the first handshake, event, or meeting, leaving your partners eagerly awaiting vendor support for new services. While they are busy serving their clients, it’s up to vendors to nurture and sustain these partnerships. A quick scan of any channel partner social channel group clearly reveals what partners are looking for from their channel leaders.

1. Develop a Community Focus 

Prioritize nurturing a sense of community among your partners. Remember, your partners need engagement and support throughout the relationship, not just at the onset. Involve them in your processes, offer regular updates, and consider the onboarding process with great care – this is where your relationship with the partner begins, and how you guide them through the onboarding process sets the tone and future expectations.

2. Treat Channel Partners as Valued Customers

Channel partners are more than just partners; they are customers. They invest in your technology and services to enhance their offerings to end customers. To foster a productive relationship, treat them like customers and invest in your customer experience team. Building a partnership experience based on trust, respect, and excellent customer service is the foundation of a robust and long-lasting vendor-partner relationship.

3. Have a Well-Managed Onboarding Process

The partnership journey begins long before formal agreements are signed. During recruitment, focus on developing a relationship with prospective partners. Showcase the value and opportunities that collaboration can bring. Additionally, invest in a well-managed onboarding process that matches the excellence of your partner recruitment stage. Clear communication, flexibility, and accessible sales, marketing, and product training resources are critical to successful onboarding. Remember that to stand out you need to differentiate your business support and services, because you are often only one of many vendors your customer is partnering with.

4. Offer Business Support

Understanding any partner’s business model is key to providing effective support. Recognize that there are many types of channel partners including resellers, VARs, MSPs, MSSPs, alliance partners and influencers to name a few. Take the time to understand how they generate income, and tailor your assistance to help them build and grow their business. Demonstrating genuine care and commitment to their business and partnership will establish trust and collaboration. Again, this is your opportunity to shine and differentiate your company from your competitors.

5. Foster Communication and Trust

Trust is the bedrock of any successful partnership, and open and transparent communication is the key to building and maintaining trust. Keep your partners updated on your roadmap, products, and strategies. Engage in continuous and candid dialogues with key figures in the partnership and practice active listening. Make it clear to your partners that you and your Channel Chief are always available to address their concerns promptly. Using a PRM  not only provides a one to many portal for communication but streamlines the availability of content, programs, and products.

6. Invest in Customer-Focused Account Managers

Channel Account Managers (CAMs) or Partner Account Managers (PAMs) play a pivotal role in the success of your partnerships. They are the bridge between your organization and partners, responsible for managing various aspects of the partnership including prioritizing partner growth, providing frictionless experiences, acting as partners’ first point of contact, and ensuring their reliability and responsiveness to build trust and confidence. 

7. Be Responsive

For both you and your partner community, time is of the essence. No one can afford to wait days for responses to pricing bids or inquiries. The vendor providing a swift and reasonable proposal has a much better chance of winning the deal every time. Delayed responses can lead to missed opportunities, making prompt communication and responsiveness a competitive advantage.

8. Remember Cash Flow is King

Prompt payment when it comes to MDF and other incentives are vital for channel partners. They often incur upfront costs when closing deals and require timely compensation to reinvest in future opportunities. Vendors that delay payments risk eroding partner loyalty. Maintaining a healthy and motivated channel community requires vendors to make it easy for partners to apply, receive approval, and be paid in a timely manner. This can include assistance with dashboards and information shared in your PRM systems.

9. Provide Quality Leads

One area where vendors can make a substantial impact is in the quality of leads provided to partners. In our experience, one of partners’ top complaints about vendors is a lack of qualified leads. While generating a high volume of leads is great, ensuring their freshness and relevance is what drives loyalty. Dead-end or irrelevant leads can lead to frustration for everyone. Vendors should focus on delivering leads with genuine potential for conversion, thereby maximizing partner productivity and boosting the chances of success. Want to go the extra mile? Show your partners how to generate their own leads.

10. Lead with Business Intelligence

Providing partners with business intelligence (BI) tools that allow them to monitor their progress, identify opportunities, and track their success with your products is essential for building trust and driving mutually beneficial outcomes. Invest time in helping your partners understand the business opportunities around your products and services and develop a relationship that offers revenue wins for both parties. A partner-focused PRM allows your partners to know where they stand at a moment’s notice, and provides you with insights into the strength of your channel.

The Bottom Line

A successful vendor-partner relationship is built on a foundation of respect, effective communication, and mutual support. By recognizing and addressing these 10 essential factors, channel leaders can create and maintain thriving partnerships that benefit all parties involved. Remember, your partner’s perception of your support, reliability, and responsiveness is your revenue reality. Take the time and make the extra effort to foster a partner-first mindset, and your partner community will remain engaged and dedicated to mutual success.

Don’t feel like you and your partners are communicating the way you want to? ZiftONE can help! Contact us here or reach out to your representative today.

The post 10 Things Partners Want Their Channel Leaders to Know 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 these questions and more, we spoke with five industry experts. Our panelists include:

• Eli Jacobson, Director of Channel Strategy & Operations for deep observability company Gigamon
• Jennifer Redmond, Director of Sales Operations for global managed communication and Microsoft Cloud solution service provider Fusion Connect
• Kathleen Martin, Principle at business community development firm Community Architect
• Sarah Linford Cothran, Senior Director of Channel Programs and Operations for cloud-first WAN and security company Aryaka Networks
• Khali Henderson, Senior Partner at technology marketing firm BuzzTheory

What Are Channel Operations?

Channel operations, often referred to as “channel ops,” is a function or department within a partner program that streamlines and optimizes the collaborative sales efforts between a company and its external partners.

“[Channel operations] empowers channel sales teams to successfully attain their immediate goals, including areas such as generating revenue, maximizing profits and expanding market presence,” says Fusion Connect’s Redmond.

The scope of channel operations encompasses strategic and operational duties, providing guidance and executing programs.

Generally, channel operations teams oversee the creation, implementation and management of the processes, systems and platforms that support the partner program. The channel operations team drives sales operations, enabling and supporting activities, such as:

• channel sales planning and forecasting
• program budgeting
• deal registration and review
• quoting and sales escalations
• compensation, discounts and incentive planning and admin
• processes, systems and platforms
• revenue metrics and reporting

Channel operations also must coordinate with various company functions, such as marketing, sales, finance, legal, IT and other departments depending on the organization.

Typical roles in a channel operations team include:

• Director of channel programs and operations – This role typically oversees the channel program team, partner commissions, operations and support.
• Director of channel development – This role develops and maintains strategies, tools and processes to win and expand relationships in target markets for the channel organization. They provide direction and guidance for channel partners and internal channel sales on campaigning in select channels, geographies and markets.
• Channel operations manager – This role maintains and manages partner transactional data, including deal registration, lead registration and MDF utilization.

Specific job responsibilities for the channel operations roles listed will vary among suppliers.

Channel operations at many companies are closely tied to channel partner management and may encompass management responsibilities. For instance, channel operations at Aryaka Networks fold in partner management functions such as commissions, contract management, deal registration and program management, says Aryaka’s Cothran, adding that Aryaka designed channel operations to complement the company’s existing sales operations team while keeping the partner top of mind.

“Channel operations may have cross-over responsibilities with the overall company operations department,” says BuzzTheory’s Henderson. “But they need to be staffed with experts who understand the channel and how to interact well with the different partner types in your ecosystem. They need to understand how partners do business, how to meet partners’ needs and how to compensate and incentivize partners, all while keeping their organization’s bottom line growing in the right direction.”

Gigamon’s Jacobson agrees that channel operations and management have a symbiotic relationship. “Channel operations create the programmatic and systematic framework to enable the channel management teams to go out and execute against the channel strategy,” he says.

Want to know more about channel operations? Check out What’s Your Channel Operating System? here.

Four Best Practices for Channel Operations

How should your partner program run its channel operations? Keep the following four best practices in mind:

1. Establish a C-Suite Role with Responsibility for Channel Operations

Our panel recommends assigning ownership of channel operations to a C-suite leader – specifically the Chief Revenue Officer, who is responsible for sales, marketing, operations (e.g., accounting and revenue metrics) and customer experience.

CROs typically run revenue operations (RevOps), which Forrester defines 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. RevOps delivers many benefits to organizations by creating an end-to-end view of the customer lifecycle across the organization, including all functions – marketing, service and sales, including sales channels and ecosystem partners.

Accordingly, channel operations would fall under the oversight of the CRO both for C-suite buy-in and communications and workflows with other departments supporting direct and indirect channels.

“We are seeing this in many companies as a key role that breaks down the silos between sales and marketing that ultimately drives more revenue and increased customer satisfaction,” says Community Architect’s Martin. In her experience, it’s critical for one leader to have ultimate responsibility for the operations, sales and marketing levers that drive revenue.

While this is an emerging best practice, not all companies may be at the stage to have a CRO or a full-fledged RevOps strategy. In that case, companies should establish a channel operations department to manage channel sales and sales enablement functions, reporting up to another executive leadership team member, such as the COO or head of operations, or the channel chief, as is common.

2. Break Down Silos Between Channel Operations & Other Departments

Our panel continued to beat the RevOps drum by recommending partner programs break down silos between channel operations and other departments.

Partner programs often fall into the trap of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. An example of this dysfunction is when channel managers make promises to get deals across the finish line that channel operations can’t deliver on due to information silos between channel operations and channel sales. Examples include:

• Unrealistic Service Delivery Pace – Channel sales promise service delivery turnaround times that aren’t greenlit by channel operations.
• MDF Fulfillment Issues – Channel sales promises Market Development Funds (MDF) to partners who have not met the proper qualifications set by channel operations.
• Product Inventory Backlogs – Channel sales push through a contract that can’t be filled on time due to hardware on backorder or other supply chain issues.

While the abovementioned scenarios may seem unlikely, they may occur if channel ops aren’t integrated appropriately with channel sales.

Community Architect’s Martin notes that lack of visibility is problematic for channel operations, especially given their role at supplier organizations. “Operations is often only the reporting or budget decision-making part of the equation and never is on the sales call or builds the marketing programs,” says Martin. “They see only the request or the results, but not everything in between.”

To combat such issues, it’s vital to give channel operations personnel a holistic view of customer service, sales and marketing functions. As these departments become less siloed and more collaborative, they can deliver a better partner and customer experience.

“The [partner] does not care if their contact is marketing, ops, [customer service] or sales,” says Martin. “They just want to call in and know someone can answer their questions.”

But the consequences of siloes can be more dire than annoying a partner by transferring their calls. Lack of alignment between operations, marketing and sales can result in revenue loss. For instance, if marketing misses their objectives by not driving enough touch points or impressions, then sales may miss their KPIs. Or perhaps marketing and sales hit their goals, but operations can’t deliver on promised partner incentives or service delivery timelines.

Our experts note that cross-department collaboration pays off. At Aryaka, for example, channel operations work closely with the channel sales team to build cohesive programs to recruit partners. “Partnering with sales builds the best programs,” says Aryaka’s Cothran. “[We’re] providing the [indirect sales] team with industry-leading programs with focused partners [to drive revenue].”

She explains that the channel operations team at Aryaka is responsible for channel programs, including DRIVE, THROTTLE and IGNYTE, which are tailored to technology services distributors (TSDs), elite sellers and MSPs, respectively. Targeted programs make it easier to recruit right-fit partners.

“Breaking down silos begins with simple communication and regular cadence meetings across departments, but for best results requires defined workflows and processes,” said BuzzTheory’s Henderson. “Ultimately, channel organizations will need to invest in tools like a PRM to automate communications at scale and deliver a single repository for data needed for reporting.”

3. Separate Channel Operations Strategy & Execution Roles

When structuring a channel operations department, our panel recommends separating strategy and execution roles.

“This requires at least two individuals,” explains Gigamon’s Jacobson. “One to help drive the strategy and programs with the channel sales leader and another to support the channel managers and partners in the daily execution of their roles.”

When both are managed together, it’s easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees. In other words, there’s no one squarely focused on the goals and objectives due to distractions of the day-to-day operations.

At the same time, channel organizations must have a leader who is focused on operational excellence. ZiftONE Alliance Partner Spur Reply explains: “Strategy defines the right things to do. Doing things well – execution – is what sets companies apart.”

Spur Reply identifies four stages of channel operations maturity as follows:

• Unstructured – The approach is haphazard and depends on the strengths of individuals in the channel ops team. There are few standard processes, if any, that are poorly documented and fall apart as individuals leave the department.
• Basic – Regular meetings and communications occur, but they aren’t always effective. Channel ops staff will generally follow defined processes but don’t consistently adhere to them. Knowledge of processes and procedures may be compartmentalized among individuals in the department.
• Functional – Standard processes are identified and followed without deviation from channel ops team members. Structured corporate planning exists but is often siloed from individuals or teams, so investment and commitment to overarching channel ops goals are lacking.
• Robust – Processes are followed and documented properly by all members of the channel ops team. A culture of learning and improvement is present, with feedback from partners and internal stakeholders regularly gathered and implemented across all standard processes. Strong alignment exists between goals, investments and commitments across all team members in the department

4. Use Technology Platforms to Automate Channel Operations Processes

Manual processes present an obstacle to scaling channel operations to the extent required for most programs to achieve a meaningful return on investment (ROI). Our panel finds that investing in technology such as partner relationship management (PRM) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, project management software (PMS) systems, marketing automation systems, email marketing systems, human resources (HR) tools, online accounting software, communication and collaboration platforms, secure networking and cybersecurity technologies is the only effective way to provide that scalability.

“Channel operations can be burdensome when there is a lack of investment in technology and platforms to support daily functions to execute the channel strategy,” says Gigamon’s Jacobson. “Leaders in channel operations and management need to successfully position the need for these technology platforms to create more efficiencies.”

Fusion Connect’s Redmond points out other challenges channel operations may face that can be improved through the automation provided by a PRM, including:

• Inadequately documented or incomplete processes – A PRM documents onboarding processes through checklists and reminders within the system that operations personnel need to follow.
• Delays or inaccuracies in responses – A PRM can send automated reminders to both partners and supplier personnel to complete action items to circumvent delays.
• Extended installation timeframes – A PRM can reduce time spent on steps surrounding an extended installation, minimizing the total deployment time for the end customer.

The PRM also provides the reporting and data to justify operational expenditures and incentive-based promotions.

“Keeping everything logged in the PRM is ultimately going to be your program’s saving grace, giving channel ops the data it needs for readouts with the C-suite or board of directors,” says BuzzTheory’s Henderson.

The Bottom Line

Channel operations fulfills a vital role in ensuring partner and vendor sales commissioning, deal registration, order processing and channel revenue forecasting are all accurate and run correctly for suppliers and their partner programs. Channel leaders should consider adopting these channel operations’ best practices outlined above to get the most out of the investment in their partner programs and ecosystems.

The post The 4 Channel Ops Best Practices Every Channel Leader Should Know 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.

Partner ecosystems are networks of businesses that rely on each other to enhance their offerings, improve their reach and drive revenue growth. Typically, partner ecosystems are created by companies to deliver greater value to customers than they can on their own, with the goal of increasing customer retention and growth. In the tech channel ecosystem, for example, partners include transactional partners like resellers and agents but also influencers and retention partners like systems integrators, ISVs, MSPs, agencies, consultants and alliance partners, which we’ll be discussing here.

“[E]cosystem building is a critical pathway to build growth and resilience, with close to 50 percent of resilience leaders pursuing ecosystem strategies,” according to McKinsey & Co., which notes such partnerships “can rapidly unlock value at potentially lower risk than going it alone.”

Let’s look at the role of strategic alliances as part of the partner ecosystem, their benefits and best practices for success.

What Are Strategic Alliances?

Strategic alliances are business arrangements between two or more companies to collaborate to achieve business objectives while retaining their individual brands and independence. As such, strategic alliances can take various forms, including:

• co-marketing initiatives
• co-development of products or services
• research and development collaborations
• technology integrations
• deployment or implementation
• managed services
• more

Significantly, strategic alliances are based on mutual trust, shared risk,  joint investment and shared vision or strategy rather than tactical or transactional goals.

Why Form Strategic Alliances?

Generally, companies form strategic alliances to achieve objectives that may be challenging, time-consuming or capital-intensive to reach on their own.

Objectives may vary by company, partnership, industry or market conditions and are not mutually exclusive. Generally, they include:

• Gaining access to new markets (e.g., segments or geographies) where alliance partners have a strong presence
• Enhancing competitive positioning by pairing technology or intellectual property to fend off competitors
• Sharing risks or costs of entering a new market or launching a new product
• Achieving economies of scale in production, distribution or marketing by pooling resources
• Accessing complementary skills and technologies instead of investing in in-house development
• Accelerating speed to market by leveraging an alliance partner’s offering rather than taking time to develop it in-house
• Expanding or diversifying offerings by adding the alliance partners’ products or services
• Filling product or service gaps by adding alliance partners’ products or services
• Improving the customer experience by leveraging alliance partners’ expertise for pre-sale or post-sale service or support
• Increasing customer retention by offering additional value that makes customers less likely to churn

What Are Ways to Maximize the Impact of Strategic Alliances?

Strategic alliance partners offering complementary products and services can achieve their objectives by leveraging one or more of the following joint go-to-market strategies:

• Bundled offerings — Combine products or services to deliver a comprehensive solution to customers, making the joint offering more compelling and competitive.
• Integrated solutions — Integrate products or services seamlessly to deliver a streamlined and enhanced experience.
• Cross-promotion — Offer each other’s services to their respective customer bases to expand reach and grow wallet share.
• Joint marketing — Co-sponsoring events, launching joint advertising campaigns, or collaborating on content creation can stretch shared marketing budgets and broaden audience reach.
• Unified sales strategy — Train each partner’s sales teams about the complementary benefits of a joint solution so they can effectively pitch the combined value to potential customers.
• Co-branding — Develop marketing materials, events, or products that feature both brands, increasing visibility and leveraging customers’ trust in each brand.
• Shared Distribution — Leverage each partner’s distribution channels to access new markets or segments more quickly and efficiently.
• Joint workshops — Organize events to educate potential customers about the advantages of using your complementary products or services together.

What Are the Best Practices for Successful Strategic Alliances?

Strategic alliances can lead to a stronger market presence, more satisfied customers and accelerated growth while minimizing costs and speeding time-to-revenue. Take the following steps to make the most of strategic alliances:

• Align goals — Both partners should have mutual goals and a clear understanding of the benefits each brings to the table. Conflicts and misdirection can arise if the partners do not share a unified vision and objective for the partnership.
• Open communication — Insufficient, unclear or infrequent communication can lead to misunderstandings, missed opportunities and a lack of coordination. Instead, engage in open dialogue about challenges and successes to address potential issues and optimize strategies.
• Streamline Interactions — Improve communication and coordination by automating workflows with alliance partners using a partner relationship management (PRM) platform like ZiftONE built to support ecosystems.
• Build trust — Partnerships are based on mutual trust. Distrust can stem from perceived inequities, lack of transparency or previous negative experiences. Respect each other’s contributions and uphold commitments to ensure a long-lasting alliance.
• Review performance — Measure the effectiveness of joint initiatives and adjust strategies based on real-world performance data. Not setting clear performance metrics or not regularly reviewing the alliance’s ROI can make it difficult to gauge success or areas of improvement.
• Put the Customer First — Strategic alliances create opportunities for both partners, but they should focus foremost on providing the mutual customer with a better solution than they can get from either party (or a competitor) alone.

Investment in Strategic Alliances is a Down Payment on Growth

Strategic alliances are “strategic” for a reason; they’re formed to achieve critical business objectives, not simply to beef up a roster of sales partners with the hopes that the oft-cited 20 percent perform. Alliances require a greater level of commitment. As Deloitte notes. “When entering into an alliance, partners need to be aware that delivering the ambition and achieving the benefits does not happen on autopilot.” With all hands on the wheel, you have the opportunity not to simply grow margins but to multiply revenue from your mutual customers.

The post The Alliance Channel: How and Why to Use It appeared first on Zift Solutions.

“B2B and industrial organizations need to ground every decision — including design, sales, planning, production, delivery, service and support — in an intimate understanding of markets and customer segments, and they need the agility to deliver a great experience for each of these segments,” explains PwC in its report, “The new B2B value chain.”

One of the challenges with B2B, compared to B2C, is defining the customer. It’s rarely just one person but groups of people, such as buyers, managers or users, that B2B providers must satisfy.

To do that, B2B companies must consider a range of touchpoints that make up the “customer” experience and leverage not just their employees but their partner ecosystem, including suppliers, partners, distributors, experts, technicians, service providers, trainers, analysts and others that are integral to the end-to-end customer lifecycle.

“The goal,” states PwC, “is an integrated and optimized ecosystem of capabilities, processes, apps, and user and expert communities that creates bundled value propositions beyond the product itself.”

In other words, B2B companies need to leverage their ecosystem partners to drive additional value and customer retention. Let’s look closer at the “retention channel” and how to leverage it for B2B revenue growth.

What is the retention channel?

In 2020, Jay McBain, Chief Analyst – Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Canalys, introduced the concept of the “trifurcated channel,” which flanked the traditional sales or “transactional channel” with a pre-sale “influencer channel” and a post-sale “retention channel.” More recently, he refers to these motions as Influence, Land and Expand, which gives the retention channel a larger role in not only retaining but also growing accounts.

“Because almost every company in every industry is thinking about or actively converting to a recurring, subscription-based model, a new ‘retention channel’ is starting to take hold,” McBain wrote in 2020. “Knowing that the customer journey never ends in a subscription scenario and that brands will need to re-earn a customer’s business every 30 days, partners that can drive adoption, ongoing customer experience, and the ability to upsell and cross-sell become critically important.”

Certainly, the emergence of subscription- and consumption-based delivery models, i.e., Everything as a Service (XaaS), make a strong case for retention channels. But its merits extend to all B2B sales models that rely on upgrades, expansions, upsells, cross-sells, renewals, etc.

That’s because customer retention is proven to increase profits and valuation. It’s widely accepted, for example, that a 5 percent increase in customer retention can boost profits by 25 percent or more because these customers often become repeat buyers and, what’s more, contribute to the company’s customer base through referrals.

Who are retention channel partners?

The retention channel is not a homogenous group. It includes various partner types, such as consultants, integrators, suppliers, distributors, technicians, service providers, trainers, analysts and others as dictated by the industry.

Each type of partner has a unique role that can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. Some examples from the technology channel ecosystem include:

• Consultants — While often viewed as part of the “influencer channel” because they recommend products and services, consultants are also essential players in the retention channel for providing ongoing validation of vendor selection and delivering training to drive the adoption of the solution they recommended.
• Technicians — Technicians ensure systems or software are configured and installed correctly to maximize value. In some situations, technicians can be on call to handle questions and troubleshoot issues.
• Integrators — Integrators connect new systems or software to the existing customer IT environment, ensuring that it works properly and addressing any issues as they arise. They also may recommend enhancements to improve the overall value of the solution.
• Managed Services Providers — MSPs ensure the smooth operation of systems so that they function as advertised. They also often provide around-the-clock monitoring and, in some cases, rapid response support.
• Technology Alliance Partners — Typically, alliance partners offer complementary technology that augments the value of the primary vendor’s solution. One example is a network provider delivering VoIP-ready network connections using software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) to support quality of service (QoS) for cloud phone system customers. In some cases, these alliances are hidden behind white-label agreements.

How do retention channels add value?

By leveraging the capabilities of each partner type, businesses can deliver a holistic retention strategy that addresses multiple customer touchpoints and needs. Examples include:

• Customer Training — Partner-led webinars, seminars, and training programs can enhance customer skills, adoption and value realization.Customer Support — Access to timely and effective technical, administrative, user or other support can improve overall satisfaction.
• Bundled Offers — Complementary products and services can be delivered (often at discounted rates) to increase the value of both offer
• End-to-End Solutions – Where possible, partnering with multiple vendors can deliver complete solutions so customers don’t look elsewhere.
• Vertical Expertise — Expert advisors in industries such as health care, finance or manufacturing can tailor solutions to meet vertical use cases and maximize results.
• Geographic Presence — Partners in complementary geographies can provide in-market or in-language support to improve customer interactions.
• Analytics & Insights — Real-time and historical metrics can validate the solution’s effectiveness.
• Audits & Reviews — Financial, technical or business reviews can help to ensure solutions are delivering desired outcomes, identify areas of improvement or uncover opportunities for innovation.

Beyond Retention to Growth & Advocacy

Retention channel partners are increasingly vital to elevating customer value and customer experience. By formalizing and nurturing these relationships, B2B organizations can improve customer retention, grow customer revenue and increase customer lifetime value. If done well, they can even turn customers into advocates and influencers, but that’s a blog for another day. Stay tuned!

Ready to see how the ZiftOne platform and ecosystem can help you retain customers?

Demo the ZiftONE platform today!

The post The Retention Channel: How and Why to Use It 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.

Thorough Market Research and Segmentation

We all know that knowledge is power, so when it comes to your channel, you have to go beyond just investigating whether or not there’s an appetite for your solution overseas. What is the ideal partner profile for an indirect seller in an international market? What cultural hurdles are you going to have to jump? What do the economics look like in that region, and how do partners expect to be compensated? What regulatory red tape are you going to have to navigate? Segmentation is equally important. A one-size-fits-all approach rarely works in the indirect channel global arena. Segment your global market to cater to the unique needs and preferences of each region and its partners. This segmentation will guide your marketing, sales, and support efforts, ensuring that you connect with partners and customers on a personal level.

Localization of Content and Resources

Language is a powerful tool, but one that’s not easy to master. Prioritize content localization to bridge the language gap and demonstrate your commitment to the regions you serve. Translate marketing materials, product documentation, and training resources into the languages of your target markets. This extends beyond translation to adapting content to align with local cultural nuances, ensuring that your message resonates authentically. PRM systems with localization capabilities can be invaluable in this regard. They efficiently distribute marketing collateral and training materials in multiple languages, ensuring that partners have access to relevant content that speaks to their audience.

Cross-Cultural Training and Support

So you have a big partner here in the States that wants to help you go global. If an American from the Northeast is confused by the culture of the South, imagine how lost your team and partners might be trying to figure out the culture of a completely different global geography. Effective cross-cultural communication is a cornerstone of global success if you want your North American partners to make inroads overseas. Provide your channel partners with cross-cultural training to help them navigate cultural differences and understand local business customs. This training goes beyond language and includes sensitivity to cultural nuances, etiquette, and communication styles.

Careful Selection of Regional Channel Partners

You know that not all partners are created the same. Your choice of channel partners can significantly impact your success in global markets, so do your research and be selective. Opt for partners who possess deep knowledge of their local markets. Partners with strong local connections and market expertise are better equipped to navigate regulatory complexities, connect with customers effectively, and represent your brand authentically.

Streamlined Global Partner Management Processes

Efficiency and consistency are key in managing global partners because you don’t want to have to develop whole new systems and processes every time you expand into a new geo. Develop standardized yet flexible global partner management processes that can be adapted to regional requirements. Ensure that these processes are well-documented and easily accessible to all partners. (Hint: your PRM can come in very handy here.)

Global Partner Collaboration Initiatives

If you have a North American partner who’s a whiz at your product or service, and a global partner that’s willing to sell it but may not posses that granular knowledge, why not instigate a partner-to-partner relationship? Global collaboration is a catalyst for success. Organize global partner conferences or virtual summits to foster interaction among partners from diverse regions. These events provide valuable opportunities for cross-cultural networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration. On that note…

Global Partner Advisory Council

Host a powwow. A Global Partner Advisory Council can be a game-changer in your global strategy. This council, comprised of representatives from various regions, serves as a platform for partners to provide input, discuss global strategy, and share best practices. Host virtual advisory council meetings, providing a secure environment for confidential discussions among representatives from diverse regions. This collaborative approach ensures that your global strategy benefits from the collective wisdom and insights of your partners on the ground.

In the End

It’s a big world, but someone has to conquer it. To excel on a global scale, vendors must employ thought leadership strategies that embrace diversity and foster collaboration. Keep an open mind about what your ideal partner looks and acts like, and be prepared to adapt. Your local strategy is (or should be) very different from your global strategy, so put some thought into it, consult with team leaders and partners in the area, and explore different methods of collaboration. Go take over the world.

The post Let’s Conquer the World: Tips on Going Global with Your Channel 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.

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!

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Of course, it’s worth noting that channel management software’s capabilities extend far beyond analytics reporting. Partner relationship management, channel marketing, and channel learning all live under the channel management software umbrella. But for the purposes of this article, we’ll explore how channel management software like ZiftONE can specifically elevate sales performance in seven game-changing ways:

1. Unlock Comprehensive Channel Analytics
2. Make Data-Driven Decisions
3. Gain Channel-Specific Insights
4. Benchmark for Success
5. Monitor in Real-Time for Agile Intervention
6. Leverage Forecasting and Predictive Analytics
7. Continuously Optimize Your Channels

1. Unlock Comprehensive Channel Analytics

Channel management software collects and consolidates data from various sales channels, providing you with a holistic view of your channel performance. With access to key metrics like sales revenue, conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, and channel-specific profitability, you gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your channel strategies.

2. Make Data-Driven Decisions

Equipped with accurate and up-to-date performance data, you can make informed decisions to optimize your channel strategies. Identify underperforming channels, evaluate the impact of pricing and promotional activities, and allocate resources effectively based on channel performance insights.

3. Gain Channel-Specific Insights

Delve deeper into individual channels to understand their unique dynamics and performance drivers. Analyze channel-specific metrics such as customer preferences, order patterns, or geographic trends, enabling you to tailor your strategies and maximize sales while ensuring customer satisfaction.

4. Benchmark for Success

Channel management software allows you to compare the performance of different channels against predefined benchmarks or industry standards. This benchmarking process helps identify areas for improvement, highlight top-performing channels, and establish realistic goals for channel growth and profitability.

5. Monitor in Real-Time for Agile Intervention

Access real-time performance and analytics dashboards and reports that provide instant visibility into your channel performance. Quickly identify deviations or anomalies, enabling timely interventions and corrective actions to mitigate risks and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

6. Leverage Forecasting and Predictive Analytics

By harnessing historical channel performance data, leverage forecasting and predictive analytics capabilities within the software. Anticipate future trends, demand fluctuations, and customer behavior, empowering you to proactively plan and allocate resources for optimal results.

7. Continuously Optimize Your Channels

Channel management software facilitates an iterative approach to channel optimization. Experiment with different strategies, monitor the results, and fine-tune your approaches based on data-driven insights. This iterative process fosters continuous improvement in channel performance and overall business outcomes.

Implementing channel management software, such as ZiftONE, can be a game-changer for businesses looking to boost channel sales and drive growth. Channel management software provides a range of powerful capabilities that go beyond streamlined operations. By leveraging these capabilities, businesses can drive tangible results, achieve sustainable growth, and stay ahead in today’s competitive market landscape.

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Most anybody working in IT has experienced a real-world version of this. Not selling ice cubes to Eskimos, but pretty close to it. The salesperson walks into the room, sits down with the prospective customer, and immediately starts talking about how wonderful the product they want to sell is. They haven’t asked a single question, and may not know much about the customer, but that doesn’t stop them from launching into their pitch.

Sales Enablement: Need to Know the Need

The fifth of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People advises us to “Seek to understand first, before making yourself understood.” 

This advice should come right after “greeting” in every sales process. In particular, salespeople should seek to understand their potential customer’s business, its goals, its operations, and its needs first. It may very well be that this customer doesn’t need what you planned to sell, but as you actively listen and learn about the customer, there will likely be a wealth of new knowledge that helps you understand exactly what this customer wants to buy!

Therein lies the difference. Too many salespeople worry too much about what they want to sell, when they should be concerned with what the customer needs or wants to buy.

Perhaps you heard that your customer had security issues and came in prepared to sell them a firewall. The best protection in the business. Stateful inspection. The works. You practiced your pitch and are pumped up to pump it out to them. Then you ask what their problem is and they tell you they seem to be having a lot of people logging into the network that shouldn’t be able to. They suspect someone has gotten hold of some of their passwords.

Your firewall won’t protect against that. In fact, they tell you they’re quite happy with their current firewall. What they need is a multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution. It just so happens you have a great one, so you shift gears and pitch your MFA solution.

Use “Buy” Words Instead of “Sell” Words

You immediately launch into your MFA pitch. You talk about how many of your customers you’ve sold this to, and they all love it. You talk about how quickly it provides a passcode, how often it generates a new one, how unguessable the sequence is, and even how easy it is to receive it on their mobile devices.

Forget about any pitch that positions your product ahead of your customer. This isn’t about how incredible your product is – it’s about how it’s the right fit for your customer’s needs.

Pivot the conversation towards the reasons previous customers decided yours was the right MFA solution to buy. They felt confident the passcodes were each unique and uncapturable by cyberthieves. They saw the economy in having passcodes sent to their users’ mobile devices. They were impressed by the reviews you shared with them from previous customers.

The Ultimate “Buy” Word

People seldom buy “features.” In fact, they seldom buy “benefits” either. Speeds and feeds sound great on paper, but that’s not what customers are looking for when they buy anything.

Value

Customers don’t really even “buy” anything, especially business customers. They invest in the value they anticipate receiving from using your product or services. “Value” is what they’re looking for. How much value can they bring to their own bottom line in terms of increased revenue and decreased cost? How much value can they bring to the fulfillment of their overall mission statement? If that mission statement talks about bringing value to their community, how can this product or service contribute to that?

“Value” truly is the ultimate “buy” word, a word you should use often in your conversations with them. When you talk about value, you’re speaking the customer’s language in terms they can readily understand and appreciate.

Advice to Share

Hopefully, as you read this, you found yourself saying that you should be telling this to each and every one of your partners. You absolutely should!

As you do, remember that customers are similarly driven by value. You can talk commissions with them, incentive plans, SPIFs, or other promos, and some will resonate with that. But the best of them are more concerned with the value they can bring to their customers than the SPIF you can pay them. There’s more long-term value in delivering real value to a customer than in broadcasting your latest sale. 

Help your partners lose the “sell” words, learn the “buy” words, and start talking to customers about real value.

The post Which Came First? The Question or The Answer? appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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.

The post The Questions to Ask for Channel Partner Success in 2022 appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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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.

The post Lead by Example: How to Help Your Partners Achieve Sales and Marketing Alignment appeared first on Zift Solutions.

According to Gartner, sales enablement is “the process of providing the sales organization with the information, content and tools that help salespeople sell more effectively.”

Meanwhile, Hubspot defines sales enablement as “the iterative process of providing your business’s sales team with the resources they need to close more deals. These resources may include content, tools, knowledge, and information to effectively sell your product or service to customers.”

Over at Forrester, sales enablement is explained as “a strategic, ongoing process that equips all client facing employees with the ability to consistently and systematically have a valuable conversation with the right set of customer stakeholders at each stage of the customer’s problem-solving life cycle to optimize the return of investment of the selling system.”

Perhaps it is simpler to examine the term itself. Sales enablement includes anything that helps a salesperson be better able to sell.

Every company endeavors to provide their salespeople with everything they need to be successful. More often than not these are built for salespeople who work for them. They are every bit as useful and valuable to salespeople working in the company’s channel partner companies as well.

What Does Sales Enablement Include?

Most people immediately think of sales training. But if that were all there is to it, there wouldn’t be need for a separate term. Sales enablement goes well beyond just training.

It’s useful to think of “sales enablement” as being a process shared by your marketing and sales departments. Marketing tends to be the producer and sales the end user.

• Content is a major component of sales enablement. From white papers to case studies, product briefs, presentations, and published reviews, salespeople make use of content in many, many ways.
• Sales Tools such as emails and email campaigns, proposal boilerplate, direct mail and other collateral are a category of content worthy of separate attention.
• Systems for orchestration and optimization of sales activities such as customer relationship management, pipeline and sales funnel tracking, marketing automation, lead management and more.
• Strategic planning, most usually manifested in sales playbooks.
• Training not only in sales processes, techniques, and strategies but also product and product application training.

Can Indirect Channel Salespeople Use Sales Enablement Tools Built for Direct Sales?

With very few exceptions there’s really no reason why not, though indirect salespeople may use them somewhat differently.

Direct salespeople who are employed by the manufacturer or software developer have a singular mission to sell their company’s products. They clearly benefit from all the items listed above.

Channel salespeople, especially at managed service provider (MSP) partners, go beyond just selling any given vendor’s products. They are tasked with selling their own company’s services that wrap around those products. They may implement them, configure them, deploy them, manage them, monitor them, support them and more. Very often they’ll want to integrate vendor content into their own to form a complete proposal.

While it may seem counter-intuitive, indirect channel salespeople have a very significant advantage over direct representatives, so much so that many direct salespeople seek to partner with them. Customers don’t buy a product, they invest in what that product can do for them, the functionality they provide. The value they deliver.
Channel partners are in the business of putting vendor’s products to work. Their services enable those products to deliver that all-important value to customers.

5 Strategies Channel Sales Can “Swipe” from Direct

Getting the vendor’s products sold is an objective direct and indirect sales shares. It’s only natural that the content and strategies developed for the Direct team can be readily applied by Channel Partners as well. Some examples include:

1. Case Studies – While most channel partners will prefer to leverage their own case studies to showcase their services along with the vendor’s products, they also benefit from presenting such compelling evidence of the value and functionality of the products. Especially in the early days of the partnership when they may not have projects under their belt, case studies created for Direct sales are just as valuable to Channel sales. No marketing tool is more persuasive than examples of other customers benefitting from the product and services.
2. Playbooks – These are often created to present an effective strategy for selling into a specific vertical market. Channel Partners can adapt these for their use by simply amplifying the customer enablement services they add.
3. Product Training – Whether direct or indirect, product knowledge doesn’t change and is equally required to enable salespeople to sell.
4. Product Information and Collateral – Channel salespeople can readily incorporate key product information into their own sales letters, proposals, and other content items.
5. Credibility – Smart channel salespeople seek to partner with direct salespeople and do joint calls. This votes tremendous confidence on the part of the customer that this channel partner is working that closely with the vendor of the product being used in their proposed project.

The post Channel Partner Enablement: 5 Strategies to Swipe from Direct Sales appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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.

Several years ago, a major IT manufacturer went beyond the usual Bronze/Silver/Gold levels in their partner program and introduced the concept of a “field-managed” partner, as opposed to a phone-managed one. The idea was that these partners, identified as strategically important, would receive additional attention from someone who would visit them in-person regularly.

After running this program for some time there came a point where literally all the partners that had been identified as managed partners asked to be removed from the program and go back to working through a person on the phone. It would seem to be a great advantage to have someone work with you personally representing your key vendors. Who would give up such a great advantage?

The Pipeline Police

Consistently, every partner asking to leave the managed program cited a specific lack of value coupled with an overarching burden. They explained that all the field-manager ever did was to come in and make them report on the current state of their sales pipeline. Nothing more. Some even explained that they had been threatened with removal from the program if they didn’t have the pipeline information ready when the field-manager visited.

Clearly, this indicated that the fault was with the vendor, not the partner manager. To have that much consistency across the program meant that these partner managers were being pressured to report regularly on their partners’ sales pipelines. They also seemed to have no other responsibilities beyond that. A very shallow, ineffective approach to deploying partner managers.

What’s in a Name?

Most vendors at that time referred to their partner liaisons either as Channel Account Managers (CAM) or Partner Account Managers (PAM). To hear the departing field-managed partners talk about it, this particular vendor would have been more accurate had they titled their people Partner Account Reporters, or even Partner Account Tormentors.

Some PAMs were trained to sell to their partners. On visits they would extol the virtues of their products, ask how sales were going, and perhaps take the sales managers out to lunch while other PAMs simply did “drive-bys”, stopping in to ask, “how are things going?” and “do you need anything from me?” They constituted little more than a face for their employer.

The breed of PAM that enjoyed the most success understood and embraced the imperative created by the last word in their title, “manager!” They came to help the MSP, SI, or other partner manage their business more effectively. Certainly, they furnished product information as necessary, pricing assistance, and other pragmatic activities. But their primary strategy was driven by their commitment to the concept of mutual benefit and the idea that if they helped their partner run their business better “all boats rise” including their own. In other words, “I succeed when you succeed.”

Insights from the Field

Those PAMs intending to truly become a partner in managing the business began by understanding the need to gain trust. “What is terribly difficult,” explains veteran PAM Debra Pfundstein, “is to quickly prove to a partner that you are trustworthy, you have their best interests in mind. The recognition that if they win, you win, and therefore you want them to win, because that’s a win for you, too.”

While others in the industry were busy trying to become “trusted technology advisors,” successful PAMs strive to be their partners’ trusted business partner. How do great PAMs earn that trust? Channel partners often express resentment that its very clear that all the PAM seems to care about is what’s in it for themselves. Explains Pfundstein, “It is way more important to recognize what’s in it for the partner!”

“I know what my goals are,” she explains. “I know what I will be held accountable to, I know what I need to do to succeed in my role. What I don’t know,” continues Debra, “is I don’t know those things about them. And so, first meetings, really, it’s getting to know the people, what are their styles? How do they like to communicate? What is their culture? That’s probably the first thing I spend a lot of time doing is recognizing what is truly important to them.”

Once you’ve addressed building trust and deeply learning about the partner, the next step is to align your needs and interests with theirs. “You have to spend the time, invest the time as the manager to recognize where the alignments are, and where they aren’t,” explains Pfundstein “And how do you work together to build the alignments where they don’t exist? Where do you build that synergy?”

She’s also quick to add, “And if the intent is to simply shoehorn a partner into a programmed relationship? That is not a partnership, that’s template management.”

What Have I Done for You Lately?

While many channel partners bristle at being repeatedly asked what they’ve done for their vendors, smart PAMs stay focused on what they can do to help their partners improve and increase their business. “You have to understand the partner,” says Debra Pfundstein. “You have to understand their needs, where their strengths are, and their weaknesses.”

“Then,” she continues, “what are the resources and tools you bring to the table as their manager on the vendor side, to improve that relationship? Help enable them to recognize who they are and what’s unique about them and their business. Then you can help them build those key differentiators that drive the business forward.”

Being the objective outsider consulting to the leadership team is also critical. Says Pfundstein, “A big part of managing is path clearing. How do I help you fix the things that are holding you back so that you can go forward? Maybe there’s a way I can help you mature your processes or document your workflow so things are such that not every step of the way is an emergency, a fire drill.”

Know When to Fold, Know When to Hold Them

Knowing where to make wise investments of their time is key to PAM success. “It’s a combination of receptivity, and the recognition of potential,” explains Debra Pfundstein. “You could have somebody seem super-excited, but they don’t stay engaged. They don’t participate. They don’t take advantage of anything you have to offer them. Unless it’s a problem, you never hear from them.”

The highest praise a PAM can receive from a partner executive is that they are considered part of the senior leadership team. Help your channel partners reach their goals, and they will surely help you achieve yours.

Key Takeaways

CAMs, PAMs, or the executives they report to should come away from this article with several actionable ideas to follow up:

• • Do an honest evaluation of how much you really know about each of your partners. If trust is there you will know plenty, at least enough to enable you to help them.
  • Review the completeness of the data you’ve collected about each partner in your PRM system.
  • Next list everything you’ve done recently for each partner. Frankly evaluate how strategic each of those actions really were.
  • Now list as many deals as you can think of that you’ve helped each partner close. How did you help?
  • How much revenue and gross profit did those deals generate for the partner? For your company?
  • Consult your calendar and count how many times you’ve visited with each partner. Compare that list to the revenue/GP list. Are you going with momentum and visiting your most active partners most, or placing bets on those who may potential come up the scale with some attention from you?
  • Identify those partners whose senior leadership teams have invited you to attend one or more of their meetings. If the answer is none, you’ve got some trust-building to do.
  • Review the business plans you’ve written with each of your partners. Are they strategic, or more tactical? Are you in “do” mode or “help plan” mode?
  • Do you have a verbal agreement with leadership at each partner that they welcome and appreciate your help managing their business?

As you go through each of these action items, you will very likely learn a lot about your relationships and how well they contribute to your own overall success!

The post What Happens When You Focus on the Last Word in “Channel Account Manager” appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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BREAKING DOWN THE SILOS

At Zift, we believe in Enterprise Channel Management. We are passionate about breaking down the traditional silos of channel technology. We believe that all of the separate pieces are just artifacts of how channel applications grew up. Today, those boundaries need to be blurred or erased. Suppliers need a comprehensive platform that works smoothly, without all of the drama of having to integrate separate tech silos, and they want a great user experience to make it easy to do business.

A wise channel chief recently said to me, “The only thing that matters is channel revenue.” Maybe that was an overstatement, but it got me thinking. If we stopped looking at channel management as a tech stack with a bunch of siloed apps, and instead we focused on the business need to manage channel revenue, then we can highlight how the application gears have to mesh in order to efficiently get the job done.

BACKWARD — AND IN HEELS

I translate this into Full Sales Funnel Management. Channel revenue is what comes out of the funnel when an opportunity is managed from lead to close. My favorite story is that Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers were both great dancers, but her role was much harder because she had to do every step backward and in high heels. Managing a direct-revenue sales funnel and managing a channel-revenue sales funnel are both challenging, but like Ginger Rogers, managing the channel funnel is like dancing backward and in high heels. Partner salespeople don’t work for the supplier, and the indirect business model introduces many more twists and turns.

Effectively managing channel revenue requires managing the entire funnel from top to bottom – Channel Marketing, Channel Sales, and Channel Operations. Everyone needs to be working from the same playbook. That level of coordination is dependent on the smooth flow of data and ideas and actions from the top to the bottom of the funnel. Channel marketing and channel sales have to present a collaborative and unified path for partner opportunities to progress through the funnel to closed deals. All parties need complete and consistent information and data to understand the progression through the funnel and to have a prayer of forecasting the outcome.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

In the channel, there is no wiggle room for failure to coordinate sales and marketing. Channel partners require consistent support and help from prospecting to nurturing to closing. A supplier needs to present a consistent, easy platform for partners to use from start to finish. Anything less, and the supplier becomes “hard to do business with” and the partner takes its business elsewhere. The worst part is that as a supplier, you may never even know they moved on because…“they don’t work for you.” If you are not tying channel marketing to channel sales, how do you even know if your partner took a lead with them when they decided to move to another vendor? Full funnel management is the only hope for a channel sales leader to have the visibility required to manage channel revenue.

Back to all of the tech silos. If you rely on one system for channel social engagement, and another system for channel marketing and lead nurturing, and another system for channel sales enablement, and another system for reporting and analysis, how hard are you going to have to work to get a complete picture of the funnel? For a partner, how hard is it going to be to do business with you? Tying it all together and putting it on a single channel management platform just makes sense. If for no other reason, focus on the prize: Channel Revenue.

Is your channel program easy to do business with? Get a free channel assessment and find out.

The post Full Sales Funnel Management: Dancing Backward — And in Heels appeared first on Zift Solutions.

As a result of helping my son navigate complex issues in his late teens, I’m a vocal proponent of ending the stigma of mental illness. As part of that effort, I put my experience into action, volunteering as a program leader for an 8-session course offered by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). 

So, it’s probably no coincidence that my view of channel programs starts with a similar lens:  the health of the program. While there are many measures I’ve seen customers apply, ranging from partner engagement and campaign usage to ROI metrics, a healthy pipeline is one of the best gauges of program success. 

Let’s Take Your Temperature

What is a healthy pipeline?  It’s a pipeline that above all else supporting consistent and predictable sales performance.  The goal of a healthy pipeline is to limit the peaks and valleys in a way that helps your program scale its business. Of course, many variables impact pipeline health, including finding best-fit buyers, improving deal velocity, partner performance, and more. That said, improving pipeline health includes having a tool that supports synchronized marketing and selling efforts for your diverse partner community.  

When a pipeline is healthy, it is a guide that predicts growth, interprets buying trends, and links buyer touchpoints to deal closure. At Zift, we work with customers every day who are trying to break down the barriers between sales and marketing to gain a shared view of the pipeline. We don’t yet talk a lot about using the pipeline to analyze buyer intent, but those data-driven decision-points will sooner or later be part of our channel program analysis.

Get Your Pipeline in Shape

Building a healthy pipeline requires sales and marketing collaboration across your funnel or pipeline to engage potential buyers.

• Top: Marketing builds the top of funnel to create awareness.  Here, the guiding principle is content, content, content delivered on-behalf of or through partners.  When nearly 70% of buyers make vendor lists based on research, you will never be in the game without content.
• Middle: Marketing and sales both play key roles in the middle of the pipeline.   Marketing enables sales with tools, playbooks, templates, selling tools, testimonials – and more.  Sales promote value and differentiation armed with tools to engage buyers.
• Bottom: At the bottom of the pipeline, sales works with buyers to close business. 

Those buyers are the lifeblood of your business and Zift’s.  Anything that we can do together to make the buying and selling process easier, faster, a win-win, is goodness.  To that end, Zift’s Channel Center of Excellence is providing Health-Checks now, to help you evaluate the health and well-being of your channel pipeline and program. You can contact them here to get started. 

I don’t want this to be a one-way conversation, so share your comments below or feel free to reach out to me directly at kristafuller@ziftsolutions.com I’m looking forward to hearing from you! In the meantime, friends, be kind to yourselves and be kind to each other. 

The post Healthy Pipeline, Healthy You appeared first on Zift Solutions.

I live in New Jersey. Here, when someone asks us where we live, we answer with a Turnpike or Parkway exit number, not a town. Tolls are serious business in the Garden State, so it makes sense the collectors have hung on so long. When I first read the Times article, I commented on how it compares to being prepared for tech innovation. Technology sometimes displaces people or businesses, and we all need to be vigilant.

This week, Forrester Analyst Jay McBain released his annual channel predictions. When I saw it pop up on my LinkedIn feed, I read it immediately. From the buzz I’ve seen, I know I am not the only one. It got me thinking: Why do we all love channel predictions so much? And then I thought about the toll collectors again.

When the Times interviewed the last remaining collectors, they asked their opinion on whether or not collectors should be eliminated completely. You can guess their unanimous answer. Of course, their affirmation of the need for collectors was driven by job preservation, but their other observations were also noteworthy. “…People are happy to see us out there. They need us… We are a checkpoint for people. You know you get to that point and you can ask for directions and somewhere to eat. ”

The toll collector’s understanding of their value was completely driven by drivers who choose to use the Cash Only Lane. I cannot remember the last time I used the Cash Only lane (except by mistake because I am a terrible driver). From my perspective, that lane is for people who have not heard about Yelp, Google Maps, or who think the government is tracking them through their EZPass. (The government is tracking you, EZPass or not.) I don’t know the numbers, but I would guess the percentage of drivers who prefer the Cash Only lane is smaller than the number of people who agree to let me drive (less than one).

How many of us do the same thing when we are making decisions about our business? We look at the customers or prospects that have chosen us and make decisions about strategy, growth, and product based on who drove through our lane.

Then something like Jay’s channel predictions is published, and it’s impactful because it concisely reminds us to venture outside of our booth. Someone who has been on the highway seeing it all lets us know what’s out there beyond our lane. They may not hit every mark (although I am sure Jay is right about what’s coming in the channel in 2020) but whether it’s totally correct doesn’t really matter. The value of a new perspective is that it shakes us out of our comfort zone and makes us look at the world in a new way.

For me, I was especially moved by number 10 in Jay’s list: The Chief Revenue Officer Takes the Channel Reins — Beyond the Org Chart. It highlights how channel relationships will evolve as the customer experience takes center stage. A partner will touch several stages of the customer journey and therefore more areas of the supplier organization. We built ZiftONE from the ground up to bring the entire supplier/partner ecosystem into a single native platform. Moreover, much like cashless technology is fine-tuning traffic management, Zift’s innovation and R&D investments are optimizing channel sales. marketing, and operations. But far from eliminating industry professionals, we’re elevating them. Those skilled channel pros can focus on strategy and optimization — rather than dealing with manual tasks as ZiftONE lifts the burden of partner recruitment and management, sales enablement, and even learning management with one revolutionary platform for end-to-end enterprise channel management.

But this specific prediction of Jay’s also challenged me to think about how we can make it even easier for the CRO — or anyone in a supplier organization using an indirect sales model — to get more value out of his/her channel strategy and having actionable data to back it up. And that’s where I see a platform model that eliminates data silos and deepens data insight as so vital for the future of the channel.

I love channel predictions. Keep them coming! I even have some of my own.  I will keep reading them because they push me out of my comfort zone, which always makes me better. (Except with driving — I will never be better behind the wheel.) 

The post Toll Takers & the Channel: Are You Seeing the Full CX Picture? appeared first on Zift Solutions.

My dad and I spent hours learning how to pack a parachute and practicing how to land. We watched the experts fold and refold a chute and we got on top of hay bales and jumped off and rolled, over and over. We did this for nearly 5 hours. When it was time to get into the plane, I was not nervous or scared. The thought of flying through the air was exhilarating and I felt ready.

The plane climbed to 13,000 feet and then I climbed out on the strut of the single-engine plane, holding on tightly until the instructor yelled: “Go!” I pushed off. What really struck me was how quiet it was. The only sound was my own laughter. I felt as if time had slowed to a crawl. And then about a minute later, I hit the ground running. What an incredible thrill!  

When I think back on this experience now, I am proud of myself for having the courage to pursue the unknown. I’m also struck by how much time we spent learning how to land and how little time we spent learning to fly through the air. What were we to do in the event of an issue? How would we right ourselves in case of a twisted line? What was the best thing to do in case of a malfunctioning altimeter? What if the parachute cord didn’t release when I pulled? We spent time on the beginning and the ending, but not anything else. 

Today, I see this same situation in my work life. At Zift, we provide Enterprise Channel Management software, enabling organizations to drive more sales through their partner/dealer network. I talk with a lot of people and listen to their challenges. I listen on planes and at events, at restaurants and on the sidelines of kids’ sporting events. Often, I hear how much time their organizations and teams spend on reporting and setting goals for how big of a gap there is between goals and results. 

There’s so much time spent on the beginning and the ending, just like when I learned to skydive. Many organizations struggle because they have so many manual processes within channel sales and marketing and sometimes several disparate pieces of technology involved. They are challenged with data gaps, heavy reliance on IT, and low partner engagement. I understand why they have focused on the beginning and the ending — until recently, there has not been one clear and comprehensive solution available to enable channel sales and marketing. 

It’s a thrill to provide a solution with a single platform that truly solves problems and delivers closed-loop tracking for all activities. When our clients’ partners reach and exceed their forecasted goals, it’s exhilarating. Not exactly like skydiving, but close enough. 

Are you a thrill-seeking channel pro looking to improve your channel management skills? Check out our eBook, “Top 3 Best Practices for Better Channel Program Management” to find more ways to keep your program results sky-high. 

The post Enterprise Channel Management and Learning to Skydive appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Q: Why is Sales Excellence partnering with Zift Solutions?

A: Bill Stinnett, President of Sales Excellence: This is a terrific opportunity for us to work as a team with Zift to support customers with channel sales best practices — it’s a value-add for both of us. We’re also excited to be the first Zift Zone partner that’s specifically focused on training content, along with training and supporting suppliers and partners. 

Q: What can Sales Excellence and Zift do for channel organizations and their partners?

A: Our Channel Sales Excellence program meets channel salespeople where they are. We provide online courses geared toward addressing the specific needs of channel sales, which gives attendees the tools they need to succeed in this really unique space. We offer two different paths, or what I like to call ‘flavors,’ for training, one for suppliers and one for partners. 

The Supplier Learning Path is geared toward selling through channel partners and the unique challenges that poses. The Partner Learning Path is specifically for channel partners who sell directly to end customers. The two learning streams can also be delivered together to provide a complete roadmap for suppliers and partners to maximize their revenue results by working together.  

Q: How, where, and when is the training offered?

A: Most of our clients are embracing the latest in learning and development technology leveraging both live and on-demand video to bring training to their sales teams as opposed to the other way around. Our programs can be delivered in a traditional classroom setting, but more and more companies are opting for an online, anytime and anywhere approach. Many of our clients have been able to dramatically reduce time out-of-the-field while saving 60-75% of the cost of traditional training models.

We’ve also discovered that on-demand learning delivered over time can actually drive knowledge retention and practical application even more than a big dose of learning all at once. People can digest it a little bit at the time giving them a chance to go out and use what they learn before they take on the next topic. 

Q: What is Sales Excellence’s primary focus area of expertise?

A: Since 2001, Sales Excellence has helped hundreds of companies on six continents achieve breakthrough sales results. We deliver innovative training and development experiences for salespeople and sales leaders that focus on impacting very specific objectives, such as increasing the number of opportunities in a sales pipeline, maximizing deal size, accelerating sales opportunities, improving profitability, etc. Every project is a unique engagement based on helping our clients solve specific sales problems and achieve clearly defined results.  

Q: Do you integrate with or provide specific services around ZiftONE? 

A: As a Zift Zone Service Partner, we offer creative training and development solutions to both suppliers and partners. World-class learning content is our primary contribution to ZiftONE, which integrates perfectly with ZiftONE’s inherent LMS functionality. 

Q: What are the broader business challenges that Zift and Sales Excellence can help tackle together? 

A: We’ve worked with companies like Star2Star Communications, who is also a Zift customer, and other channel-focused companies to train their teams and partners to provide a common language and approach to sales that enable suppliers and partners to work together more closely on deals as a team. We bring proven strategies, processes, and sales tools that harmonize partner-supplier efforts, such as forecasting and qualifying deals together and negotiating as a team. 

Many of our clients’ partners are smaller businesses with limited resources, so suppliers need to leverage all they can to help train their partners on how to sell better and add more value to the relationship. We’ve seen the addition of a strong sales skills training component, combined with whatever product training suppliers already provide, help to ensure partner success and retention while driving sales growth for both partners and suppliers. 

The post What’s Your Flavor? Sales Excellence: eLearning for Channel Sales Success 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.

Following the 2019 NBA Draft and in the midst of free agency (for the less sports-savvy among us, free agents are players free to sign with any franchise), I was struck by the similarities between developing a basketball team and building out a channel partner program. The team’s front office builds a diverse, talented team of athletes based on their program’s current needs and plans for where they want their program to go by selecting players who will grow with the program. Building a partner program follows the same structure: You should recruit partners according to your organization’s current challenges and long-term goals.

Just like athletes, channel partners come in all shapes and sizes with unique traits and assets. A basketball team is made up of different positions (forwards, guards, and centers), and similarly, a partner program can consist of different partner types (Value Added Resellers, Technology Partners, Referral Partners, Affiliate Partnerships, and Alliance Partnerships). Each partner type brings its own value, and diversifying your portfolio of partners can allow you to reach a broader audience and lead to greater success.

Investing in your program and your partners is key for your program’s long-term success. You want the relationship between you and your partners to be mutually beneficial. When an athlete joins a team, their compensation and incentives are clearly defined. Your partners are expecting the same.

It is also possible your partners are “playing for other teams,” but you want them to play for you as much as possible. The greater the incentives are for your partners and the more resources you provide them with (marketing materials, MDF, etc.), the more likely they are to successfully promote and sell your product over your competitors.

Obtaining partners and setting them up for success is only the beginning of the battle. Continuing to nurture and develop your partners into star players is the next piece. This is where tracking player performance comes into the picture. In order to develop a rookie athlete into a consistent, high-performing veteran, it is paramount to monitor their performance in all areas. This allows you to pinpoint any deficiencies and course correct.

The same goes for your partners. Historical sales and marketing information is required to see how they can improve. What changes can you make or what resources can you create to enable your partners to perform at the highest possible level?

With ZiftONE, you can build your partner program by recruiting and onboarding new partners, providing necessary resources, managing leads and opportunities, and tracking overall partner performance in ONE place. Relieve the pressures of managing your partners and developing your program through multiple platforms so you can start thriving, not just surviving.

The post Welcome To The 2019 Channel Partner Draft appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The channel landscape is packed with jargon and acronyms: There’s PRM, CMM, TCMA, MDF, LMS, SFA, CRM, CPQ and a whole lot more! I hear the good side of that line when Zift’s Leadership Team shares insights in their areas of expertise and even ECM (Enterprise Channel Management). They use terminology as a stepping stone to help listeners relate what they’re saying to the words people are used to hearing. After all, it can be comforting to hear and understand a level of jargon — “Ah,” you think. “Yes, I know those terms. I know what you mean when you use that acronym. I’m a part of this community. In fact, maybe I’m something of a subject matter expert, myself!” And we all love a sense of belonging tied to a little self-congratulation, from time to time. But let’s not get carried away.

Consider this blog post an etiquette lesson on the proper usage of jargon. Because we’re not arguing for complete erasure of it. As we’ve hinted, there is a time and place to use acronyms and jargon.

Jargon: The Dos and Don’ts

Sprinkle it in presentations. It’s ok to use jargon, to a limited extent, in presentations. Whether it’s just a stand-up with the team or a presentation at a huge conference, it’s ok to use some jargon in these settings.  Acronyms and insider industry terms can work as bridges between your knowledge and the listener’s own well of knowledge. Jargon is cliched for a reason. It works to establish an easily-understood concept that would take a lot more words to describe otherwise.

Be sparing in content. There’s a little more leeway in sales pitches and places where acronyms make sense to differentiate between different solutions. But in content like blog posts and eBooks, jargon can be a little jarring. It’s ok to use terminology from time to time, but question whether it makes sense — or if it’s just a placeholder for a more accurate if less well-known term.

Know your audience. What will be completely acceptable in one room will induce eye-rolling in another. Make sure your jargon usage engenders trust in the audience and uplifts them, as mentioned above. If everyone in the room is feeling like a subject matter expert, you’re doing it right. Another tip: Define your acronyms. You don’t want people walking out of the room wondering what in the world you were talking about!

Don’t use tricksy jargon. As Ann Handley puts it, “speak, don’t spin.” If you’re using jargon to downplay or oversell aspects of your product or solution, rethink that spin. It’s ok to smooth away some rough edges, but an outright spin can leave your audience with whiplash.

If you only take away one sentence from this post, let it be this: jargon can make you a great equalizer, or a person saying a whole lot of nothing. It’s up to you to walk that line, but we hope this etiquette lesson helped. Leave a comment explaining your own opinion on jargon or even a few of your favorite (or most hated acronyms) — we’d love to hear!

The post Acronym Mayhem: The Fine Line Between Expertise and Jargonese appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Leap of Channel Marketers’ Faith?

I can’t help but relate this to switching channel software providers. Making that leap is just as intimidating for channel teams as jumping out of a moving plane with only a parachute guaranteeing you’ll successfully stick the landing. I can imagine it invoking the same feeling of overwhelming terror for your average channel supplier. Even the bravest and most stalwart of suppliers can be left quaking in their boots at the door. No matter who you are, that metaphoric wall of air that stands between optimizing your current channel platform versus adopting an entirely new solution can be daunting!  

Got An Offer You Can’t Refuse?

It’s a wonder some companies continue to “bait & switch” suppliers with offers to migrate from one platform to another at little or no additional cost. The pain itself of retraining channel teams, not to mention the cost in terms of lack of engagement by partners that suppliers experience when switching portals or marketing platforms can be career limiting! With ZiftONE, we’ve taken a different approach. There’s no jump from point A to point B when your platform is end-to-end. Since everything an organization needs to manage its channel program and partners is under one roof, it’s like walking from one room in your house to the next. Rather than spinning wildly in a free fall, you’re standing on stable ground, with plenty of resources within reach.

Best Practices are Your Parachute

One of the most difficult aspects of the jump isn’t getting used to the new technology, as you might have thought. It’s the knowledge gap in both people and processes. Most companies take a technology-first approach. While technology can produce results, without the best practices and expertise of a great team working with you behind the scenes, you’ll never know how much better those results could be.

Channel expertise and processes supported by proven best practices are your parachute and safety harness. Your processes should take precedence over platform. Ultimately, channel know-how and following best practices will get more successes than a platform-first mentality, no matter how many times you swap-out your channel software platform.

Experience Matters

When you work with over 80% of channel chiefs, you get to know what works and what doesn’t. We talk to a lot of channel professionals at Zift. We know the pains involved with jumping between single-point solutions like PRM or an LMS. Often, we see there are not enough resources to integrate all the moving parts, so most of the work is left to the vendor. Like a tandem team, Zift’s Channel Center of Excellence, Channel Success, and Partner Engagement Teams, as well as Creative Services, provide the support and stability even the most nimble channel programs may need as they move to through today’s complex channel challenges.

How have you handled past channel tech jumps? Get in touch — I’d love to hear from you.

The post Necessary Risks? Skydiving for Channel Technology appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The search engine showed me a picture of a brain first, with five question marks around it. Honestly, I related to that. Sometimes I have a lot of questions for my brain, too, like why it’s so easy to put off what needs to be finished now. Procrastination isn’t something you choose to do, though it is definitely a choice you make. Inaction is an action.

It isn’t about laziness, though. Procrastination is a choice, but it’s also a learned behavior, something we kept from ancestors. Thanks to present bias, immediate rewards (doing a less important task, like shooting a quick email to a coworker) often take precedence over long-term intentions (like writing that big presentation to higher-ups) — even if those long-term goals are significantly more important. Long-term goals can seem impossible to attain, so it seems easier to do four short-term tasks instead of one long-term project, even if those short-term tasks add up to more time than it would have taken to just bite the bullet and make progress on the bigger project.

So, how can you get around it? Let’s kick procrastination to the curb.

Just Get Started

The first few sentences I wrote for this blog? Not the opening words. I started with the paragraph just above this, because I saw it as a good access point to get going. Take a deep breath and dive straight into your task, even if it’s not where you’d expect to start it. Go with what feels like it will be easiest to tackle, and then you’ve got a foundation. Once you’ve got some work done on a project, even the smallest amount, getting the rest of it done seems a lot less intimidating.

Book Your Time Wisely

This is a tip I’ve personally started using, and it does help. Mark up your calendar with specific time blocks to work on specific projects. If you say you’re going to work on your big presentation from 3-4, that’s what you’ll be doing from 3-4. The calendar doesn’t lie. Holding yourself accountable and staying on track with relatively consistent progress using this method is easy and flexible.

Anti-procrastination tip: It’s not just calls and meetings that are repeatable on your calendar. Schedule reoccurring blocks of time for tasks you know you’ll be performing regularly, whether it be checking up on campaign metrics in our Advanced Reporting in ZiftONE or following up with partners.

Time Yourself with Tomatoes

No, really!

The Pomodoro technique (named after the cute tomato-shaped Pomodoro timer) is a tried-and-true method of kicking procrastination to the curb. Flesh out your to-do list, spend 25 minutes (one Pomodoro) working, and take a 5-minute break afterward. After four Pomodoros, take a 15-minute break, and then repeat the process until your task is done.

Don’t have a tomato timer at hand? The Internet has you covered: As with most things, there’s a website for that.

Treat Yourself

To quote the great sitcom Parks and Rec… “treat yo self.” You don’t have to go out and buy yourself something extravagant, but do treat yourself to a small reward once you’re all done with your big task. Having a light at the end of the tunnel is highly motivating — Just don’t let that reward get in the way of accomplishing your task to the fullest. Once you’ve finished up, turn on Netflix, have a cup of tea, or buy some ice cream. You’ve earned it.

What else can you do to stay focused and stave off procrastination? We’d love to hear what techniques you use to keep your daily schedule on track.

The post Kick Procrastination to the Curb: Practical Tips to Stay on Task appeared first on Zift Solutions.

You yourself know how this feels. Think of the last time you or your team were in a software decision-making process in the channel. You talked to many salespeople, no doubt. How many times did you feel like you were in a sales process versus a collaboration with a peer addressing your challenges? No doubt, you spent a lot of time evaluating capabilities and price, but did you really understand what the next 6 months of your professional life might look like?

Your buyers are in that same predicament. They crave an experience, from you and from your partners.

Having spent years architecting sales strategies through both direct and indirect channels alike, I have wrestled with the very issue I write about in this blog: creating a cohesive experience throughout the customer journey. As business leaders, we find it much easier to talk about marketing and selling a product than about anticipating the lifecycle of the customer and crafting a sales and customer management process that drives success.

In the months ahead, I invite you to join me as we explore best practices and ideas that may help you and your teams. I will offer you these three ideas:

• In a SaaS Model, Customer Lifetime Value is Everything, Period: I’ve spent most of my years in SaaS companies, and know the models well. There’s a balance between driving new business and focusing on maintaining the lifeblood of the business: existing customers. SaaS companies ideally, regardless of sales channel, strive to recover cost of sales & deployment in the first 12 months — this is a common health metric. As the channel leader, you have to create pipeline value as well as retain customers to meet revenue and growth metrics.
• Your business is changing: With the rise of ecommerce and changes in buying preferences of the ‘empowered buyer’ — your customers will seek ecommerce channels over both your direct and partner sales teams when possible. As an industry, we need to embrace the buyer and equip our partners to respond.
• Channel teams can revolutionize your company: With over 70% of global sales going indirect, you and your teams face a unique opportunity to deliver value in how you think about delivering products, services, and experiences to your buyers through your channel.

I’m looking forward to sharing more with you on this journey. I’ll be at the SiriusDecisions Summit next week, and I’d love to meet you in Austin. Otherwise, leave a comment or drop me a line at kristafuller@ziftsolutions.com.

The post Customer Experience & the Channel: On Being a Customer Experience Advocate appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Ok, yes. This is a Game of Thrones reference. Can you blame us? The final season is here and we’re excited! Don’t worry, this post is spoiler-free.

Back to the matter at hand: Let’s talk about sitting on that throne again. If there was a just ruler for Westeros, one who had ultimate visibility into every noble house, stronghold, and village in the land, that would be … YOU. At least, that would be you if you think of your partner program as your kingdom. Channel marketers hold the keys to the kingdom with Enterprise Channel Management. Send word to your nearest blacksmith for a suitable crown and get ready to learn a little more about ECM’s advantages.

A Dragon’s-Eye View of Visibility

Visibility is, simply put, transparency. Seeing every step of every process in every nook and cranny of your program has obvious advantages. Keeping track of how many partners are using individual aspects of campaigns and how they’re interacting with your platform are only two of the ways visibility can help you out.

Visibility can also be interpreted as synchronicity in the moving parts of your platform. Information flowing seamlessly from one aspect of your program to another is vital to maintaining accurate records.

Keep Your Alliances Strong with Alignment

Allegiances shift from week to week on Game of Thrones. Your partner program is built of stronger stuff, though, and your channel team is focused on one goal: the success of that program. Now if only you could just get sales and marketing on the same page. Much like some alliances on the show, sales and marketing are working toward the same goal, but can be doing it in ways that counteract the other’s plans. Staying on the same page — and working in a platform that prioritizes user experience — is crucial to your channel running efficiently. Wouldn’t want sales not to take full advantage of a marketing push, right? With ECM, channel organization is made simple with services and support, so taking advantage of a big opportunity from another department is easy.

Seven Kingdoms? More Like ONE

Spend less time chasing information from your ChanTech Monster (or ChanTech Mountain) and more time ruling over a peaceful kingdom — not seven individual channel kingdoms, but ONE fully integrated platform through which your entire channel can be ruled.

Want to learn more about how end-to-end visibility can benefit your channel? Sign up for our 5/1 webinar, “People, Process & Platform: Turning Enterprise Channel Management into Profit,” where we’ll be discussing the advantages of increased visibility as well as why sales and marketing alignment is vital for your channel’s success.

We’d also love to hear about how you’re ruling your own channel kingdom! Leave a comment below with your thoughts on visibility — and if you mention who you’re rooting for to sit the Iron Throne, we won’t judge.

The post Rule Your Channel Kingdom with ECM appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The channel is changing, though that’s a given. It evolves every time a fresh, exciting product takes the industry by storm, or a partner program pulls off a bold new way of achieving ROI. There’s one huge change on the horizon, though, that’s finally getting some air time.

As Jay McBain noted this week at the 2019 Channel Partners Expo, 40% of channel business owners are planning to retire in the next five years. That’s a pretty stunning statistic by itself, but we’ve got another big stat following right behind.

75% of the channel is going to be made up of millennials by 2024, and that number is even higher in customer-facing and channel sales roles. Startled that such a huge chunk of the workforce will be comprised of the generation killing every industry you can think of? (Napkins, golf, soda…) You shouldn’t be. The channel will be in good hands, though, of course, it’s possible I’m biased. I’m a millennial myself, after all.

I’ve mentioned being a millennial before. We’re up and coming — most of us are settling into our career paths, or still figuring out where our career path is. We’re hungry for meaningful work, and a lot of us will search the field until we find something that scratches that itch. We are the future faces behind technology, and we’re an industry-busting, individualistic, curious bunch. We’ll ask the tough questions, and come up with new answers.

And we’ve got some tough acts to follow. Channel vets have broken ground on some seriously exciting stuff for the road ahead, like hyperspecialized industries and the rise of agencies in the channel. Passing the torch to millennials means acknowledging that how the channel works will evolve even more over time. As it is, it’s already much different than it once was — partners are choosier than ever, and both partners and suppliers are having to be more aggressive when going out for the sell.

Here at Zift, we’ve been thinking about going forward a lot. We’re looking forward as ONE, and are pouring our teams’ diverse talents into a vision of a platform totally dedicated to ONE complete channel management system.

The channel will just keep changing, so: We all need to be channel chameleons. Accept change, and adjust accordingly.

Have any thoughts you’d like to share on the young and young-at-heart in the channel? We’d love to hear your take! Leave a comment below.

The post Passing the Torch: The Changing Channel Workforce appeared first on Zift Solutions.

For far too long, channel technology has been delivered and purchased as an array of distinctly separate solutions. Every piece of the puzzle comes from a different vendor, and nothing works together as “seamlessly” as promised. Instead, you end up with what we refer to as a Partner Frankenstein or Channel Technology Monster, complete with siloed data, no clear picture of what’s really happening in your channel program (or how much return you’re getting on investments), lost leads, and disengaged partners. This approach wastes time, money, and can undermine your entire channel program. It just doesn’t work.

So, we directed all of Zift’s resources to create ZiftONE, the first and only all-in-ONE platform that covers the entire channel challenge. ZiftONE aligns, automates and simplifies channel marketing, sales, and operations, so it’s easy to measure the growth and return of your programs and partners.  

We’ve had a lot of help and input on ZiftONE from the world’s top channel program leaders, and via our ongoing Customer Strategy Sessions, Executive Summits, and industry analysts, including Forrester Principal Analyst and B2B expert Jay McBain and Maria Chien, Service Director, Channel Marketing Strategies at SiriusDecisions. Jay has been talking about the benefits of taking a horizontal approach to channel management for some time, stating in a recent blog:

“The benefits of moving to a modern platform include advanced and integrated functionality, step-function improvements in agility and flexibility, and often a consolidated operating model. There are dozens of sources of channel data that can be consolidated from internal, external, and paid sources, although the availability cycles, sequencing, and data quality levels can provide challenges.”

Moreover, Maria commented on the release of ZiftONE itself, noting:

“To compete effectively in today’s channel, suppliers must integrate data silos and automate workflows to foster data-driven conversations with partners.”

We absolutely agree with these experts. The belief that it is time for something completely new, that eliminates those silos and allows channel organizations to actually use their data as a differentiator was the impetus of ZiftONE. We’re creating a single source of truth for channel leaders, so that all of the data from the channel is encompassed in ONE platform, which delivers a truly exceptional partner experience — and is incredibly easy to use and self-administer.  

I hope you will watch this quick video, where I discuss the creation and value of ZiftONE. You can also learn more about ZiftONE here, or find out what four key elements we deemed essential in ZiftONE here. Let us know what you think — and join the ZiftONE conversation in the comments section below.

The post Welcome to the Future. Welcome to ZiftONE. appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Like a questionnaire you fill out when you first visit the doctor’s office, a channel assessment captures important data on your channel program’s priorities as well as its capabilities. Except, instead of a prescription for a headache, you receive a clear picture of your current state and a prescriptive set of actions that narrow the gap between your program goals and capabilities.

And just like a trip to the doctor’s, with a channel assessment, your whole program gets checked out. Assessments show an X-ray of your whole program, like a full channel scan. At Zift, we break our assessments down into groups that represent every stage of the channel program lifecycle. This helps us zoom in on exactly what areas are perfectly healthy and what areas could use some TLC. Let’s do a brief overview of our focus areas — and see if you need to schedule a checkup for your channel.

Planning Out

If you don’t have a plan in place before anything else, likely you’ll wind up frazzled and struggling. This is true whether it’s about a golf trip with friends or your burgeoning channel program. Defining goals and strategies on everything from pricing and revenue to partner personas and incentives gives you — and the C-suite — a guidebook to your expectations.

Recruiting In

Who is your ideal partner? Do you have a clear idea, and are you targeting and stationing yourself at their watering holes? How comfortable are you that you’ve provided recruitment training to your PAMs to find the right partner? No matter your process, having a recruitment waterfall to follow and treating partners like leads hones your onboarding experience to a science.  

Enabling Happy Partners

Helping partners succeed with supplemental provisions like playbooks, training and sales coaching can be instrumental in netting program ROI. Providing these tools shows partners you’re invested in their growth and livelihood. Giving partners tools like certifications and training helps them sell more effectively as well, leading to precious ROI for you. This is definitely an area we recommend investing in.

Generating Demand

Once partners have the tools and training to sell under their belts, it’s up to them to get selling — or is it? There’s still a good amount you can do for them, whether you choose to do for-partner marketing, or market directly to customers on behalf of partners, or give partners prescriptive  marketing activities through a series of plays in your portal. However you or your partners get leads, you can’t expect partners to do it entirely alone, whether that means having a partner war room or the activities mentioned above.

Transacting on Success

Figuring out the ROI on your, and partners’, hard work is crucial to get critical approval from higher-ups. Reporting on pipeline and marketing efforts are obvious, but are you using partner scorecards to track partner revenue growth? Are you pulling data from the right places using leading and lagging metrics to tell a story of not just what is happening, but also what is likely to happen? Understanding and incorporating this data into actionable next steps is your priority for this step.

Managing Your Program

Rolling your sleeves up and getting down to the work of managing all these other steps is a constant in what will likely be an always-evolving channel. Partner and customer experience should be strong concerns for you, as well as making partners feel heard and appreciated for their work.

Once all these areas are strong, you’ll have a healthy channel program at your fingertips. Want to figure out where to start? Let’s talk about your program, and work out together where you need to put a little more TLC in your channel. Or, leave a comment below if you have experience assessing the individual areas in your program. We’d love to hear your perspective.

The post Measure the Health of Your Channel with Assessments appeared first on Zift Solutions.

How does Channel Engagement contribute to Zift’s overall vision?

The Channel Engagement team are the folks who work directly with partners — we’re hands on with them. When you consider a successful channel program, the key component of success is whether partners are using it. It’s essential. By enabling and training the partners, or in some cases, actually acting as a concierge service on behalf of the partners, Channel Engagement brings that component into action for suppliers.  

How did you find your way to Zift Solutions?

I was working part-time from my home for a GSA Consultancy and volunteering in my community — things like the local theater and community center and the PTA and the school board. I was really working more than full time as it was! My husband said, “If you are going to work all the time, why don’t you do it and make money?” Naturally, I said, “Well, that’s an interesting idea.”

I was job hunting around the time Zift was launching Channel Engagement (or what we then called Partner Development) as part of Sales. I live in Virginia, close to Chief Revenue Officer Bryan Ferren, and he hired me as one of the first two Partner Development Representatives.

How did you become Director of Channel Engagement?

My role at Zift has changed over time as has some aspects of the Channel Engagement Manager position, but Channel Engagement has always been the partner advocate at Zift. We try to provide the voice of the partner to the overall company and to each of the suppliers who provide our services to their partners. That advocacy role — that aspect of the job and the chance to work with this great group of people has kept me at Zift and, happily, I have been rewarded with increased responsibility as well. As the company has grown, the opportunities have continued to grow for me as well, which is great.

What do you do on a day-to-day basis?

Good question! The Channel Engagement team works with thousands of partners across the globe, not only helping them use the Zift platform, but also helping them understand the value of these tools for building their sales pipeline. We need to be an expert resource for the partner on the software, the suppliers, and channel marketing in general to bring value to our partners.

From day to day, this could mean meeting with a customer to help them define their partner onboarding process, or it could be holding a training session with my team on CRM integrations or troubleshooting a new campaign or feature release on the software. Essentially, I try to facilitate the work of my team.

Any tips to share with readers on marketing?

One tip I have for suppliers: understand that partners market pretty much the same way you do,  except maybe they aren’t as effective. Maybe they lack expertise or financial resources to support a full-on marketing program. They work really hard to create business for themselves selling your products and services, so they send revenue your way as well.

I would also say to be patient with your partners. It’s good to have expectations and guidelines for them to follow, but they can’t always do everything you want them to do in the timeframe you’d like. They may not have the resources, knowledge or expertise to follow through with specific activities. If you cut partners off too early or say, “You absolutely have to do this task in a certain timeframe,” both partners and suppliers can suffer — neither gets the revenue they’re seeking. Partners require flexibility from suppliers. Flexibility is key to long-term, successful channel relationships.

Oh, and keep promoting your program to partners!

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I like to run, both for fitness and fun. It helps me stay sane. I’ll sign up for races every now and then, but I’m a firm believer that slow-mo is better than no-mo. I also spend a lot of time with my family.

What’s your favorite charity?

The International Rescue Committee, or IRC, is one of my favorite organizations. They help refugees worldwide, from getting them to safety to helping fund education and financial independence. They do a lot to support women, in particular, sending girls to school and helping mothers and that’s important to me. I also am passionate about safeguarding the environment, especially locally. I support Wild Virginia, which is a local, environmental organization dedicated to the preservation of wild forested areas.

Want to find out more about our Channel Engagement team? Contact us here to find out how they can help energize your channel program — or leave a comment telling us about your own experience with the team.

The post Inside Zift: Margaret Clair & Channel Engagement appeared first on Zift Solutions.

So when our Essential Channel Visions eBook came out, I was reminded of that big cardboard box of classics. Just like those musicians, our channel stars — or, I could say, channel rock stars — have some seriously useful messages that can be applied no matter where you are in your channel lifecycle. Whether you’ve got a small partner base and a scrappy program just getting started or a huge, complex program with tons of bells and whistles, you’ll find a message worth remembering and adding to your own collection of channel knowledge.

Let’s go through a few highlights from the eBook. It’ll be like listening to a new album and recognizing that the song you’re listening to is going to be one of your favorites.

Catchy Chorus: Allowing for Different Avenues for Success

Jonathan White, veteran Channel Marketing expert, has seen a lot of change in his years in the channel. Today, there’s a much more symbiotic relationship between suppliers and their partners, as well as a more proactive, level playing field through the use of technology.

Jonathan gives a key piece of advice that’s useful for suppliers and partners: There isn’t one “silver bullet” for success. Different partners will excel at different marketing activities. Successful partners are usually comfortable with multiple marketing tactics, and they’re the ones driving engagement. Keeping multiple marketing components in play for different partners and a solid strategy that unites every asset involved can help drive success.

Sweet Guitar Solo: Marketing To and Through Partners

Marketing to partners is just as important as marketing through them. Partner adoption can cause snags for even the most prepared platforms, but suppliers can tackle this head-on by “prescriptively working with partners to really show them what’s in it for them to market to them as much as through them.”

This is why, channel analyst and Zift’s own Chief Strategy Officer Laz Gonzalez argues, concierge programs are a good solution. Marketing concierge reaches out to partners and keeps marketing activities going prescriptively. Laz also drops this rocking statistic: programs with a marketing concierge “perform 80% higher than programs that don’t.”

Bridge: Best Practices for Successful Partners

Let’s finish on a crowd pleaser: Best practices from Channel Maven Consulting CEO Heather K. Margolis. Make sure your partner communications are beneficial to you both: if it doesn’t include something that helps partners build their business, rephrase or scrap it.

Social media is a tool that can’t be counted out for partners, either. Partners making themselves available online for end users to find before reaching out is crucial. Building up a presence makes a difference. “In order to be successful, it’s really important for partners to have a presence online specifically to nurture connections.”

Let us know your thoughts — what do you think of our channel rock stars? Keep the beat going in the comments below, and go check out the eBook itself.

The post Easy Listening: Can’t-Miss Tracks from Essential Channel Visions appeared first on Zift Solutions.

We made leaps and bounds in terms of growth and establishing ourselves as the leading Enterprise Channel Management software provider. Let’s go through some of the highlights for 2018, and discuss why we’re excited to welcome what’s coming in 2019.

Inspiring Customers. Impressive Results.

We expanded our customer base, adding more channel-focused organizations like Blancco Technology Group and Telecom leader Star2Star to our client roster. “Launching Zift was a powerful step in providing our partners with the best channel program in the industry,” said David Portnowitz, Chief of Marketing for Star2Star.

But we didn’t just add these impressive companies to our customer list. We achieved goals at an impressively fast rate — Star2Star achieved ROI within its first quarter of use, adding 64K new social media followers via just 12 partners and garnering $192K in Marketing Qualified Leads in under 12 weeks as well as capturing 15-20 hours per week in employee time savings.

We also relaunched our Customer Strategy Sessions this year, where members of the Zift Solutions family work together to drive channel results. We’ve received incredible feedback from attendees like Kerstin Demko, North America Partner Marketing Director at Sage, who noted, “Zift Solutions is a company with channel in their DNA and it’s valuable time spent in the Customer Strategy Session to learn what’s on the leading edge of channel management.”

And the Award Goes To

Truly exciting accolades came our way this past year as well, establishing Zift’s leadership within the field. We were named a “Leader” in The Forrester Wave™: Partner Relationship Management (PRM), Q4 2018 and The Forrester Wave™: Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA), Q2 2018 by Forrester Research, Inc., earning high marks in the criteria of Product Vision, Innovation Roadmap and Supporting Products/Services for both PRM and TCMA. In addition, Zift was named to the Constellation ShortList™ for Partner and Alliance Relationship Management in August and closed out the year being named to CIO Applications Magazines’ Top 10 MarTech Solution Providers 2018. It’s great to receive recognition for our team’s hard work and Zift’s strong vision.

Making Your Life Easier — And Your Data Safer

Another area where the team pulled through is coming up with more ways to make our customers’ professional lives easier. Our investments in innovation include adding Datto’s Autotask Professional Services Automation (PSA) system, ConnectWise and Vistex to our growing list of popular systems and business applications with which we integrate, including Marketing Automation Platforms (MAPs); Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems; Analytics Packages, Sales Enablement tools and Incentive Management Platforms.

Our IT team also deserves recognition for keeping Zift committed to the highest levels of service and security by completing yet another Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II compliance audit with no exceptions. We’re going forward into 2019 with more customers, more integrations and more secure systems — so where does that leave you?

What’s Up for 2019 — And What’s In It For You

We’ve started off 2019 by adding yet more members to the Zift family — check out the recent news from Seven Corners — and see why we’re excited to help drive their channel success.

Zift’s continuing commitment to providing the only end-to-end Enterprise Channel Management platform on the market defines us. Moving forward, we will continue to refine and expand our offerings with a focus on partner engagement, pipeline visibility and data insight for better business decision-making, and we would love to have you along for the journey.

We’ve become a true standout in the industry at large, and we have more on the way. Let us know in the comments what your 2019 goals and visions are, and how Zift is helping you meet them.

The post The Inside Scoop: What’s Up & What’s Next for Zift Solutions appeared first on Zift Solutions.

10) Inside Zift Q&A: Meet Krista Fuller and Her Passion for Product Marketing

We talked to VP of Product Marketing Krista Fuller about her vision for Zift and Product Marketing into 2019. She had a lot to say on both topics as well as her love for working with channel professionals:

“That’s one of the parts of the channel I like best: People invested in the channel, like my fellow Zifters, tend to work well with others. Whether it’s nature or nurtured by industry, people in the channel are very good at networking. Channel programs do a lot with a little, so it makes sense that the people behind them are good at connecting the networking dots to get what needs to be done, done.”

READ THE BLOG

9) What the Channel Can Learn from Veterans

For Veteran’s Day, we turned to Sales Director and Vet Sean Lardo, who offered some insight on how companies like TrainOurTroops are helping veterans gain a foothold in the civilian marketplace — and what assets vets bring to the channel. “Soldiers think differently. We’re five steps ahead. We know 100 percent of every plan fails. And we know how to prepare for every variability. This mindset, which comes from serious training and experience, can be an incredible asset (particularly in the channel). It can also be tough to translate into a civilian career.”

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8) Siriusly, Vegas!

Our coverage of the SiriusDecisions Summit back in May was a big hit. Between Lisa Hyatt’s fun coverage of “cigars, a broken toe, and a dance-off to some Michael Jackson jams with a total stranger,” there were some serious insights on Zift’s presence at the Summit, emerging channel trends, and our run-ins with channel friends new and old.

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7) GDPR Made Simple

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is firmly in place now, but earlier this year, there was panic among those affected by the ruling as they got their houses in order for total compliance. Cameron Sutton wrote a short and sweet summary of what GDPR means in layman’s terms, and defined some head-scratching terms like “right to be forgotten” and “personal data.”

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6) Pamper Your Partners by Putting Them First

Keeping partners happy doesn’t mean funding a spa trip. You can soothe stresses just as easily by taking some of the ideas in this blog and running with it. The most important take-home? “One of the toughest aspects of managing a channel marketing program is trying to keep partners happy and engaged. Putting partners first is one of the best decisions you can make for your program. However, it’s easy to misinterpret what your partners are asking for and replace it with what you think partners are asking for.” Read the article for more specific ideas for cultivating partner zen.

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5) When Trucking Meets B2B Marketing

“Powerful mythology surrounds truckers and the trucking imagery in general.” So when our longtime customer Mack Trucks started tapping into the imagery in trucking through a modern B2B campaign series involving an interactive experience, we sat up and paid attention. B2B marketing can be modern and slick while still staying true to their industry — learn how in the blog.

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4) The Importance of Providing Partners with Relevant, Engaging Content

“The purpose of content is engagement.” True, right? It’s a little more complicated than that, though: There is a difference between available content and the content partners want to engage customers. Cameron Avery offers his insight on balancing the line between a thoughtful, authentic and relevant piece of content and sales-focused content that often ends up lying on the wayside.

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3) Don’t Just Take Our Word for It

Zift CEO Gordon Rapkin wrote this blog when Zift was recognized as a Leader in both The Forrester Wave™: Partner Relationship Management, Q4 2018 and The Forrester Wave™: Through-Channel Marketing Automation, Q2 2018.

And while everyone does stop to listen when Gordon steps to the mic, even industry analysts agree, “Zift is the only channel technology provider recognized as a Leader in both PRM and TCMA — and capable of delivering end-to-end Enterprise Channel Management.” Read the full blog to find out how Zift does more for channel organizations than anyone else.  

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2) How Zift Became the Global ChanTech Standout: What’s Next and What’s In It For You

Gordon Rapkin’s blog posts both rated big this year. His summary of our 2017 accomplishments and Zift’s roadmap for the year ahead got the second-most page views for our blog this year. 2018 has turned out to be a huge year for Zift in terms of what we’ve accomplished, as you can see from the other blog posts on this list and from our press releases. As he says in the blog, “we’re far from done.”

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And the number one blog post for 2018 is… (drumroll, please)

1) Rules of Engagement: Getting and Keeping Partners Engaged

This blog, with its focus on offering simple tips to increase partner engagement, wins the prestigious title of 2018’s Most Viewed Channel Chatter Post. It’s a small but mighty post, packed with tips for better partner engagement such as: “Encourage engagement with incentives for each tier of partners — whether they’re top performers or only occasionally make use of your collateral.”

READ THE #1 BLOG

Keep up with Channel Chatter and discover your favorites as they’re published. We’ve got a ton of great posts waiting for you. Here’s to the top Channel Chatter posts of 2019!

The post Top 10 Channel Chatters of 2018 appeared first on Zift Solutions.

We received and shared some great news last week as Zift was recognized as a “Leader” in The Forrester Wave™: Partner Relationship Management, Q4 2018 report by Forrester Research, Inc. The recognition follows Zift also being named a “Leader” earlier this year in The Forrester Wave™: Through-Channel Marketing Automation, Q2 2018.

This makes us an official market leader in both Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA), with the industry leadership position and strength of our  Enterprise Channel Management platform.

Well Beyond PRM

Forrester Wave reports examine a wide range of specific product functionality as well as market position and company strategy. In the PRM Wave, Zift received a 5 out of 5 possible points in the criteria of Product Vision, Innovation Roadmap and Supporting Products/Services. Zift also received high scores (4 of 5) in the Partner Co-Selling/Co-Marketing, Partner Portal/Integrations and Partner Performance/Incentives, and Strategy. In the TCMA Wave (released earlier this year), we captured high scores in the categories of Execution, Product Vision, Innovation Roadmap, Supporting Products and Services, and Partner Ecosystem.

According to the new PRM Wave’s authors (Principal Analyst Jay McBain with Caroline Robertson, Robert Perdoni, and Kara Hartig) , “Zift has created a full-function partner platform that goes beyond PRM to include through-channel marketing and creative/concierge-type services. Its vision is even more extensive and may include other channel software categories in the future.”

The PRM Wave goes on to say:

• The Zift PRM solution delivers comprehensive functionality on top of a very robust and configurable business rules engine platform
• Zift’s partner education, training, and certification support capabilities are among the best in this category
• Zift gets high marks for its global coverage and has significant bases of operations in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific

We’re happy to get such solid recognition for the solutions, services and support we are absolutely dedicated to providing for our customers.

Still a Siloed Market

While Forrester did an excellent job of capturing the state of the market for PRM and TCMA, these reports remain siloed and each one focused on only one distinct portion of the ChanTech equation. They also work as a snapshot of the market at just one point in time. Zift’s vision and capabilities cover the entire scope of channel sales, marketing and operations functionality. Plus, Zift releases new capabilities every week, and our comprehensive solutions are always evolving and improving.

The Bottom Line

Zift is the only channel technology provider recognized as a Leader in both PRM and TCMA — and capable of delivering end-to-end Enterprise Channel Management. Moreover, Zift is a true global channel technology and services provider, delivering:

• Third-party recognized leading PRM & CMM
• Follow-the-sun, in-language global support (for 13+ distinct languages)
• Advanced Creative Services with 20+ years of digital expertise
• Highly flexible Service Options (Expert Services, Customer Engagement Services, Creative Services, Channel Program Assessments and Partner Self-Service Options)
• In-depth Training, Workshops and Certifications
• Superior channel expertise and best practices via Zift’s Channel Center of Excellence

Interested to learn more about Zift’s leadership position and expansive PRM capabilities? You can download and read the full Forrester PRM Wave HERE.

The post Don’t Just Take Our Word for It appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Look, I’ve been in marketing a long time, so I’m no stranger to today’s marketing speak and business jargon.  Every day my head swirls around the alphabet soup we’ve cooked up in our work world. We try to one up each other on the latest, buzziest, trendiest way of naming something new or, heck, even changing up something we already knew.  

But lately we’ve been having a conversation among the Zift marketing team about how all of language in general creates a “voice” and how it gives us our Zift voice.  

Among all the words we use, all the acronyms and tech talk (I’ll take a side of CHaaS with my ChanTech, please…), we also use words like MORE and DIFFERENT.  

And on my morning walk to the break room to get coffee, I am reminded that those words don’t just serve as marketing speak. MORE and DIFFERENT define us.

Zift is made up of 200+ strong, all of whom bring more than resumes and technical expertise.  While we “do” technology, we know our customers need – and deserve – more than that to be successful in today’s competitive channel landscape.  That’s why we’ve built a company that doesn’t just sell software but also provides expert services and intelligence.  We’re doers. We’re fixers.  We’re fighters. We’re dreamers.  

We are also artists, singers, musicians, and photographers.

We are amateur gourmet cooks and (ridiculously) good bakers.

We do cross-stitch and pilot airplanes (really).

We do cosplay and Krav Maga.

We do parkour and jiu-jitsu.

We coach and mentor and volunteer.

We are (former) soccer stars and spelling champs and semi-pro hockey players

We run book clubs and run our kids to and from practice.

We want to better introduce you to the characters and creativity and moxie that makes Zift, Zift.  So on your future scrolls — up, down, all around — we’ll be sharing more of our voice here on Channel Chatter.  More about our people and our “Why.” We’ll be bringing you closer to the folks that really make our tech “tick.” We’re gonna “walk the walk” while we “talk the talk.”  We’re going to take it the “next level.”

We’re gonna show you what makes Zift different.

The post One Voice appeared first on Zift Solutions.

First of all, I will no longer complain about traffic. With their itty bitty cars, winding narrow roads and driving on the “wrong side” of the road, London turned my Raleigh to Cary, NC commute into a dream ride. It also turned me into the guy who kept trying to get into the driver’s seat, when I was supposed to be the passenger.

Cheers to Zift’s Award-Winning Customers

Once I did make it to the SD Summit in Europe, I was excited to see the growing emphasis on channel-focused content. And even more thrilled to see so many Zift customers received Program of the Year awards, including VMware, Cisco and HPE, as well as a Return On Integration award for Tata Communications. A big “Cheers!” to all. (I also learned in the UK, “Cheers” is not just for before sharing a beer or cocktail – It’s hello, it’s goodbye, it’s thank you, it’s great job!) All of these companies are fantastic examples of how to leverage technology to drive go-to-market strategies — and the results they achieved would not have been possible without the work they accomplish everyday on the Zift platform.

Partner Engagement (and Segmentation) Stays Top of Mind

I attended several educational sessions at the Summit, where Partner Engagement was a top topic. Experts stressed the importance of segmenting and engaging partners according to type. Great advice but tough to deploy without some help. A poll in one session showed that only 13% of attendees were adapting their partner approach based on go-to-market strategies and partner type.

If you are looking for guidance or help assessing, segmenting, onboarding or engaging partners on a one-to-one, one-to-few, or one-to-many basis, our Channel Engagement team can help. Interested in learning more on this topic? We will be hosting a joint webinar with SiriusDecisions’ channel sales expert Chris Cleary that digs deeper into channel productivity and enabling partners based on type.

Making it without My Mountain Dew

In case you were wondering, I did manage to survive without my morning Mountain Dew while overseas due to my discovery that UK bacon, while not the crispy strips I’m used to at home, is more like what I would call country ham and equally delicious. Plus, the people are great. Very polite. I experienced this first hand as I left Wembley Stadium with 90K of my now closest friends after the football (aka soccer) match between Tottenham and Barcelona.

My friends and colleagues from the Zift team in Oxford scored the coveted tickets and it was great to meet the IT, engineering, QA and Finance experts that keep the Zift machine running smoothly overseas.

While I was plenty ready to return home, I left the UK inspired by Zift’s growth and ability to turn a vision of Enterprise Channel Management into a powerful reality. During my six years with Zift, I’ve seen us grow from a relatively small start-up channel marketing technology firm to a global enterprise channel management leader. Seeing first-hand how our R&D investments, hundreds of employees, sales and engineering teams across the globe (US, UK, Australia, Romania, Mexico, Ukraine and more), in-language support for 13+ languages and more come together reminded me how much more we deliver to customers than we (or our competitors) initially thought possible. Impressive to see what happens when you truly focus on the channel for nearly 15 years.

P.S. Don’t forget to register for Zift & SiriusDecisions upcoming webinar: Powering 2019 Channel Sales: Why Segmentation and Onboarding Matter, October 23 featuring channel experts Laz Gonzalez and Chris Cleary. Attendees will receive a free copy of the Sirius Decisions Research Brief Channel Sales: Planning Assumptions 2019 detailing the five areas of opportunity that should drive the priorities of sales leaders in 2019.

REGISTER NOW

The post Cheers to Our Channel Leaders & A Pint of Partner Engagement appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The type of content and messaging you need to create really depends on where that buyer is in the sales funnel. Generally, we talk about four stages of a sales funnel or buying cycle. If you search for “content marketing funnel,” you will find many different versions. This is one version, and it should serve as a good guideline to follow if you don’t already have one in place.

When it comes to moving buyers through the sales funnel, think about your target audience, and what’s going to appeal to them, throughout these various stages.

The awareness stage, the top level, is where your first impressions matter the most. You haven’t really engaged your prospect’s intellect yet. At this point, they are basing their responses on a gut reaction, which happens below the level of conscious thought – so the most appealing content to prospects in this phase will engage them on an emotional or an instinctual level.

Actually, this is basic human psychology. The goal here is to simply make a first impression, good or bad. Surprisingly, if you want someone to remember you, making them mad can be just as effective as making them laugh. But for our purposes, since we’re talking about marketing and not picking up people in a bar, we want to make a positive first impression – and the best way to do that is to amuse or entertain your audience (which, come to think of it, probably works in a bar). That’s really what’s going to drive that initial contact, or initial experience with your brand.

For example, we ran a partner campaign recently that used a “Dummies Guide” as the content asset. Some people may be offended by being referred to as a “dummy” but the content was fun, entertaining and educational. In the first couple of weeks, the campaign reached a 20% conversion rate.

During the awareness stage, consider trying different types of content. Go for more infographics, videos, GIFs and memes, interactive tools, maybe a cool survey, or industry literature that’s entertaining and fun.

At the research stage, you are probably looking for prospects who might have some level of product awareness, but are mainly doing research to better clarify their needs around a particular solution. Content here should engage them on a more intellectual level. This is content that talks about their needs, the environment around those needs, or something else that is particularly important to them (or their bosses). This is what’s going to be valuable to them.

White papers, ebooks, blog posts or interviews with thought leaders tend to perform well at the research stage. Content should focus on the concept of what your product is designed to do or help with, but not necessarily your product itself. I would argue that any sort of mention of your product should be really, really light and sparing.

The trial stage is really where I think content marketers thrive. They finally get to tell you all about their products. Content at this stage needs to engage on a very practical level. A prospect has made some sort of decision that, “Yes, I need a tool, so I’m developing a short list of vendors that are in my price range, and have the range of features that I want,” for instance. These are people who know about the client and their product and have decided that it might be a good fit for their needs.

At this stage, remarketing (or retargeting) campaigns can work well to get people to try your product. These people have already visited your site (or your client’s site or your partner’s site), so you have already established awareness. Remarketing is a great way to drive that lower level funnel conversion. Industry reports, white papers, demos of the product, and interviews with company insiders provide great content at this stage.

Now at the conversion stage, buyers have narrowed down their choices to maybe a couple of different vendors, and are now focused on justifying a decision to purchase. Any content that helps them make that decision, that will help them view your product favorably on a financial level is going to be effective. Free trial offers also work well here. Getting them to sign up for a newsletter or follow you on social media can be helpful as well, because being exposed to your message and brand more and more strongly can help them convert to your product. Again, interviews (see a theme here?) are great, especially if they come from customers in the form of a testimonial or case study.

In my opinion, moving buyers through the sales funnel really boils down to a few key elements: a clear understanding of who your audience is, clear messaging that speaks to that audience and good content for every stage of the sales cycle. If you keep those three things in mind, the rest should follow.

The post From Content to Conversion – Moving your Buyer through Every Stage of the Sales Funnel appeared first on Zift Solutions.

As our regular readers know, Zift has been focused on the vision of developing and delivering true Channel as a Service offerings for channel programs worldwide. Bringing together our cutting edge Channel Marketing and Management (CMM) solutions with Relayware’s leading Partner Relationship Management (PRM) software is the natural evolution of this vision. As we shared the news of our merger, on a few occasions we were asked “How is this different from the other announcements we’ve heard among channel vendors this year?”

For starters, it’s more than an announcement.  It’s a movement.

What makes the Zift-Relayware merger unique is that it goes beyond the marketing press release and brings together the two leading channel technology (ChanTech) vendors together for the very first time.   We’re combining our teams, our leadership and we’re integrating our technology in a way that will transform how organizations market and sell through global channel partners.

Like I’ve said before on this blog, “integration matters.”  And you’re about to see why.

A Sea Change in ChanTech

There is current sea change in ChanTech that is causing many vendors to freeze in their tracks.  Those who refuse to deliver end-to-end solutions will be less likely to make the short-list of requirements channel leaders need to run profitable programs. Like dinosaurs they are facing extinction.   In response, many vendors of point solutions are scrambling to issue press releases, blogs and updates announcing new alliances, integrations or marketing bundles.  However, when closely examining what it takes to really integrate ChanTech solutions, we’ve learned from our experiences with some of the leading channel suppliers that integration happens on three key levels:  at the functional level, e.g. between channel sales and channel marketing; at the process level, such as onboarding partners; and at the applications/technology level, where API’s and “connectors” facilitate the data sharing between software packages.

Integration at the Functional Level

Integration starts with functional alignment, which entails breaking down silos and aligning critical functions like sales and marketing. At the functional level, it’s important to consider the processes shared by each group, like recruiting partners into your program. Channel programs that don’t align sales and marketing when recruiting partners are much more likely to recruit the wrong partners and propagate the 80/20 rule (only 20% of partners drive 80% of the results). Those with aligned sales and marketing are more likely to select the right partners at the start of their recruitment efforts with messages that communicate value to the partner and drive adoption. This requires channel sales and channel marketing to work hand-in-hand to identify then recruit partners, treating them like leads as they make it through the “recruitment funnel”.

Integration at the Process Level

One of the lessons learned well at Zift is that “process precedes technology”; as a result we have developed best-practice methodologies that ensure our customers realize a rapid implementation and are able to shorten time-to-revenue.  Nowhere is this more important than during the onboarding process, which often involves recruiting, training and activating partners to develop new business.  When the onboarding process is seamless, it provides partners a great experience and drives engagement.  When it’s not, the result is partners who don’t make it through training, don’t get activated and don’t produce results.  Disjointed onboarding processes are often the result of poorly implemented PRM, learning management systems (LMS) and CMM applications – the kind you hear about in an “alliance” press release.  On the other hand, partners who report having an exceptional experience during the onboarding process, using integrated applications that announces new marketing programs once they complete training for example, drive the lion’s share of revenue in the first 90 days.

Integration at the Technology/Application Level

This is really where the rubber hits the integration road. Getting the systems and infrastructure integrated on one platform to run everything your channel program needs to be productive is a game changer — and the reason we announced the merger between Zift and  Relayware!  We’ve learned that CMM and PRM applications need to reside on the same platform, otherwise you could never read critical partner data, like verticals or areas of expertise,  to develop aligned marketing programs.  But that’s just the start. Other activities such as managing third-party agencies, Market Development Funds (MDF), learning management, and partner training should all sync together to empower real productivity and profitability.  While connections between these applications sounds difficult, they are!  Don’t be fooled by hyped up press releases.  Instead, challenge your vendors to describe exactly how these applications co-exist. Otherwise if you’re a supplier, expect to play the role of Systems Integrator. At Zift, we’ve made a conscious effort to show live integrations, such integrating CMM and channel incentives management (CIM), to make it easy for partners to pay for marketing plays using existing MDF funds.

And Now… Sharks

The shark is a model of evolution. The oldest traceable shark fossils date back 420 million years — and the species is still going strong today. What keeps sharks at the top of the evolutionary ladder is constant movement.  Like sharks, ChanTech vendors need to keep moving, they need to keep innovating.  However many cannot do this alone; as a result there’s a lot of consolidation in the marketplace.   Suppliers, who fail to evolve because they do not challenge their vendors on the subject of integration, may also face extinction themselves.

While some channel programs argue they already have an established CRM or SFA tools, so they don’t need to integrate to any other channel applications. Others are proving them wrong by realizing the business benefits of leveraging data from purpose-built PRM within their Channel Marketing platforms, so they can target the right partners with the right campaigns.  Still others have two or three tools for social syndication or email marketing. These programs will continue to face cost pressures from other parts of the organization, demanding they consolidate or terminate one or more of these applications.  They need to integrate or slowly dissipate as partners abandon their efforts to engage.

The real channel leaders have and will continue to resemble predators of the deep — sharks who are able to adapt to change and, thus, stay at the top of the food chain. They will also challenge vendors to deliver integrated channel applications that work the way programs should work: Integrating at the functional, process and application levels is the best possible way to ensure channel success. On the heels of our merger with Relayware, Zift is ready, willing and eager to embrace this challenge.

The post Why Channel Technology Must Integrate or Face Extinction appeared first on Zift Solutions.

We’ve got some big news: Zift Solutions has just announced our intent to merge with Relayware. What exactly does that mean? Quite a lot.  

Synchronizing People, Processes & Technology

First off, it means we’ve signed a strategic agreement with Relayware to merge our teams, technology and resources. Together, we’ll synchronize the people, processes and technology today’s channel leaders need to drive more revenue and growth. And, as a combined entity, we can and will deliver the first and only end-to-end Enterprise Channel Management platform through Channel as a Service.

Why now?

I’ve spoken for some time about the pressing need for integrated technology to keep up with rapid fire changes in the channel and vital importance of powerful Partner Relationship Management (PRM) tools.  Channel organizations just don’t have the time or inclination to pull together all of the parts and pieces required to manage all of the sales, marketing and operational tasks involved in optimizing an entire channel ecosystem. Channel as a Service (CHaaS) is already proving to be truly transformational in aligning and integrating everything needed to maximize profitability and productivity across the channel. With Relayware, we’re taking the next step in fulfilling our complete vision for CHaaS. No one has more expansive PRM capabilities than Relayware and we’re bringing their features and functionality into the fold of Channel as a Service.

Why Relayware?

Known for their leading-edge Partner Relationship Management (PRM) solutions, Relayware is a perfect match for Zift Solutions customers, partners and prospects. Both companies have always been entirely focused on the channel — and we both see Channel as a Service as the future of the channel. We recognize the pressure channel organizations are under to drive higher performance while simplifying and streamlining supplier-partner relationships. And, we’re united in our mission to deliver easy, integrated solutions that provide everything needed to build and grow a profitable channel partner program.  

We’re already integrating Relayware’s popular and proven PRM solutions into CHaaS, which will greatly extend the planning, sales, marketing and operational capabilities as well as ROI for our our joint customers. (Who are thrilled about this move, as you’ll see here). But this merger isn’t just about technology. Relayware and Zift Solutions have a depth of channel expertise that will undoubtedly prove valuable to accelerating channel growth and profitability for customers and their channel partners.

A Unified Vision for the Future

We’ll have a lot more to say about the benefits this merger can and will deliver to our customers and the channel at large in the coming months. For now, I hope you’ll take a moment to visit this landing page to learn more about the merger and consider joining us for an informational webinar on Tuesday, August 1 to take a deeper dive into our unified vision for the future of our combined companies and channel technology with Enterprise Channel Management.

The post Changing the Channel: Zift is Merging with Relayware appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Lead Management

Think of lead management as a process, or the methods and practices used to generate new business through marketing. There are various funnels, frameworks, models and, most famously, waterfalls when it comes to displaying the lead management process.  

Regardless of the form it takes, the process is pretty universal. Lead management is simply a series of distinct phases leads follow, many of which you know like the back of your hand. In a nutshell, here they are:

At the top of the waterfall we have an inquiry – which is when someone raises their hand, e.g. by filling out an online form. In the stage right below that, where the lead is qualified either through automation or teleservices, lies the MQL or marketing qualified lead.   

Once the lead is qualified — typically by meeting one or more B-A-N-T criteria — it’s passed to sales, in B-to-B channels this is when they are assigned to partners and it’s also where it’s important to track how many partners accept or reject.  We call leads that make it this far, Sales Accepted Leads, or SAL’s, where sales agrees they’ve received a lead and agree to work the lead in hopes of turning it into a sales qualified lead.  A lead becomes sales qualified after sales makes contact and deems the lead pipeline worthy – it evolves into a true sales opportunity.  

Finally, we have the holy grail of lead management – the  closed/won phase.  Break out the Prosecco!

Along the way, there are important things in lead management to measure.  You want to know how long it takes for leads to make it from stage to stage.  You may want to see where they get stuck and diagnose why.  In fact, you can think of the waterfall or funnel as similar to the diagnostic computer a technician connects to your car when you take you car into the shop.  When you plug it into your car, it zeroes in on the problem.  For example, if you have poor partner adoption, you’ll find leads drop off when you send them to your partners (the sales accepted stage).  They’re simply not paying attention, and you’ve recognized an area that needs a little extra grease in your channel program.

So Where Does Deal Registration Come In?  (Or, what’s different about it?)

Excellent question.  And it’s a lot more common than you might think.

Deal Registration is the act of a channel partner informing the vendor about a lead to get the right to work that lead.  They’re basically saying they want to claim the lead and don’t want anybody else selling into it.  

The sweet spot for deal registration is typically (almost always) in between the sales accepted and sales qualified stages of the lead management process.

There are really five pillars of deal registration (again, a subset of lead management):

1. Partner submits the lead – it’s the supplier’s responsibility to make it as easy as possible for the partner to accomplish this.  Rather than have a partner sign into the supplier’s portal, sometimes it’s done simply by email, but using forms is best practice to capture all required information — source, company, contact details and estimated close date.  An important distinction is that deal registration should go both ways.  For example, if the supplier is registering deals to share with channel partners, then they too need to capture this information in a repository for partners to access or connect directly to their CRM’s.
2. Partner is notified when the lead is received by the supplier.  Or, the partner alerts the supplier they have received the distributed lead.  There is then a brief holding period where any other partner already working that particular lead can speak up.  A time limit of 24 hours for this is best practice.
3. Next the lead is accepted or rejected.  When a partner submits a lead, suppliers need to check to see if that lead is already active in their database.  It’s important for rejected leads to be explained on both the partner and supplier side as this will help establish better insight into future lead activity.
4. Now the lead can be officially registered.  This is akin to moving a lead from marketing qualified to sales accepted in the lead management process.  Again — make this easy and automatic for both parties.
5. The fifth pillar is really three-fold and involves communication, tracking and escalation.  Suppliers and channel partners typically use a CRM or PRM system to exchange information on the lead activity.  It then must be carefully tracked when it moves from sales accepted to sales qualified (so you can see real numbers in your pipeline.)  Finally, escalation is critical as deals work to close.  Channel partners should have the ability to tap into supplier resources to help get deals done.

I could write volumes on different aspects of lead management and deal registration.  From the big three backing factors that make deal registration successful — competition, technology and incentives, to digging deeper into lead distribution, lead scoring and everyone’s favorite closed-loop reporting.  But if you’re getting started by defining your lead management process and deal registration practice, the most important thing to remember is to keep it simple and as transparent as possible for channel partners — these are key in building trust and gaining better lead visibility for all.

Interested in learning more or have questions about the relationship between lead management and deal registration?  Write us a note in the comments!

The post The Deal on Leads appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The networking at Summit is top notch, and the social events are always a blast. But the two things that always stand out most to me about this event are the high quality learning and focus on data. This year is no exception.

If you’re a channel marketing or sales professional and haven’t planned your agenda for the event, here are a few channel specific sessions you won’t want to miss:

Programs of the Year: Third-Party Channels
Wednesday – 3:40
We all love a good case study, but it’s not everyday you can get up close and ask your own questions of winning channel programs. Learn what works (and what doesn’t) from the channel programs recognized as best-in-class.

Partner Enablement: Building Fluency in B-to-B Channels
Wednesday – 4:30 & Thursday – 4:00
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Maria Chien over the past several years, and look forward to seeing her present on new ways to give channel partners the training and processes needed to successfully drive brand equity and revenue. I’m particularly interested in seeing the new SiriusDecisions framework for meeting the varying enablement requirements of partners and learning new approaches for partner enablement.

The SiriusDecisions Channel Partner Segmentation Model
Thursday – 1:10
This session promises to show some new SiriusDecisions methodology to help develop a partner segmentation strategy that works. While partner segmentation is not a new topic, it certainly is a hot topic these days. This session covers the ever challenging balancing act of partner relationships. How do you keep your top channel partners rockin’ while focusing energy on those partners who have the “right stuff” to really break out if you just had the right engagement program in place? Should be insightful.

Editor’s Note: Zift Solutions is proud to be part of the Marketplace at SiriusDecisions Summit. Stop by booth #122 for more information on Channel as a Service (CHaaS) – an easy-to-use, integrated software as a service platform that automates channel sales, marketing and operational processes.   CHaaS integrates all of the multiple, and traditionally disparate, applications modern channel organizations require, making it easier for suppliers to generate revenue from their channel by simplifying planning, partner recruitment, partner enablement, demand generation, customer transactions and lifecycle management.

The post SiriusDecisions Summit 2017: Must See Channel Sessions appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The right platform is essential to providing the transparency both suppliers and channel partners need. Technology goes a long way by providing clear visibility and reporting into what specific source campaign generated a lead, and its journey throughout the lead lifecycle. But it takes more than tech. It requires thoughtful process and good communication skills to achieve happily ever after.

In this episode of our special manufacturing-focused video series, Zift’s Chief Strategy Officer Laz Gonzalez shares more on the love/hate relationships going on, and ways to help maintain the transparency needed for healthy partnerships and ultimately more revenue.

For more insight, download the full report from Zift and MAPI, “Manufacturers Collaborating with Channel Partners to Drive Faster Growth.”

The post Love, Trust & Leads – A Manufacturer’s Channel Story appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Keep the Best Ambassadors of Your Brand

If you’re a regular Channel Chatter reader, you’ve heard us say that you should treat your channel partners as if they were leads.  If you don’t properly nurture these critical relationships, partner happiness could suffer leading to low adoption in your marketing programs. Respected and engaged channel partners can be one of your biggest assets when it comes to driving more business.  Keep the best working for you and your channel programs and revenue numbers are sure to be rewarded.

Be Picky (It’s Ok)

Some channel sales managers search for as many channel opportunities as they can find to bring in the most revenue.  However, as is the case most of the time, quantity over quality is not the answer.  You have a right to be “picky” when evaluating new channel partners.  You are allowed to be particular when it comes to channel performance.  Being selective will allow you to focus on better channel partners that will do more for your business instead of requiring you to manage multiple partners that underperform.

Fuel Channel Motivation

There are times when you may notice that a normally high performing channel partner starts to decline. While this can be attributed to many different things, there are some steps you can take on your end to reverse it and prevent it in the future. Motivation is key. The relationship must be mutually profitable to both your company as well as the partner in order for it to work. Focus on this motivation and continue to monitor whether or not it is a good business relationship. Reward channels that do excellent work. Bring them into more conversations around your objectives and goals. Building their commitment to your company can further the relationship and pay huge dividends.

What’s your mantra? Share in the comments below.

The post Three Mantras for Channel Sales Managers appeared first on Zift Solutions.

That’s both good and bad news. The good news is you can get more sales faster, while saving money on content and strategies designed to move prospects along. The bad news is, buyers are making up their minds based on what they see and read on the world “wild” web, and not based on what your sales and marketing teams are feeding them. Basically, if your online content game is bad, it’s not likely your sales team will score a conversion.

Why the Sales Cycle is Getting Shorter

The shrinking sales cycle is a direct result of more savvy online buyers who do most – if not all –  of the research it takes to make a buying decision online before a salesperson is involved. Information that used to be asked and answered in a sales call or during a face-to-face meeting is now passed along via online websites, company videos, blog posts, social media accounts, and even those sources outside your control, like online customer review sites.  It is now essential to build a strong online presence because that’s likely the only consideration your brand is going to get.

The trend applies equally to B2B, B2C, and channel marketing, including those in industries that are typically heavy on the in-person sales calls, like manufacturing, healthcare, legal, and consulting services.

How a Shorter Buying Cycle Changes Your Channel Marketing

A shorter buying cycle is both good and bad news for the channel marketer. It saves money and reduces the time it takes to generate revenue, but if your online content game is weak, you’ll lose them before you even meet them. This makes each piece of online content many times more critical than before. All of your content has to include strong calls to action (CTAs) that fully express your value proposition, clearly define your brand identity and establish your brand’s uniqueness within the industry.

Does this make your sales staff less essential? No, not at all. Though the buyers come into the sales conversation armed with more information than ever before, it is still necessary to have a knowledgeable and caring sales human being to oversee the conversion process. What has changed is the need for sales reps who are even more effective at instilling confidence in the prospect that they’ve made the right decision after all. Ending the sales cycle with a sales rep that fails to impress makes the prospect question whether or not they made the right decision to go with your brand.

How to Manage Shorter Sales Cycles in Channel Marketing

To start, focus on building a complete and engaging online brand identity. Reinforce your advertising content with excellent video tutorials, buying guides and checklists, product comparison charts, and other content that explains how your brand delivers value. Then crown your buying journey with the finishing touch — a salesperson who knows their stuff.

Channel marketers are playing in an entirely different field than they did even a decade ago, and it will be interesting to see how sales cycles and buyers’ journeys continue to evolve over the next ten years and beyond.  Has your sales and marketing staff caught up? What changes do you anticipate in the future?  Share with us in the comments below.

The post The Shrinking Sales Cycle: How to Win the Online Content Game appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Developing Content for the Awareness Stage of the Buyer’s Journey

At the awareness stage, the customer is just realizing they have a particular need and that a product exists to meet that need. The Awareness stage is marked by the customer’s recognition that they have a need or a problem that a certain type of product can address. This is often called a “pain point.” Customers usually buy to relieve a perceived pain. The pain could be as significant as needing a massive software system to manage a business, or as simple as “needing” the latest fashions to impress their peers.

No matter the “need,” the strategy is the same: highlight how the product will fulfill  that need. Instead of focusing on the features of the product, use content to explain how the product or service meets that need. For instance, write about “X Ways ERP Makes Your Work Processes Easier” instead of “X Features of ERP Software.”

Excellent types of marketing content for customers at the Awareness stage of the sales cycle include:

• Whitepapers
• eBooks
• Tip sheets
• Checklists
• How-to guides & videos
• Webinars

This isn’t time for the hard sell though. Right now, you’re generating interest, asking questions and gently moving them along the steps of the buyer’s journey.

Developing Content for the Evaluation Stage of the Buyer’s Journey

Depending on how crowded the marketplace is, there could be many different products available to meet the shopper’s needs. Your job is to prove your channel partner’s option is the best. Tout their selling points: cheapest, highest quality, easiest to use, best color selection, etc.

The Evaluation Stage of the buyer’s journey is the point at which the shopper realizes their need and understands that a product is out there to meet the need. However, they haven’t decided which product to choose. It’s your job to promote your channel partner’s product, showcase how it’s the best option and to remove friction out of the selection process. Friction is anything that slows or halts the process toward conversion, such as high prices, questionable quality or worries over how well the company will support the product after purchase. You can focus on:

• Why the product is the best option
• Why your channel partner offers the best customer service
• How your channel partner delivers the best price or value

Whatever your channel partner’s key selling points are, that’s what you focus on in the content developed for this stage of the buyer’s journey. This is essentially a point of extended engagement. Good types of content for the Evaluation Stage include:

• Case studies
• Webinars
• FAQs
• Data sheets
• Demo videos
• Sample products

Developing Content for the Purchase Stage of the Buyer’s Journey

It’s time to close the deal. Make the negotiation and buying stage as fast, friction-free, and simple as possible. An easier process means fewer buyers drop out before the finish line.

Now comes the CTA — the Call to Action. Before now, you’ve been gently guiding them along the buyer’s journey. Now, you’re point-blank asking them to make a move.

Depending on the types of products you’re helping a channel partner sell, this is the stage where you begin making deals and negotiating contracts. The best types of content for this stage of the sales cycle are:

• Free trials
• Live product demos
• Free consultations
• Free estimates
• Coupons, discounts, special deals

Make sure you help your channel partners every step of the way, with the right content, resources and tools. Utilize insights to create content that will improve the way you manage leads, take advantage of marketing automation and syndicate customized collateral to build long-lasting effective relationships.

The post Content Marketing & The Buyer’s Journey appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Research has shown that the average channel partner is managing between 5 and 13 different supplier relationships at any given time. There simply isn’t enough time and money to represent all of those with the vigor needed to be successful.

Step 1. Building an Effective Marketing Campaign

You already have the campaigns and content, it just needs to be re-purposed for your channel partners’ use. What percentage of the channel marketing should come from you, the supplier? You should be supplying about 90% of the content needed for successful channel marketing campaigns. You already have much of this marketing infrastructure in place: your website content, product descriptions, webinars, whitepapers, newsletters, marketing campaigns, and special promotions and offers.

Simply re-brand and re-purpose this content for your channel partners to use in their own campaigns and promotions. Be sure to collaborate with your channel partners continually, helping them to utilize the content, develop and deliver the campaigns, collect and measure the metrics, and other important channel marketing endeavors.

Step 2. Get the Buy-In of Your Channel Partners

Since a marketer’s job is never done, you now have to “market” your marketing materials to your channel partners. In other words, you have to get your partners to buy into your marketing strategies and campaigns. If you’ve done a good job collaborating with your partners to develop and re-purpose content, this step will be much easier.

Be sure your channel marketing is tailored to your partners, so that it represents their value proposition within the industry. Does your content strategy line up with their marketing strategies? How easy is it for them to take your content and put it towards their own purposes? Create as little friction in this process as possible. Ideally, you’ll deliver content to them that’s already tailored to their needs and is ready for them to distribute as-is.

Step 3. Deliver Continual Success Via Optimization

Use key metrics to refine your marketing messages until they’re perfectly targeted to your channel partners’ audiences. As mentioned before, your channel partners may lack the resources necessary to accurately monitor the marketing metrics. Without these metrics, it’s impossible to prove an ROI on your channel marketing efforts.

These metrics also help you track trends within the marketplace that indicate it’s time to adjust or refocus your channel marketing messages. Set up a means for collecting, analyzing, tracking and reporting on relevant metrics. This includes setting up a strategy to tweak marketing messages as necessary to remain relevant and stay ahead of industry trends. Your channel partners will thank you and reward you with continued relationships and improved sales and revenue.

The post 3 Steps to Start Driving Channel Sales appeared first on Zift Solutions.

I’ve also observed channel marketing develop into a very important function; especially for larger suppliers, who have gone from being the “keepers of the program” to taking on a revenue-contributing role. Many are now measured by partner readiness and contribution to pipeline. Along with this transformation, channel marketing and management software (CMM) has become indispensable to channel marketers as they help create leads through partner-ready marketing programs. Now it’s time for channel sales leaders to realize that the same tools used by channel marketing for through-partner marketing can play a very important role in driving partner mind share.

To-Partner Marketing

Channel sales leaders (CSL) should take notice of the benefits that CMM can deliver, especially in driving effective partner recruitment and engagement in supplier initiatives like training or marketing programs. CSLs have learned the hard way that, when it comes to recruiting partners, just hanging a shingle and announcing your partner program is “open for business” doesn’t cut it. It’s imperative that suppliers find partners to recruit before worrying about deal registration or keeping track of trained partners. Leading channel programs are beginning to use CMM to market “to” partners, making them offers to enlist in their channel program, enroll in training or join them in joint marketing activities. Using some of the advanced reporting tools found in these applications, CSLs are becoming savvy at tracking who has responded or which partners are active within their program.

The topic of using CMM to recruit partners always came up when I was working with channel programs looking to expand their current ecosystems—although targeting new partners is always a problem. The suppliers I worked with wondered where to find potential partners and how to get them to join their supplier program. After all, before partners apply, they are just “suspects” that need to be converted into “prospects,” and should be viewed as such. By identifying which watering holes partners visit to get information about channel programs, suppliers can be more successful in finding the right applicants and getting them to join their programs.

Partner Onboarding Process

Once partners are in your program, the work is still just beginning. In fact, many channel leaders report that the first 90 days are the most critical. If a partner doesn’t keep to a tight onboarding schedule before moving on to creating demand and generating leads, the likelihood of their success over the remaining months is extremely low. This is the reason that it’s important to remain top of mind with the partner even as they continue to make their way through their training and enablement.

One example of CMM helping suppliers during onboarding is with the promotion of upcoming partner initiatives or important events using marketing tactics such as ad-retargeting. As resellers complete a training course or apply for MDF incentives using the partner portal, they see an ad reminding them about a new marketing initiative and how they can generate new business. This type of automated outreach is critical to getting partners to engage. After all, one of the big reasons that companies are beginning to re-think their “to-partner” marketing is that it may be falling short and causing a lack of adoption for their “through-partner” initiatives.

Partner Analytics

Even if you are not recruiting new partners, most programs admit they have the 80/20 rule, with 80% of the revenue driven by only 20% of their partners. If this sounds familiar, then CMM can be the key to reaching your database of inactive partners. These companies may not be engaged with your company, but may be top performers with other suppliers. Leading suppliers are using predictive analytics that can identify which partners have the highest propensity to succeed, based on their history with other suppliers and their unique skills. These features are making their way into some of the more advanced CMM platforms. Channel leaders are using this approach to predict which partners are most likely to succeed, as they make them offers to participate in new sales and marketing initiatives. Just as changing buyer habits are requiring sales and marketing to adapt, the changing partner is causing channel sales to adapt and leverage transactional data to identify the next wave of up-and-comers within their partner ecosystems.

Key Takeaway

In addition to buyers, partners are also transforming the way they form alliances with suppliers. The web has become a preferred method for ensuring partners can have access to content and keep up with their supplier’s program. However, suppliers still struggle to maintain partner mindshare and loyalty. While it’s important to communicate “to” the partner as much as is it is to market “through” them, it’s also critical to consider their total experience. Plan your partner outreach programs and make sure you don’t overload partners with your message.

It’s a good rule of thumb to keep a channel communications calendar that tracks the cadence and communications with partners. One novel approach employed by some leading channel companies is to “treat partners like leads.” This way, you can use all the capabilities inherent to a CMM platform to engage with partners in a systematic way, instead of the old “spray and pray” approach, which everyone agrees isn’t working.

The post Why Channel Sales Leaders Should Care About Channel Marketing Automation appeared first on Zift Solutions.

We asked a few Zifters to reflect on their academic years – from kindergarten through college – and share one thing they learned in school that has stuck with them through today.  Do you relate?

“No matter how hard you work on something, and how solid the work may be –  if it’s not packaged and presented well – you can and most probably will still fail.”
Scott England, vice president of alliances and strategic partnerships

In abstract math class in college, I learned how to mathematically prove 0.9r (repeating to infinity) is the exact same number as 1. Not just really close or rounded up, but IS 1. I got a solid F in the class but it’s the one thing I learned from it, and I still show it off to impress fellow nerds to this day (Disclaimer: does NOT win over the ladies.)

• • Step 1: Set x=.9r
  • Step 2: Times both sides by 10 to get 10x =9.9r
  • Step 3: Subtract x from both sides to get 9x=9
  • Step 4: Divide both sides by 9 and now you have x=1
  • Thus .9r = 1”

Ben Smith, production design manager 

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
Andrew Sigmund, senior manager channel engagement 

“Sometimes, mother does not know best…especially when it comes to fashion choices. (Sorry, mom!)”
Lauren Phelps, channel engagement manager

 “Make friends with the parking lot attendant so they don’t turn you in when skipping class!”
Dede Houston, director of marketing demand generation

 “Don’t tell your fraternity that their hazing is weak.”
Ches Spencer, senior manager of customer support services

 “Don’t register for a lab that starts before 7:45am. Or anything before 11.”
Beth Darst, customer support specialist

 “Kindergarten rules still apply in the workplace. Share nice and don’t eat the rubber cement.”
Steve Levesque, director of finance.

 “It doesn’t pay to be the class clown all the time. Just when the teacher is away.”
Vincent Quarles III, channel engagement manager

 “I was a teacher and used to always tell my 5th graders – say it and forget it, write it and regret it. On social media- once it’s out there, it’s OUT THERE. You can’t deny it.”
Jennifer Mueller, customer support services

 “Don’t think that just because you are done with school you are done learning.”
Nick Mandikos, sales operations manager

 “You spend a 1/3 of your life sleeping and a 1/3 of your life working. Invest in a great mattress and a great career.”
Edward Mitchell, software engineer

 “Remember Who You Are. This is something my mother would say to me almost every time I left the house. At the time I didn’t think much of it, but looking back now it means so much more. To me it’s about values and recognizing what makes you a better person whether it is in school, your career, your family or whatever. Don’t ever forget what makes you who you are. Don’t get pulled into things that would cause you to go against your values. Instead use those values to become who you want to be. There is a great video that supports this idea. Enjoy.”
David Buffaloe, vice president of marketing

 Awww, David.  

 And on that note – What did you learn in your school age years that has impacted your life? What lessons drove you to the place you are today? We’d love to know.  Share in the comments section below!

The post Zifters Go Back to Class appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Often, these Internet phenomena occur by pure luck. Other times, they are the result of well-orchestrated campaigns executed by savvy social media marketers.

Here are 5 of the most memorable social campaigns of all time and what made them so successful.

1. The Ice Bucket Challenge

It’s not every day that a social media campaign entices 17 million people to post videos on Facebook and also generates $115 million in charitable donations within 6 weeks. The Ice Bucket Challenge was a game-changer. In the summer of 2014, it compelled millions to dump water on their heads, post a video of it online and challenge friends to do the same in lieu of a $100 donation to the ALS Association (many donated anyway).

Here’s the interesting part: the campaign wasn’t organized by ALS. In early versions of the challenge, participants selected the charity of their choice. But after a well-known ALS advocate shared the challenge with his large social network, it became permanently associated with the ALS Association. The organization acted quickly to take ownership of the campaign. The challenge is now an annual fundraising event for the company.

2. Kony 2012

In 2012, a little-known non-profit group posted a 29-minute video on Vimeo about a Ugandan war criminal. By the end of the next week, it had become the fastest-growing viral video of all time, racking up over 100 million views in 6 days.

The New York Times attributed the video’s success to its powerful simplicity. It had a clear call to action: share the video to raise awareness of Joseph Kony worldwide to aid in his capture, and encourage celebrities to do the same. It worked. Within the first week, the video had been shared by many high-profile figures, including Oprah Winfrey, Mia Farrow and Bill Gates.

3. The Old Spice Guy

When in doubt, go zany. That’s what Proctor & Gamble did in 2010 when deciding how to reintroduce their iconic Old Spice brand. It released a commercial starring a comically straight-faced Isaiah Mustafa, standing in a towel, telling viewers to “Look at your man. Now back at me. Now back at your man. Now back to me.” The ad became an Internet sensation, racking up over 13 million views. It later aired on television.

Aside from the sharable “weird” factor of the video, the campaign worked so well because of the way the company leveraged social media to connect directly with their audience. According to AdWeek, “the real success of the campaign came when Old Spice launched their response campaign, in which [the Old Spice Guy] interacted with fans” via Twitter and other platforms.

4. Dollar Shave Club

If you spent any time on social media in 2012, then you probably saw the 90-second video for a new razor blade business called Dollar Shave Club. A seemingly straightforward ad at first, it featured the company’s founder Michael Dubin, who says to viewers: “Are the blades any good? No. Our blades are [expletive] great.”

Much like The Old Spice Guy, this campaign was a hit for its sheer cheeky value. Dubin told the New York Times that more than 12,000 orders were placed within the first 48 hours of releasing the video. By the next year, the video had been viewed 10 million times.

5. Like a Girl (Always)

Procter & Gamble had another social media hit on its hands in 2014 with its “Like a Girl” video, which became the company’s most watched video in history with more than 76 million views. But unlike the company’s zany Old Spice campaign, this one broached more serious issues of gender stereotypes and empowerment. A promotion for Always, the video was widely shared on social media and became a fascinating case study on how to make a female hygiene brand go viral.

The success of this campaign lies partly in its social experiment guise. It engages viewers by showing women of different ages being questioned in front of cameras on what it means to “run like a girl” or “fight like a girl.” And just like that, the Like a Girl video (and #likeagirl hashtag) took off. The video was also re-released in 2015 as a Super Bowl ad.

What’s your favorite campaign? What brand do you think will be next with a breakout social media campaign? Who do you think missed a prime opportunity? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The post 5 Most Memorable Social Media Campaigns of All Time appeared first on Zift Solutions.

A colleague knowing that you were interested in a certain subject and surprising you by bringing a book from home for you to borrow – helpful.

A co-worker looking through your Facebook page and seeing that you “liked” Gillian Flynn and surprising you with a copy of her latest book – creepy.

You’re probably thinking, ‘Yeah, you’re right, that is creepy, but what does that have to do with sales leads?” Don’t worry, I’m getting there, I promise.

When it comes to your digital marketing efforts, you have the ability to track a large majority of the things that your leads and prospects engage in: from email marketing opens, to asset registrations, to the length of time someone spends on a specific page. This is great and very helpful information for your sales teams, and can assist in building rapport, and ultimately, making a sale.

But how do you toe that fine line between helpful and creepy? When it comes to following up with leads, you want to ensure that you are armed with all of the necessary information about their interactions with your site. It helps you to get insight into the lead and their interests before you even get on the phone with them.

However, and here’s where we get to that helpful vs. creepy vibe, how much information is too much information?

If your lead is receiving a phone call at 1:30 from a sales representative saying, “Hi, I’m Mr. Salesman from XYZ Co. Nice to meet you. I saw you were looking at this white paper for 11 minutes and this eBook for 7 minutes at 1 PM today. Are you ready to learn more? I’m here to help.” You just might have found that line.

Now hopefully this is an extreme exaggeration, but if you engage with your leads in the wrong way, it can make them extremely uncomfortable and ruin the relationship before it even begins.

So how do you use all of the information that you have collected on your lead in a way that is perceived as helpful and definitely not creepy? Also, while we are on the subject, when should you be contacting your leads? Here are a few tips on sales lead interaction:

Do your homework:

So you got an email saying that you have a new lead – congratulations! Now, what? First thing is first, do some research! Work with your marketing team to gather some information about this lead. Who are they? What else have they engaged in with regards to marketing campaigns, assets they have signed up for, etc. This should be information that you are collecting from your marketing team in order to have a basic idea of the best ways to engage with them once you get in touch.

In the above hypothetical phone call, Mr. Salesman used his information in all of the wrong ways. Information that you gather on your leads should be for your eyes only. You have the inside scoop, use it to your advantage to build up that relationship – not creep them out!

Moral of the story: Use the lead information that you receive from your reporting or from marketing for your own personal research, not something that you start with when following up with your lead. Knowing that they signed up for an eBook 35 minutes ago does not impress them, it just makes them feel like you’re spying on them.

How being helpful can make sales:

Now that you have done your research, it’s time to talk to this lead. You can go one of two routes: you can tell them all about YOUR product and YOUR company and about why YOU are so awesome or you could listen to THEIR problems and learn more about THEIR company and hear what pain points THEIR company is currently having. Based on the way our conversation is going today, what would you guess is best?

When you’re first starting to build a relationship with your lead, you need to let them know that you are there to:

• Listen: know all of their pain points before you even begin making any suggestions. You wouldn’t want a doctor who tells you what medicine you should be taking before you even tell them your symptoms. Why would you want a salesman who tells you what you need to buy before you even detail any pain points you are having?
• Help: once you have listened to their concerns and needs, let them know that you are there to help. Not just in giving them product or service recommendations, but with helpful, expert advice and information. This will go a long way in building trust and rapport.
• Educate: educate these leads by giving them industry insights and pointing them in the direction of information that your company has available. This will not only indicate your company as thought leaders in the industry but will keep them engaging in more and more of your marketing materials. This will lead to a better engaged, and informed lead, which will make them better equipped to make a purchasing decision.

Timing

Following up with leads in an appropriate time frame is vital to furthering them toward a purchasing decision. But how important is timing? Well according to Harvard Business Review, it’s pretty important.

HBR tracked 1.25 million sales leads received by B2C and B2B companies in the US to see how important timing was in contacting leads. Companies that contacted the lead within one hour of receiving the query were seven times more likely to qualify the lead (defined as a meaningful conversation with a key decision maker) as those who contacted leads even just one hour later. This number goes all the way up to sixty times more likely to qualify the lead than those who wait for 24 hours or longer.

So judging from this study, it looks like we might have an answer on that ‘when to contact your leads’ question from earlier. It looks like that hot spot is right within that hour. If you can reach out to them while your company is still very fresh on their mind, they will be more receptive to learning more about your product/solution.

Now you’re ready to contact those leads! Remember, do your homework and make sure that you know what your lead is interested in, be helpful and make sure you get in touch within a reasonable time frame. Now go and be helpful!

Your turn! Any sales horror stories? Or any successes to share?

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Determining Your Operating Model – Don’t Go It Alone

Many organizations new to CMA get so excited about deploying new technology and saving money that they try to manage all of the tactical responsibilities of running, integrating and managing their CMA platform on their own. In a rush to do everything independently, they soon find themselves swamped by tactical responsibilities and their initiatives struggle or fail. Establishing a strong CMA platform-operating model prior to launch balances responsibilities and goes a long way toward optimizing CMA usage and return on investment.

Determining your platform operating model involves identifying support roles and responsibilities for you and your partners, but the real key is relying on the experts for help. The best CMA providers offer an array of support options tailored to your needs, from executive oversight and operational guidance to hands-on support. Take advantage of those options. Once you become comfortable and confident in managing all of the tactical responsibilities associated with launching and maintaining your new CMA platform, you can take on tasks as a reasonable rate, but trying to do everything right out of the gate is a recipe for disaster.

Align Support with Partner Expertise & Resources

Your partners will also need ongoing support based on their own varying levels of marketing expertise and available resources. Look for a CMA platform provider that can lift at least some, if not all, of this burden from your shoulders with:

• Basic support that delivers introductory-level support and training, so all partners can get fast answers to their questions and effectively use the tools that you are providing.
• Premium support with proactive outreach, strategic direction and hands-on guidance to optimize partners’ potential and enhance marketing efforts.
• Concierge or managed services with direct, ongoing support and the ability to execute campaigns or complete programs on behalf of the partner. These programs pay off. Channel partners who have access to managed services benefit from 93% more new leads and 94% more active leads, according to Zift research.

You’ll maximize CMA investments and partner adoption by delivering services and direct support that aligns with channel partner needs.

The Right CMA Provider

Remember that CMA is much more of a journey than it is a destination. You’ve found the right CMA provider if they are eager and available to help you define and execute each of the 4 cornerstones of CMA success as you progress along your path:

CORNERSTONE 1) Vision & Strategy: Defining your vision and strategy from the start will avoid miscommunications and misdirection that often cause disappointment down the line.

CORNERSTONE 2) Partner Engagement: Make a plan to ensure CMA adoption and long-term partner engagement by taking time to understand and align tools with your partners’ marketing maturity and available resources.

CORNERSTONE 3) Content Development & Execution: Satisfy partner content demands by automating content delivery, providing visibility and usage tracking, including whether content is being used, ignored or misused.

CORNERSTONE 4) Platform Operating Model: Determine who will be in charge of specific strategic and tactical responsibilities prior to launch and align partner support with their marketing maturity level and available resources.

Learn more about all 4 Cornerstones of Channel Marketing Success by downloading the complete eBook:

The post Channel Marketing Success Cornerstone #4: CMA Platform Operating Model (part 4 of 4) appeared first on Zift Solutions.

You are not alone. The relationship between these two teams can easily become strained when they must depend on one another to meet their goals.

A recent study by the Corporate Executive Board perfectly illustrates this issue, finding that 87% of the terms that marketing and sales professionals use for one another are negative.

But why are these two teams in constant turmoil when they are dependent upon one another for their mutual success?

Companies that are not addressing this issue saw a 4% decrease in annual revenue, while those that found a way to overcome the rift saw a 20% annual revenue growth, according to the Aberdeen Group.

So don’t you want to be one of those companies seeing 20% annual growth? Well, aligning these two teams isn’t as hard as you would think!

Here are four ways to strengthen the relationship between sales and marketing teams to produce your company’s best results yet:

1. Speak the same language

There is an abundance of over-used corporate jargon, with sales and marketing as some of the biggest offenders.

Making sure that your team is on the same page with the terminology it uses sounds like a relatively simple task, but it might prove to be a bit more intricate than you would think.

There are a great deal of terms that occur within the buyer’s journey that need to be defined: from when someone first visits your website until they become a customer.

Some key terms for the top of the funnel that are commonly used and can be confused are:

• Contact: commonly defined as a person who exists within the funnel but their exact stage in the sales process is unknown
• Prospect: commonly defined as a website visitor who has either signed up to receive blog updates or company newsletters/emails.
• Lead: this is a person who has submitted a registration form in return for an offer of an asset such as a white paper, case study, data sheet, etc.

The middle of the funnel can provide even more confusion for sales and marketing when it comes to terminology, especially since most companies have marketing and sales sharing responsibility of this stage. Being on the same page for these two key terms is crucial:

• Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL): commonly defined as a prospect who has become a lead by filling out marketing offers that indicate a high-level of interest in the company’s products or services. These should be defined and agreed upon by marketing and sales teams.
• Sales Qualified Leads (SQL): commonly defined as a marketing qualified lead that is deemed by the sales team to be ready for contact after thorough research and investigation. Again, the sales and marketing team need to work together to identify which triggers should be put in place to identify the transition between MQL and SQL.

Lastly, the bottom of the funnel, usually held by the sales team, has a term that should also be defined:

• Opportunity: commonly defined as a sales qualified lead that a sales representative has communicated with and believes has a legitimate chance at becoming a customer.

Please note that these are commonly held definitions for these terms, and not definitions that every company must use. If your teams already have terminology that works for them, that’s great! There is no reason to further complicate things and change terminology that is working – just make sure that everyone is using those terms the same way.

2. Have clearly defined goals and expectations

In a recent study, 55% of sales teams said that they wanted better quality leads from marketing, while 34% of marketing teams were interested in better lead follow up. So how are these two goals attained? As with most other parts of a business, clearly defining these goals and expectations play a huge part in ensuring successful partnerships. Sales and marketing should create a service level agreement that enables the two teams to have specific expectations for quality of leads, number of leads and follow-up timing.

One of the number one reasons that sales and marketing can get onto each other’s bad side is because of a ‘feeling’ of under-deliverability. Ensuring that expectations are in writing and quantifiable helps teams to avoid subjective evaluations of one another’s performance.

When it comes to service level agreements, the terms should be quantifiable and realistic. Some expectations that should be put in place on the marketing side are:

• The amount of marketing qualified leads the marketing team must provide for the sales team to reach their revenue goal.
• The quality of leads that are delivered to sales – are these leads ‘sales-ready’?
• With that said, what exactly qualifies as a sales qualified lead? This should be spelled out in the service level agreement.

Some expectations that should be in the sales service level agreement include:

• The sales team should commit to a specific number of marketing qualified lead follow-ups they perform once the hand-off comes from marketing.
• The sales team should commit to a specified time frame that they are obligated to contact leads in once sent from marketing.

These should be tracked on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis to ensure that goals on both sides are met. This can be achieved through closed loop reporting.

3. Closed loop reporting

One common mistake that companies make is that once a sales qualified lead gets contacted and nurtured by sales, other teams lose all visibility into what happened to the lead.

There is so much valuable information that comes from the bottom of the funnel that is not communicated once a lead either falls out of the sales process or a sale has been made. If it didn’t work out, then why? If a sale was made – great, what helped you make the sale?

It seems like this would be a no-brainer, but it can be difficult if you do not have closed loop reporting structures in place. Closed loop reporting allows for companies to keep track of leads from the beginning of the sales process to the end.

Closed loop reporting can help marketing teams a great deal by:

• Providing a person’s most up-to-date contact information for future nurturing campaigns.
• Sharing how specific leads end up becoming a sale – were there particular marketing pieces that helped nudge them in the right direction? Reporting these experiences helps to inform future campaigns and, in turn, makes for more conversions over time.
• Sharing why certain leads did not close and fell out of the sales process – were they not educated enough to make a sale? Were they not ready to make purchasing decisions yet?

There are also a couple of ways that closed loop reporting can help the sales team to perform their job more effectively by:

• Giving them insight into what their current leads are engaging in on their site. If marketing is aware of a specific lead that a sales representative is working on, they can send them up-to-date information on actions that they are taking in terms of different marketing materials they are viewing.
• Keeping marketing informed on what kind of content produces more informed and educated leads. Better educated leads usually make for easier sales.

Closed loop reporting allows for increased visibility into the sales process for everyone involved, and creates enhanced ability to show the full story of story of lead interaction.

4. Rely on data for decision-making

Marketing and sales teams should operate and make decisions based on shared data and reporting.

To set your teams up for success, both teams must have reporting that is visible to BOTH teams, which includes:

• Daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly updates as to how the two teams are performing with regards to their service level agreements and goals.
• Measurement of key performance indicators, such as: website visitors, leads, customers, campaign performance, lead conversion, etc.
• Reporting of leads passed on to the sales team from marketing, and the interactions that occurred.

These are just a few examples of what you can be measuring, and can continue even further depending on what is important to you and your business. Mapping out data that is important to both groups will allow both teams insight into each other’s pain points, current obstacles and areas for improvement. Being able to have visibility and insight into possible challenges on a day-to-day basis contributes to less surprises down the road.

When sales and marketing teams are able to have open, frequent conversation, measurable goals and reasonable expectations of one another, it is much easier to have a positive relationship. Once both teams are able to get on the same page, they will be able to build a relationship of collaboration, as opposed to finger pointing and resentment.

What about you? Do you have experience with sales and marketing relationships that have gone sour? Or maybe experience with turning a sales and marketing relationship around?

The post 4 Ways to Align your Sales and Marketing Teams appeared first on Zift Solutions.

We are confident that this trend will continue as more companies automate traditional processes in how they work with their indirect sales channels. And as new systems are put in place to provision and enable partners to market and sell more efficiently, these companies also expect to see measurable results from their partners’ with a bottom line mentality on revenue production.

New Expectations and Differing Attitudes

This shift is creating a gap in sales expectations and correspondingly in enablement. OEMs want, even expect, partners to sell more of their products using specific approaches, conditions and even require certifications to sell higher end products with the best margins. While partners are feeling the pressure from suppliers, their attitude is a bit different. Already laboring under time and resource constraints, channel partners are selling what they can, how they can, in the manner that pays the most amount as quickly as possible. They don’t necessarily have the time or desire to travel to an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) training center for training and/or certification.

Both OEMs and partners have skin in this game. They all want the same result: to capture more revenue. However, as new marketing automation tools are accelerating partners’ ability to market – sales reps are often left behind.

So what is the solution?

MobilePaks CEO Chanin Ballance Weighs In

Chanin Ballance is the CEO of MobilePaks, an award winning, cloud-based marketing and sales enablement provider.

The age old problem of OEMs engaging partners and educating them to sell products is not new. That said, we see a growing trend of OEMs using technology to make training more friendly and accessible – easier to digest, as well as tying consumption to certification programs, SPIFFs and other benefits.

Examples include:

• Converting content to 2-5 minute bite-sized chunks vs. traditional 20-45 minute web-based training.
• Improving the user experience so accessing training is simple and available on- demand, on any device.
• Using notifications, as well as tracking usage and motivating completion of a collection or group of bite-sized modules through certification that include marketing funds, SPIFFs and other benefits.

With new sales enablement training software, OEMs can see at a glance which partners are engaged. They can correlate usage and seller competency to pipeline strength and quantitatively identify areas of improvement as a result.

Closing the Gap

Clearly, there is enhanced interest and need to close the sales enablement gap. As Zift’s customers are taking an increasingly comprehensive view of channel sales and marketing, they’re asking questions about combining partner certifications with marketing execution to create a more “virtuous” process that encompasses training, execution and evaluation.

For Suppliers and OEMs, it’s becoming imperative to evaluate training under the lens of value to revenue production. This is no easy task, even within a direct sales force, let alone an extended, third-party partner network. Technology holds the promise of linking once disparate marketing and sales disciplines and meeting today’s changing expectations for both.

Looking Forward

Using the Zift Platform together with tools like those MobilePaks offers will provide the ability to link sales and marketing enablement. Imagine being able to unlock unique demand-gen tactics after finishing specific training courses, achieving a certification or reviewing new messaging requirements. Marketing Development Fund (MDF) programs can be linked to both sales and marketing as well, driving toward complete partner enablement that is engaging and satisfying for both sides of the channel equation.

Interested to learn more?

Watch our upcoming joint webinar with MobilePaks: Closing the Sales Enablement Gap. We’ll demonstrate how technology can create a closed-loop process that engages partners and addresses both marketing and sales needs by encompassing training, execution and evaluation to generate more revenue for suppliers and channel partners. Click here to register now!

The post Closing the Sales Enablement Gap appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Sal has worked on both the partner and supplier-side of industry-leading channel programs in the IT industry for more than 30 years, most recently with IBM and CA Technologies. He’s played multiple roles, primarily in channel transformation, channel sales and channel marketing. Currently, he is the Chief Revenue Officer at Stoneware, a Lenovo Company. Sal shared his perspective and insight on a variety of core channel challenges, issues and best practices.

Here are a few highlights:

Q. What do you love most about working with channel partners?

A: Channel Partners are where the rubber meets the road. So, the great thing about working with them is that it’s very straightforward. They’re driving toward a sale – hopefully, an eminent sale that has a great degree of urgency and immediacy around it. For them, it’s all about delivering value to the customer – so that the customer pays them money, and in turn, they can then support and grow their business. That model is very easy to understand and that’s what I love about it. It’s very black or white. You either succeed in your endeavor or you don’t.

Q: What challenges do vendors face today?

A: The biggest challenge Vendors face today, when it comes to working with their Partners, is developing a Partner experience that is positive, fluid and conducive to the Partner making money. Partners have a choice. Vendors need to create a program and experience that makes Partners say, “Working with this Vendor is not only profitable, but it’s relatively easy, it supports my business model, and it’s not going to draw down on my resources or take a lot of time.”

Q: How would you describe the relationship between vendors and partners?

A: The relationship between Vendors and Partner is a love/hate relationship – It always has been. It’s tenuous at best. Regardless, it’s something we’re getting better at. Why? Vendors are getting better because they have no choice. We have to be serious as Vendors about the Channel. If we’re not, someone else is going to eat our lunch – our competitors will grab market share and take our business from us.

Q: What are three things that can help the vendor and partner relationship?

A: The big three would be:

1. Systems and Tools: All of the different systems and tools that a Partner will touch and use to act as key interface points to interact with the Vendor, including things like Partner Portals, learning management systems, CRM, etc. These are critical.
2. Training and Education: Having a solid training and education program is essential. There should also be no difference between the training you offer to your direct sales team and the training offered to your channel. With minor tweaks and differences, they should be one in the same.
3. Sales Interlock Policies and Procedures: These should serve as a framework that governs all elements of the Partner experience. Though critically important, most Vendors don’t spend enough time developing their policies and procedures. As your rules of engagement covering all interactions and operations with Channel Partners, they should be written down, approved by the highest levels of your organization and formally presented to all Partners.

Q: What do you love most about working with the channel?

A: I love the freedom that comes with working in the Channel, whether on the corporate side of things, a Vendor, a Channel Partner, a System Integrator or ISV. There is a great deal of flexibility and creativity involved and things are always changing. I like to say that change is the only constant in business and I think that is most evident when you look at how the channel operates. Nothing moves in a straight line. Everything is fluid and, in many cases, very random. And that is the biggest challenge in this business.

Q: How has the channel changed?

A: The biggest change in the channel is that we went from channel sales being a “nice to have” to “we can’t live without it.” The channel perspective shifted from: “Hey let’s give it a shot – Let’s see what the channel can do for us…but our direct sales guys are where we need to focus,” to, “Holy cow! If we can’t build a strong channel model and program now, we’re in trouble!”

We’ve also seen a shift from perpetual pricing to subscription-based pricing, where the customer is not paying a large up-front fee. Customers can dial up and dial down the amount (and cost) of any solution or service that they want. This is a true consumption model and it will be critical to the channel. I would not be surprised over the next two to three years to see a full third of today’s channel partners no longer operating or continuing to conduct business, basically because of this pricing shift, which is going to put a lot of folks out of business. I hope I’m wrong. I hope businesses can adapt and that Vendors and Partners will take the appropriate steps to accommodate this dramatic shift.

Q: How important is marketing automation for the channel?

A: Like all of us today, Channel Partners are slammed. Constant pressure, constant phone calls, 250 emails a day, the traveling. We all know it, we all live it. Smaller partners, with less than 100 employees, (who, by the way, make up about 70% of any healthy channel ecosystem), rarely have sophisticated or well-staffed marketing organizations. As a Vendor, you need to be able to compensate for that. The way to do that is by offering programmatic marketing tools, services and support to Partners. That may include Concierge Services to Partners, which gives Partners the opportunity to pick from a variety of Programs, and then have tools and experts to walk them through the steps of a particular campaign. Having access to Channel Marketing Automation technology and Concierge Services has become very important to Partners when they’re evaluating their Vendors.

To learn more, watch the full videos of our interview with Sal Patalano in our Zift Solutions Channel Visions Video Series.

The post Channel Visions: Zift Sits Down With Sal Patalano appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The post A Blueprint for Channel Success: Resellers (Part 2) appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Sales used to be something of a guessing game. It was difficult to look at a list of leads and determine which among them might be the best prospects.

Today, predictive-intelligence solutions can tell you which prospects are in the market to buy and identify net-new prospects who have not yet raised their hands. It works by aggregating disparate data sources across the Web and applying machine learning and modeling to make predictions about which products and services prospects need, when they’re likely to buy, and the potential value of the deal.

Predictive intelligence has opened up a world of new possibility for business-to-business (B2B) sales and marketing teams. Here are five specific benefits.

1. Sales and marketing finally aligned

Alignment between sales and marketing teams is key to achieving revenue goals. If the leads aren’t sales-ready, sales wastes time and misses targets. In fact, recent stats show that 79 percent of marketing leads never convert to sales (Marketing Sherpa). Predictive intelligence ensures higher marketing-qualified-to-sales-qualified lead conversion rates by uncovering which prospects are ready to buy now and why. As a result, marketers can pinpoint and hand over truly hot leads to sales, setting reps up for success in closing deals.

2. Effective lead nurturing

Lead nurturing is an essential part of the customer experience and critical to funneling leads through the sales pipeline; however, in a traditional nurture process, messages are sent to a prospect with limited understanding of where that individual is in the buying journey. It’s like shooting in the dark. For example, sending “awareness stage” collateral (e.g., a broad, introductory white paper) to a well-informed prospect is irrelevant and not conducive to closing a sale.

Xactly’s chief marketing officer, Scott Broomfield, likens this typical nurture scenario to oversharing when dating. “When you go on a first date,” explains Broomfield, “you don’t barrage that date with everything about you and then at the end of the date ask them to marry you.” Similarly, overwhelming prospects with too much information can easily result in opt-outs and lost sales.

Predictive intelligence uses data to pinpoint a prospect’s location in the buying journey, arming sales reps with knowledge needed to send and say the right thing at the right time.

3. Faster prospecting, shorter time-to-close

Predictive intelligence allows you to shorten the sales cycle and close more business quickly. By knowing where the prospect is in the sales cycle, less time is spent on prospecting. Similarly, with a view into which accounts and contacts are ready to buy, what they want to buy, and what the deal value size might be, sales reps can prioritize leads intelligently and close deals faster.

4. Validated net-new prospects

Blindly pursuing prospects is a high-risk activity; yet sales needs new leads in the pipeline. Predictive intelligence uses activity intent data to uncover patterns of likelihood to purchase and applies that logic to unknown contacts, resulting in validated prospects outside of MAP and CRM data who are ripe for the picking.

5. Up-sell and cross-sell opportunities

Up-selling and cross-selling are effective strategies to boost revenue. Engaging an existing client is more certain than going after net-new business (at least, net-new business without predictive intelligence). For the average B2B company, up-sell and cross-sell opportunities can contribute 50 percent revenue opportunity – or more (SiriusDecisions).

Imagine your current customer is a single contact within an account. What if you could gain insight into the buying behavior of other unknown contacts (such as anonymous visitors to your Website) in that account? Predictive intelligence aggregates behavioral data from multiple contacts across an entire account, providing insight beyond a single individual. This insight can help to determine the right up-sell and cross-sell approach.

For example, if you’ve sold a video-conferencing solution to one team within a company and suddenly see interest in IP phones from an adjacent team in the company, it’s a good time to cross sell.

As you transform into a data-driven sales professional, consider how predictive intelligence might enhance your processes. I’ve given you five examples of such gains, but there are many more.

The post 5 Ways to Take the Guesswork Out of Your Sales Process appeared first on Zift Solutions.

• Utilizing multiple modern marketing tactics to engage self-empowered buyers
• Integrating directly with the technology and systems your partners already use daily
• Connecting marketing efforts and actions with analytics
• Establishing a more collaborative sales process by participating in a growing and expanding partner community

Take a look at this new video to see how Zift uses connections to build partner engagement and channel revenue like no one else. Watch the video below and then let us know what you think in the comments section.

The post Making the Connection (New Video) appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Cargill says, “If you want to manage yourself and/or your team to optimum sales success in 2015, here are the steps that you should take:”

• Selling time: Make sure you remove any and all non-sales tasks from your sales team.
• Shorten the sales cycle: Take into consideration the total time required to get one new account.
• Utilize automation tools: Your website should have a visitor identification package attached to it. You should also utilize autoresponders. CRM can be a wonderful tool if, and only if, it’s properly implemented and training is maintained. Closed-loop marketing can and should be automated, as it will help you stay in touch with hundreds of prospects and give them each of them the perception that you are reaching out to them one at a time.

I’d like to focus on the automation “step.”

Why?

Because specific features from automation tools are being used to address the other two steps. Automation can shorten the sales cycle and enable sales to ‘sell’ – breaking down the barriers and eliminating friction, allowing sales to focus on the most important and valuable opportunities.

I’ve seen great success with partner sales teams, when they have the right tools within the environment that they feel most comfortable. This means bringing the tools into the Sales Automation, CRM and Marketing systems that they use everyday. Not creating extra work, rather empowering sales to do more within the systems they login to everyday.

Five Specific Automated Features That Superpower Sales Teams

1. Through Partner Marketing Automation (TPMA)

This is the ability to execute email, social, search and content rich campaigns through partners to their end audience – considering the unique needs of prospect and customer audiences.

The majority of partner sales teams we encounter, struggle to get regular campaigns out-the-door on a regular basis. (Nevermind utilizing basic multi-touch, persona based and trigger campaigns). They are buried in day-to-day sales activities and simply don’t have time to focus on funnel building activities.

With TPMA solutions, Partners can quickly find relevant campaigns that align with their sales goals – and schedule campaigns into the future, so they can focus on lead follow-up and SELLING. Additionally, with our nurturing capabilities, we can grow opportunities over time and provide a steady stream of leads through the year.

2. Instant Notifications and Reports

This is the ability to instantly notify sales when a lead demonstrates sharp interest in a product, industry focus or business need; or take specific actions on the site or within a campaign.

Look for solutions that offer the ability to monitor all prospect activity and trigger notifications (via email or direct into CRM) direct to sales. This feature helps sales to focus on the most interested and qualified prospects, as they raise their hand.

Interest level change notifications are among our most popular and widely used reports.

This feature will send an email alert to a member or group of sales people, when a contact reaches a new level of interest. This is configurable, but it normally takes 2-3 unique interactions with content, email clicks, or campaign activities for a contact to achieve a new level of interest.

3. Website Analytics Reporting

This is the ability to monitor and report on all pages of your website – tracking both known and anonymous visitor activity. Be careful here, simply counting webpage hits and clicks is not enough – you have to go the extra step and be able to report a few more layers deep. Also, this data must be shared with sales on a regular basis to support their selling activities.

Modern solutions offer a simple code snippet that can be added to footer of your website. Instantly, you’ll begin to track all site activity of anonymous (using reverse IP lookup) and known contacts. All activity will be reported at a company/account level through systems reporting and via email on a daily basis.

Sales will look for these reports each morning – savvy sales reps will identify patterns and use the data to move deals to close.

4. Digital Body Language and Topic Level Interest

This is the ability to track, score and report all marketing activities at an individual contract level. The ability for sales to click on a prospect or customer and see a marketing story.

With a single click, these solutions offer sales visibility into all email, social, content, web page and event activities that an individual contact has completed. Additionally, systems tend to organize this interest into topic categories that align with specific products, industry focus and business needs. It’s like being able to know what products or focus the prospect is interested in, before making the first call.

This approach allows sales to be more contextually relevant and impressionable on initial contact.

5. Closed Loop CRM Integration and Reporting

This is ability to tie revenue, pipeline and sales activity directly to specific marketing programs.

The best solutions offer CRM connectors and integrations with many leading Sales Automation and Marketing Automation platforms. Imagine being able to open your CRM system and know specifically which marketing campaigns have contributed most to lead maturation and sales progression.

The point here is that automation and automated tools are only as good as you can prove their value. Meaning, if activity leads to positive revenue – do more of those things.

If you can’t tell, if you can’t measure, if you can’t connect the loop – you’ll never know if what you’re doing is worth the effort.

The post How Automation Can Transform Channel Partner Sales appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Building Effective Engagement with Enterprise Partners

Channel Focus North America has established a strong reputation for assembling industry thought leaders to talk about how they are combining radical new thinking and proven strategies to open up new channels, and successfully redefine existing channel sales and marketing methods. This year, I’m a featured speaker and was pleased to discuss Best Practices in Building Effective Engagement with Enterprise Partners. For those unable to join us, I wanted to share just a few key takeaways from my presentation and the conversation it generated, including:

1. Support modern marketing and sales: The buying process has changed. You must provide your partners with all of the sales and marketing tactics they need to drive success.
2. Limit requirements to go to external systems: Your partner portal is an additional system. Make it easy for partners by injecting the marketing content directly into the systems they already use each day.
3. Incentives on supporting tasks: Consider different types of incentive programs to ensure partner engagement
4. Share performance against peer groups: Partners are naturally competitive. Provide visibility into how partners are doing against other similar partners to drive adoption across your partner community.

Enabling Effective Through Partner Marketing

Zift also co-hosted a Foundation Training Session with alliance partner Channel Maven Consulting on Enabling Effective Through Partner Marketing. Our Vice President of Customer Success, Mark Schlief, was joined by Heather K. Margolis of Channel Maven Consulting. The training session centered on the following topics:

• State of channel partners today
• Partner maturity models
• Best practices for educating partners
• Growing importance of content
• How to build an audience instead of just a list
• Essential marketing tools for supporting partner success

After spending a week with so many bright, innovative thinkers, all of whom are focused on the future of the channel, I’m inspired and looking forward to getting back to the Zift home office to put this energy and a few new ideas to work for our customers.

I hope those of you who were able to join us in Miami will share your experiences in the comments section below and I would love to hear what all of our readers see as the most important focus areas for channel leaders now and into the future.

The post Focusing on the Future of the Channel appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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Channel marketing leaders often play their cards close to the chest. Just how are they closing deals with businesses and leads that didn’t seem ready to buy? What are they doing to move stale prospects toward sales? I’m going to share an insider tip: The answer is lead nurturing.

According to Forrester Research, companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales ready leads at 33% lower cost. Lead nurturing keeps your products and services top of mind across today’s longer sales process and is essential to move seemingly stuck prospects through to close. In the spirit of true visibility, here are 7 key secrets of lead nurturing success.

#1: Educate Across the Buyer’s Journey

Just like buyers, every stage of the sales cycle is unique. The same content that worked to initially introduce your projects and services is not going to be effective when a prospect is ready to make a buying decision. Successful lead nurturing requires targeted, relevant content that aligns directly with the buyer’s position in the sales cycle. By mapping content to specific stages, and leveraging Content Syndication, you can educate across the buyer’s journey and automatically deliver targeted, relevant content to match a buyer’s interests.

#2: Automate Lead Distribution

Stop trying to share and track leads manually. Just stop. Even the most conscientious channel sales and marketing teams let opportunities and leads slip through the cracks when they rely on manual processes. Instead, put qualified leads right into the hands of your channel partners by automating lead distribution directly into their CRM and SFA systems. Zift’s Lead Distribution solution also lets you share valuable profile and historical data on each lead, including campaign and email details and previous marketing activities to further nurture leads and drive sales.

#3: Create Custom Campaigns

Content that is too generic or too frequent can also alienate prospects. To make the most of your marketing efforts and dollars, you must develop and deploy highly personalized campaigns that match your prospects’ digital behavior. Co-branded email templates, dynamic content and custom campaigns with built-in analytics will go a long way to improving your conversion rates.

#4: Make it Multi-Touch Marketing

No single tactic is going to make much of a difference in your marketing efforts. Instead, utilize multi-touch marketing and leverage multiple tactics across the sales cycle to carefully target prospective buyers and qualify leads. Integrated campaigns and Through Partner Marketing Automation (TPMA) that combines a variety of tactics, such as online advertising, social media, email and telemarketing, will increase lead-nurturing touches and lower costs per lead.

#5 Consider a Co-Branded Microsite

Co-branded microsites are a great way to offer a personalized experience for each prospect, nurture leads and broaden your reach. Microsites allow you to push tailored messages to your audience, can be targeted to match topical interests and serve as a valuable extension of your corporate website.

#6 Leverage Lead Scoring

To ensure that you’re sending the most qualified leads to sales at the right time in the sales cycle, be sure to leverage lead scoring. Detailed lead scoring across multiple touch points coupled with consolidated reporting across key marketing activities lets you develop a more comprehensive profile of your prospects and map nurturing activities to the specific interests of a lead.

#7 Measure Results

Why wonder how you’re doing when you can measure results? Closed-loop analytics and integrated reporting are no longer “nice-to-haves” – they are “must-haves.” When you can easily measure and share results, it becomes easier to target your lead nurturing activities, track campaign and overall program effectiveness and close more deals.

Share Your Lead Nurturing Successes

I have no doubt that these tips will help you give those languishing leads a nudge in the right direction and boost your conversion rates. Consider picking one or two lead nurturing tactics to start, then add more as you integrate lead nurturing into your marketing outreach efforts.

We would also like to hear your ideas and successes. What are you doing to better qualify and nurture leads? Have you seen or experienced the value of lead nurturing first-hand? Share your story in the comments section.

The post 7 Secrets of Lead Nurturing Success appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Channel Sales: Planning Assumptions 2015 identifies the five key issues that should drive the agenda of channel sales leaders in the coming year, with critical focus on:

1) Technology: Just-in-Time Access to Sales Resources

Make sure that your partners have direct access to the most relevant content and sales tools wherever they are doing business. That means investing in truly integrated channel sales enablement tools – and delivering access to those tools via mobile platforms, including tablets and smartphones.

2) Interlock: Alignment to Partner Business Objectives

Channel sales programs must be aligned with partners’ business priorities. Get them in tune by surveying partners to better understand their primary business issues, take a proactive role in supporting partner end-goals and ramp up partner communications to create a more collaborative sales process.

3) Measurement: Growth Metrics Tied to Partner Specializations

Suppliers are digging deeper into numbers, measuring everything from partner FTE investments and trained resources to revenue and sales by customer type in an effort to determine whether partners are on track to achieve targets. In 2015, suppliers should key in on partner specializations, such as industry or product line, define specific criteria to qualify partners, and rank partners within specializations to better measure performance.

4) Organization/Structure: The Evolving Role of Channel Sales Operations

Consider establishing a channel sales operations role that reports to the head of channel sales and manages the day-to-day execution of partner programs. Tracking partner sales performance, managing partner onboarding and addressing channel conflict issues would also fall to the channel sales operations leader.

5) Cloud: New Paradigm Solutions for the Channel

Cloud offerings move into the mainstream in 2015 and channel sales leaders must determine whether current partners are ready and willing to sell new cloud solutions. Surveys and advisory meetings centered on cloud will help undercover partner training and education gaps that suppliers must address to promote the sale of cloud-based offerings.

Jumpstart your 2015 planning by downloading the full SiriusDecisions Research Brief: Channel Sales: Planning Assumptions 2015 and let us know your key focus areas for channel sales in 2015.

The post Planning for 2015? Focus on Partner and Supplier Sales Activity appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Marketing Moves Front and Center

In the past, channel partners were focused entirely on the sales process. However, due to significant changes in the way prospects educate themselves prior to purchasing, the initial steps in today’s sales process are now the responsibility of marketing. In order to support marketing efforts, channel partners require advanced marketing automation capabilities that allow them to use a variety of digital marketing techniques, including web, social media, paid online advertising, telemarketing, email and more, to educate and nurture prospects, and share their unique value in an integrated way.

Zift Solutions provides the strongest platform to support the success of channel partners, allowing OEMs and suppliers the unparalleled capacity to flexibly deliver best-in-class digital marketing capabilities to their channel partners. But even the best marketing automation tools alone aren’t enough.

Marketing Advocate Expands Our Expertise and Capabilities

A fellow Gartner “Cool Vendor” with 14 years of experience in supporting channel marketing, Marketing Advocate has a wealth of channel marketing knowledge to share with our organization and customers. By combining our teams, Zift will be able to provide an unmatched level of expertise along with expanded channel marketing automation capabilities and resources to execute turn-key campaigns for channel partners. We’ve already welcomed Marketing Advocate employees to Zift Solutions. All of our users will soon be able to leverage Marketing Advocate’s workflows and content on top of Zift’s leading platform to drive even better results.

We’ve developed a landing page to share more information about Zift’s acquisition of Marketing Advocate and the benefits it will bring to our customers. I encourage you to visit it here and contact us directly to learn more.

The post A New Era for Channel Sales and Marketing appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Who doesn’t?

I haven’t met a sales or marketing person that doesn’t want more leads to ultimately close more deals. Because of this constant demand for more leads, most channel marketing and sales professionals believe that their efforts should start with demand generation. However, I question whether demand generation is really your best starting point.

Is Pushing Leads Straight into the Funnel Really a Great Idea?

Remember our recent post about Putting an End to Leaky Pipe Syndrome? Pushing a bunch of leads into the funnel may seem like a great idea. However, without a supporting framework and key elements like nurturing campaigns and established marketing and sales qualification strategies, the vast majority of your leads will never convert to sales.

There’s Got to Be a Better Way (Psssst – There is!)

What Zift has learned during the past decade of working with many of the most successful channel organizations around the world is that there is a better way. First and foremost, don’t start with demand generation campaigns for partners. Instead, follow these steps to build a solid foundation that helps partners support and nurture leads before they hit the pipeline:

1. Marketing & Sales Qualification: Start by defining tele-qualification roles and providing scripts to improve the effectiveness of outreach efforts.

2. Online Presence Enhancement: Use syndicated content to improve your partners’ online presence while ensuring brand consistency and strengthening data and insight about site visitors with analytics. Not providing this means you run the risk of your partners being disqualified early on in the sales process. Social media syndication can also enhance your partners’ social media efforts and expand your reach.

3. Lead Distribution with Closed Loop Analytics: Your marketing efforts are already generating leads that you share with your partners. Now you can automate lead distribution to deliver them faster, with much less hassle, and increase visibility into what is actually happening to the leads you pass on to partners. Conversely, gaining your partners’ confidence in sharing leads and opportunities with you opens the door to capturing pipeline on their generated leads.

4. Nurturing Programs: Direct partner efforts for leads that are not ready to buy with both content and technology to help them nurture leads and stay top of mind across the life of a sale. Keep in mind that, according to Forrester Research, companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales ready leads at 33% lower cost.

5. Demand Generation: Offer demand generation elements such as Pay-Per-Click (PPC) online advertising and email marketing to drive additional leads for partners. But, keep the best practices outlined here in mind and don’t kick off demand gen until tele-qualification, web presence and nurturing efforts have been put into place.

The next time your team screams about wanting more leads, think about whether you have established the proper foundation to drive sales. Then consider which pieces are missing to ensure your partner efforts and marketing investments will have the most success.

The post Not So Fast! Build a Foundation Before Leads Hit the Funnel appeared first on Zift Solutions.

We all know the buying process has changed and research shows that marketing has to change with it. Analysts estimate that today’s buyers are 66-90% through their sales journey before they reach out to a salesperson, and they don’t typically do so until they are ready for price quotes.

With buyers spending 63% of the time they are online keeping up with industry and/or technology , channel sales organizations must be properly positioned to capture their attention. That’s why nearly 90% of marketing professionals agree that successfully integrating multiple channels under a single integrated marketing strategy is crucial to long-term success.

Content is Critical

Clearly, marketing plays a larger role in the sales process than ever before. Marketing automation has also become one of the fastest growing technology segments due to these shifts. Powering marketing automation and integrated marketing efforts requires one essential element: Great content – and lots of it.

Unfortunately, the content challenge remains a daunting one. Channel marketers are already overwhelmed and many channel partners are resource constrained. Generating enough high-quality content to meet demands, especially when you consider all of the various channels and tactics you have to support, is no small task. Managing a small marketing team here at Zift, I understand the content challenge first hand.

Solving the Content Challenge

Flexibility is the key to solving the content challenge. To make your content go further, stop creating one-off pieces. Instead, carefully plan your content development efforts and create flexible assets that can be “stretched” or used multiple ways to support multiple marketing tactics.

We put this best practice to work here at Zift and we are always on the lookout for new ways to capture the time and cost-saving benefits of repurposing content. After recently developing a webinar about Lead Distribution management, we transformed it into several assets, including an eBook, series of blog posts, several social media posts, multi-touch email campaigns, landing pages, a website resource and more. With the right planning and insight, your content can easily stretch to meet multiple needs and go further toward nurturing prospects to close.

Need more inspiration?

Check out Oracle|Eloqua’s Content Pillar Approach below, which details how you can produce at least 269 pieces of content from a single eBook!

The post Stretching Content Out: The Benefits of Repurposing appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Overcoming Familiar Marketing Challenges

Here at Orasi software, we continually face a few challenges that anyone working in channel marketing will likely recognize. The fact is, generating new leads and nurturing leads through to sales are ongoing and familiar hurdles that can stand in the way of channel sales success. With Zift Solutions, we finally found the answers to those nagging questions, “How do we get more leads?” and “How do we nurture those leads to close once they are in our systems?”

The Power of Pay-Per-Click

To capture new leads, Zift has helped us capitalize on the power of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) online advertising. A recent nine-week PPC campaign supported by tele-qualification added more than $325K to our sales pipeline and achieved a 48:1 return on investment. The campaign allowed us to expand our reach, generate new leads and create more opportunities without overburdening our team.

Multi-Touch Campaigns – With a Little Help from Our Friends

We’re also nurturing leads with a little help from our friends at Zift through Managed Services. We recently launched a multi-touch email campaign series that generated 148 new leads with 112 leads qualified by sales. The multi-touch campaigns provide us with the pre-approved content that we need to promote our solutions and services – and move leads through the sales process faster. Zift’s Managed Services serves as an extension of our marketing team, providing us the resources we need to manage those campaigns.

With Zift Solutions, it’s easy to solve the channel marketing conundrum of generating the leads you need and nurturing them through to close.

Check out these brief yet informative videos featuring Chris to learn more about Orasi Software’s success with Zift Solutions.

The post Generating & Nurturing Leads Through to Close appeared first on Zift Solutions.

We are excited to have guest blogger, Heather Margolis, Founder and President at Channel Maven Consulting.

According to SiriusDecisions, 67% of the buyer’s journey is now done digitally. That means customers and partners are looking at you, talking about you, and making decisions about doing business with you before they utter so much as a simple “hello.”

So, how do you make it easy to say hello? Simple. Be the company that you would want to do business with.

Here’s a start:

Digital First Impression: Analyze your website. Take your time and be honest. Look at design, layout and content. Is it appealing and informative? Does it convey the first impression you want?

Be an Expert: Your website houses your expertise in the form of blogs, white papers, videos, tutorials, free-trials and other content. Buyers are 67% through their journey, before saying hello because websites like yours make it easy for them to research their choices. Be great at it.

Socialize to Find Engagement Opportunities: Friendships, partnerships and sales absolutely do happen on social platforms. Take time to learn where your buyers hang out, then meet them on their turf and don’t forget to bring your content to the party. Social platforms are where thought leadership is passed around, your opinions are voiced and knowledge is shared. It’s also the vehicle that ultimately delivers curious visitors to your website and curious visitors become leads.

See, simple, right?

The complicated part is coming up with and executing a strategy, but don’t worry, we have a few tricks up our sleeve that will go a long way to helping you become more successful. And, to that end, we’re here, guest blogging with Zift Solutions to cordially invite you to learn more.

Please join us on September 10th at 1:00 pm ET for Searching for the Channel Marketing Silver Bullet? Turn Silver into Gold! We’ll be talking about how to better engage your leads. Think for a minute about the tips we listed above – is your website ready? Have you joined the social networking scene? If not, you still have time and we can help. If you have, congratulations! You’re ready to move to the next steps and that’s where we come in with ideas and tactics to help you shine.

At Channel Maven Consulting we’re spreading the word and helping Vendors and Channel Partners find their buyers in the digital landscape. Find out more about our offerings and our President, Heather K. Margolis at www.channelmavenconsulting.com. We invite you to contact Heather before or after the webinar with comments, questions and suggestions heather@channelmavenconsulting.com and of course, we’d love to connect on social too.

Channel Maven
On Twitter (@ChannelMaven)
On LinkedIn

Heather Margolis
On Twitter (@HeatherMargolis)
On LinkedIn

The post 3 Proven First Steps For Increasing Lead Generation in the Channel appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Rather than jumping straight into demand generation, follow these best practices to make the most of your lead generation investments and put an end to the leaky sales pipeline syndrome.

What’s Causing the Leaks?

The sad fact is, 79 percent of marketing leads never convert to sales. The most common cause for this poor performance? Lack of lead nurturing.

If your partners aren’t prepared to properly qualify and nurture leads, you’re wasting money on prospects that aren’t ready to buy. Instead of pouring more money into lead generation for a leaky sales pipeline, start shoring up your investments by ensuring that partners have engaging websites with targeted, relevant content along with the visibility to actively monitor site visitor activity and qualify leads.

Partners also require a solid social media presence complete with syndicated content to push fresh content to multiple social media sites and position themselves as experts in the marketplace. They’ll also need tools to help them properly qualify leads, such a telemarketing call scripts. Without proper qualification of leads, prospects fail to connect with prospects and the cost spent to create the lead is often wasted.

Put Nurturing Before Demand Generation

Once marketing and sales qualification strategies are in place, then you can move on to nurturing and lead generation. According to Forrester Research, companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost. A lack of nurturing leads can lead to a huge loss of potential revenue, so focus partner efforts on nurturing before net new demand generation.

Seal the Leaks to Seal More Deals

Partner support will increase the number of qualified leads your team can convert to sales, so be sure to give partners the tools they need to build their pipeline and avoid the leaking:

• Ensure partners have their tele-qualification roles defined with scripts to improve the effectiveness of outreach efforts.
• Support partner social media efforts and expand your reach with social media syndication.
• Provide content and technology to ensure partners are able to nurture leads and stay top of mind even when they are not yet ready to buy.
• Improve partners’ online presence with dynamic content syndication to ensure brand consistency, enhance visibility and capture detailed analytics about site visitors.
• If you are already generating leads for your partners, use automated lead distribution to quickly and easily distribute leads to partner sales teams and gain visibility into what is actually happening with shared leads.
• Offer demand generation elements, such as PPC/online advertising and email marketing to drive additional leads for the partners – but not until tele-qualification and nurturing efforts have been firmly established.

Has your sales pipeline sprung a leak? What are you doing to help partners seal pipeline leaks, qualify leads and nurture leads through to close?

The post Putting an End to the Leaky Pipe Syndrome appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Facing Familiar Challenges

While ResultsPositive is focused on creating a difference for customers to help them meet all of their business goals, we were facing a few challenges that are likely familiar to many channel sales and marketing organizations:

• An inefficient lead management process was slowing us down and undermining collaboration with our primary vendor, HP.
• Our inside sales team was spending too much time going to different portals trying to track down leads and capture the information required to turn leads into actual sales opportunities.
• In-house content creation was overwhelming. While we dedicated hours to creating content, by the time we were done with a campaign, our content was often outdated and we were forced to recreate content and campaigns to match the needs of the current market.

A Powerful Solution

We began using Zift Solutions in 2013 and it has proven itself to be a powerful solution for ResultsPositive. Leads are now generated and distributed directly into our CRM, Salesforce.com, so inside sales reps don’t have to hunt for leads or manually enter lead data. Actionable activity information accompanies each and every lead, which improves follow-up and lead nurturing. We’ve eliminated content development demands with Zift’s Content Syndication solution, which provides us with pre-built HP-specific content we can use across our website and in marketing campaigns. And, we’re using Zift as a centralized hub for all lead activity, which enhances visibility and empowers collaboration with HP.

Dramatic Results

Within the first 6 months of using Zift, we’ve seen dramatic results, including:

• Over 2,100 leads distributed directly into our CRM system
• A burgeoning sales pipeline – with over $1M in our current pipeline
• Significant reduction in lead distribution time
• Actionable background information that turns leads into sales opportunities
• Enhanced visibility and collaboration with HP

Check out our video interview with Brent to learn more about ResultsPositive’s success with Zift Solutions:

The post Turning Leads Into Opportunities With Zift appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Hopefully you’re nodding. If not, let me show you how you could be benefiting today.

PPC allows you to target your online text and image-based ads to your audience on critical websites such as Google® and LinkedIn®.

While some may warn that PPC is too time consuming, PPC actually offers a host of benefits B2B companies can’t afford to pass up. By using PPC, you can:

• Gain Immediate Visibility: As 97% of executives are on LinkedIn and 93% of B2B buyers use search engines to begin their buying process, PPC allows you to reach your audience immediately.
• Generate Targeted New Leads: Go beyond email marketing and company websites to reach a larger, targeted market with PPC. Both LinkedIn and Google Ad Words allow you to target new prospects by a variety of professional categories and key words.
• Educate your Audience: Provide helpful resources to solve buyers’ problems, generate awareness, shape perception and interact with your community using PPC within the online destinations your prospects and customers already trust.

Watch this new video, 3 Reasons Why B2B Companies Should Use PPC to Grow Sales, for even more insight and best practices for using PPC within turnkey multi-tactic campaigns to drive sales. Then, share with us some of your experiences with PPC to grow your business.

The post 3 Reasons Why B2B Companies Should Use PPC to Grow Sales [VIDEO] appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Click here to read part 1 – Rethinking Lead Distribution to Transform Opportunities into Real Revenue
Click here to read part 2 – How to Introduce and Optimize Automated Lead Distribution
Click here to read part 4 – Do You Have a Clear Line of Site Into Partner Lead Activity?

Leads need a little TLC

As we’ve discussed in recent blog posts, automating lead distribution is a great way to help partners stay in close contact with prospects through the sales lifecycle. But along with leads, suppliers must arm partners with key insights they can use to initiate calls and take the best possible approach with those prospects depending on where they are in the buyer’s journey.

According to Forrester, lead origination and lead nurturing now account for the largest component of B2B marketing spend at 21% of overall marketing budget.1 A recent Marketo MobileIron Case Study demonstrated that such an investment pays off, with a 250% increase in sales pipeline by effectively nurturing leads who weren’t initially ready to buy.

Clearly, leads not going to close right away should be put into a nurturing process. To help partners accomplish this, suppliers should include current prospect “digital body language” that partners can use to connect with and present themselves as experts on topics that matter most to those prospects. A best practice is to augment the basics (e.g. name, title, email address, phone number) with complete lead history and activity details, including:

• Previous marketing activities used to qualify leads
• Details regarding specific products in which a prospect has expressed interest
• Recent online activity, including when a lead visited a website, exactly which pages they viewed and even links to those pages
• Campaign emails a prospect has opened
• Marketing materials prospects have accessed or downloaded, such as data sheets, white papers and case studies
• Revenue bands
• Contract stipulations

Coupling leads with such rich data helps suppliers establish themselves as a primary resource for their channel partners – and provides channel partners with the information and insight they need to improve lead follow up, establish themselves as subject matter experts and nurture leads through to close.

Do you have any other best practices or advice you would like to share? Let’s hear it in the comments section.

Learn More

Learn more about the power of automating lead distribution and the importance of lead nurturing in our latest eBook: 4 Simple Steps to Drive Channel Sales with Rules-Base Lead Distribution.

4 Simple Steps to Drive Channel Sales with Rules-Based Lead Distribution

Find out how you can transform lead distribution and empower channel partner success with this insightful eBook!

Download Free eBook

 

The post Why Lead Nurturing is Essential to Channel Partner Success (Part 3 of 4) appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Click here to read part 1 – Rethinking Lead Distribution to Transform Opportunities into Real Revenue
Click here to read part 3 – Why Lead Nurturing is Essential to Channel Partner Success
Click here to read part 4 – Do You Have a Clear Line of Site Into Partner Lead Activity?

We recently discussed the value of Rethinking and Automating Lead Distribution to Transform Opportunities into Real Revenue. As Zift has helped some of the top channel organizations and nearly 10,000 channel partners automate and optimize lead distribution, we know exactly what it takes to ensure success.

As promised, here are a few key recommendations and best practices to introduce automated delivery of sales-qualified leads to channel partners:

Work where your partners work

To drive adoption and make the transition to automated lead distribution as easy as possible, partners should receive leads within the systems they already use every day. Depending on partner preferences, leads can be delivered via email, mobile or directly within their Sales Force Automation (SFA) or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

Set some rules

Suppliers should establish lead routing rules, so that the right leads get to the right people at the right time with the appropriate details about the prospects. Rules can be as sophisticated or simple as a supplier chooses but they should be consistent, so that leads are routed and delivered via a common methodology. Use feedback from partners to modify rules, enhance results and improve visibility.

Launch a well-defined campaign

Kick things off with a well-defined campaign that is relevant to partners and aligned with current sales incentives.

Establish clear KPIs

KPIs should demonstrate how quickly partners view and act on the leads provided. Initial KPIs may include response turnaround or time of acceptance to lead, lead feedback and opportunity creation.

Generate excitement!

Share early success stories to generate excitement and encourage adoption across your entire partner community.

Boost results with Through Partner Marketing Automation (TPMA)

Marry lead distribution with other aspects of TPMA to boost results. With Zift TPMA solutions, it’s easy to syndicate your message across your channel community, generate demand and enhance pipeline visibility.

Be sure to read the latest eBook from Zift to discover The 4 Simple Steps to Drive Channel Sales with Rules-Based Lead Distribution and check back in here over the next few weeks as we dig deeper into the importance of lead nurturing and enabling closed-loop reporting to track ROI.

Anything else you’d like to debate or ask? Let’s hear it in the comments!

4 Simple Steps to Drive Channel Sales with Rules-Based Lead Distribution

Find out how you can transform lead distribution and empower channel partner success with this insightful eBook!

Download Free eBook

 

The post How to Introduce and Optimize Automated Lead Distribution (Part 2 of 4) appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Why?

To connect with prospects and drive sales, channel partners need sales-qualified leads reliably delivered to the right people at the right time directly where they work. They also need direct visibility across the lifecycle of a lead in order to track lead activity and easily share updates and results with suppliers. This requires infrastructure and expertise that many channel partners just don’t have.

Current Solutions Just Don’t Cut It

The fact is, most channel partners use sub-optimal point solutions such as email, CRM systems and Excel to receive and manage leads. The manual processes required to use such tools for marketing and lead distribution are time consuming and error-prone. Deal Registration and Partner Relationship Management (PRM) systems are also limited. Adoption of these systems is poor and visibility remains problematic, which leaves channel partners without the tools, qualified leads and insight they need to succeed.

As we’ve seen these critical challenges first-hand at Zift Solutions, we’ve recently developed a new eBook that details a dramatically different approach to lead distribution and shares best practices along with tips for using Through Partner Marketing Automation (TPMA) to nurture leads that don’t go straight to close. You’ll learn how to

• Automate lead delivery with rules-based lead distribution
• Deliver leads directly into the systems channel partners use every day
• Improve the type and quality of lead data passed to partners
• Automate reporting and track ROI
• Incorporate best practices to establish a more collaborative and successful sales process

To transform opportunities into real revenue, read 4 Simple Steps to Drive Channel Sales with Rules-Based Lead Distribution. Then be sure to check back for follow-up blog posts, in which we’ll discuss individual steps in greater detail to help you optimize lead distribution and empower channel partners to close more deals.

4 Simple Steps to Drive Channel Sales with Rules-Based Lead Distribution

Find out how you can transform lead distribution and empower channel partner success with this insightful eBook!

Download Free eBook

 

The post Rethinking Lead Distribution to Transform Opportunities into Real Revenue (Part 1 of 4) appeared first on Zift Solutions.

It’s a Buyer’s Market

It’s a buyer’s market – and prospects have changed the way they evaluate and purchase big ticket items. Instead of contacting a salesperson directly, today’s buyers typically kick off the research process with an Internet search. When they do reach out to an actual sales professional, they’ve already scoured the Web for relevant data regarding the goods and services they desire. Thus, the burden of delivering pre-sales product information, including key differentiators and value propositions, has largely shifted from sales to marketing. Responding to and supporting this shift amplifies the importance of marketing and calls for critical changes in how companies structure and deliver content to prospects.

Self-Directed Learning Requires New Tactics

Traditional marketing tactics just don’t cut it anymore. Today, targeted content marketing is required to effectively capture the attention of buyers engaged in self-directed learning. Marketers must generate and push quality, customized content to buyers that is relevant to where they are in the buying cycle. And marketers often need new resources, including marketing automation tools, such as those provided by Zift Solutions, Eloqua, Marketo, ExactTarget and Hubspot, to deploy content marketing effectively and manage leads throughout the sales lifecycle.

Taking On Channel Partner Marketing Challenges

Unfortunately, most channel partners lack the marketing experience and resources to take on the challenges brought on by the sales environment evolution. To significantly impact channel partners’ pipelines and results, suppliers have an opportunity (if not responsibility) to step up and help their partners:

• Provide access to infrastructure, solutions and strategic insight to effectively leverage content marketing
• Build effective marketing campaigns, including developing a multi-tactic strategy, setting the stage for collaboration and nurturing demand.
• Deliver continued success through optimization, which involves active monitoring, analysis and tweaks to provide value and capture sales.

Be sure to check out “3 Steps to Successful Channel Partner Marketing: Working Collaboratively to Drive Sales” and learn how to:

1. Build an Effective Marketing Campaign
2. Secure Channel Partner’s Buy-in
3. Deliver Continued Success through Optimization.

The post Times Have Changed: The Sales Environment Evolution (Part 1 of 4) appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Learning Where Others Have Failed

Channel partners can extend sales reach far beyond what suppliers are capable of on their own – what I call the force multiplier effect. However, when channel partners fail to capture and capitalize on opportunities in their own target audiences, the result is frustrated suppliers, apathetic partners and missed revenue performance.  The good news is that, with the right focus and use of marketing automation, you can avoid this fate and make the conversation all about the revenue.

Optimize Partner Sales

In this brief, informative video, Scott England shares three simple steps to optimize partner sales, strengthen relationships and capture more channel revenue.   Watch the video now to learn how you can align channel partners with sales objectives, track efforts and measure results.

Scott England has been the Vice President of Business Development at Zift Solutions since 2007. He has helped Zift expand into new vertical markets while deepening focus within its core customer base.

The post 3 Ways to Optimize Partner Sales appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Pages often contain too many distractions, and if the goal of your page is to have a visitor perform a specific action (e.g. download a white paper, contact you, sign up for a webinar, etc.) then the path to the goal must be crystal clear. 

Landing pages are targeted pages created in mind to achieve a specific goal and for a specific channel (e.g. PPC, social media, email, etc.) Instead of directing a prospect to your homepage or contact page, steer them in the direction of a landing page.

In a recent study by HubSpot, they measured how the number of landing pages impacted lead generation:

As this graph shows, it’s important to increase the number of landing pages in order to improve your flow of leads. It sounds obvious, but often times it’s underutilized. In fact, according to the report, “companies see a 55% increase in leads from increasing landing pages from 10 to 15.”

Although landing pages are often used in SEM and email campaigns, most webmasters allow them to be indexed by search engines. In some cases it may be wise to exlude them from appearing in the search engines, but they offer an excellent opportunity to not capture leads organically. It also adds a whole lot of SEO value by providing optimized and relevant content on your website that can help you in the SERPS.

How to Increase the Number of Landing Pages on Your Website

1) Become more granular with your landing pages

Providing specific landing pages that really presents content that prospects are looking for. For example, if someone searches for, “Tennis equipment,” then create a separate landing page that presents tennis equipment, rather than sports equipment. If someone searches for, “tennis rackets,” then only show tennis rackets rather than general tennis equipment.

By making more relevant landing pages, I guarantee that conversion rates will increase.

2) Become more granular with your campaign setup

Structure your campaigns in a way where you segment by interest, keywords and/or questions. According to MarketingSherpa, segmenting email marketing campaigns can increase clicks up to 50%.

As a best practice for search marketing campaigns, it’s important to be granular with both your campaigns and ad groups. By structuring it in this manner, you’re able to target specific keywords with relevant ad copy. For example, if I search for “channel marketing software,” then I want to see an ad that closely relates to that search term – rather than just “marketing software.” This results in a better CTR, a better quality score, higher conversion rates and pre-qualified leads.

3)  Generate more content for your audience

This will involve new campaigns that allow you to capture more leads by offering a variety of assets (for example) for various channels. Perhaps you are promoting webinars via your email marketing campaign, offering a free white paper via SEM or free industry specific tools via your social media.

More and more companies are now employing teams dedicated to creating valuable content that attracts prospects and turns them into leads. If you’re unable to afford those kind of resources then consider finding someone internally who’s looking for the responsibility and who has experience in content creation. It’s important for them to consult with subject matter experts (SMEs) on content before posting it.

An excellent and easy way to offer content to prospects is to repurpose content. For example, powerpoint presentations, interviews, webinars, a blog post on the top posts of the year, or updating content that you’ve previously produced.

What other ideas do you have to share? Are you struggling to come up with new content? Let us know in the comments section below:

The post 3 Effective Ways To Increase Leads & Conversion Rates appeared first on Zift Solutions.

When I talk to people about their marketing efforts with their channel partners, I’m often surprised at some of the obvious tools that companies either don’t know about, or know about and don’t use, because they don’t realize how powerful they are.

One of the most frequent cases I’ve noticed is when companies either don’t know about or don’t use ad retargeting. It doesn’t make sense to me, because ad retargeting is easy to implement, cost effective, and consistently delivers results. Yet, many companies don’t even know what it is.

Ad retargeting is an incredibly simple concept. A potential customer comes to your site and browses products or services. When they do so, a cookie is automatically installed on their computer.

Now, most people don’t make a purchase the first time they visit a site, and eventually they’ll click to another site. This is where ad retargeting comes in. The cookie that you have placed on their computer will cause your ads to show up on the pages of other sites they visit.  This can have a huge impact on your brand awareness!

Clicking on the ad automatically brings visitors back to the page you specify on your site for the products and services they are interested in. Studies have shown that this tactic is so effective it can bring between 42 and 70 percent of visitors back to the site within a 24-hour period.

Not only can vendors bring these window shoppers back to their own site, but they can also configure the ads to Bring them back to the channel partner’s site – and away from competitor sites – greatly increasing the chance of a purchase through the channel partner. It’s really that simple.

You can even modify your ad retargeting efforts to increase the chance of converting the site visitor into a customer. You know what product or service they are interested in, so you could have the ad redirect them to a page with a special discount offer or coupon code. If you let them know this discount is only available for a limited time, you are strongly motivating them to buy from your channel partner more urgently. That’s good for your bottom line and that of your partner.

Once ad retargeting is up and running, it goes on autopilot. There’s not much more you need to do, so once you’ve gone through the initial effort of setting it up, you reap the benefits of brand awareness, revenue and profit.

I sometimes find it surprising that more companies are not using ad retargeting. It’s so simple effective, and elegant – and if you offer it to your channel partners, both of you will see increased revenue as the result.

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When it comes to B2B channel marketing, we spend a lot of time thinking about how to work with our co-marketers and channels in order to increase the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. That’s good, because communication is important, particularly when it comes to cross-promotions.

On the other hand, what we can sometimes forget is the need to communicate effectively with our customers. Many times, our customer communication is one-sided. We send them marketing messages and hope they will convert into sales. But, how often do we really listen to what our customers have to say?

The need to communicate effectively was highlighted recently when Marketing Sherpa interviewed Kristin Zhivago, President of Zhivago Management Partners, Inc. and author of Roadmap to Revenue, after her keynote speech at their B2B Summit.

Zhivago explained how a program she initiated helped boost sales by as much as 40 percent. What’s even more impressive is that the program cost the company nearly no money at all.

Here’s what they did. First, they created a list of the different categories of customers they typically sold to. Then they picked three of their biggest buyers from each category, and sent them an email asking if they could briefly interview them over the phone.

They asked each customer what they liked about their interactions with them and their partner, and what they didn’t like. The conversations were recorded and transcribed (with permission). Names were then eliminated from the conversation, and the positive and negative information gathered was summarized in a report.

Then, her team looked at the results and spent time brainstorming how to fix the problems that were identified and build on the efforts that were appreciated by their customers. In many cases there were problems that they had no idea existed before, but were easily fixed. For example, one of their sales managers was making promises to clients that they could not possibly deliver on. Replacing that sales manager had a positive effect on both sales and company reputation.

Doing this took a fair amount of time and effort, but it didn’t have much of an impact on their marketing budget at all – yet it increased sales and revenue for everyone involved.

It’s a valuable exercise that nearly any B2B company can use, including those with extensive channel marketing relationships. Use this approach to see what your customers see at the business end of your marketing programs and partners. It could help your company improve your marketing efforts for years to come.

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Overall: 2/5 stars – marketing 101 information without much meat

First point they make: knowing more about your customers helps salespeople to sell. OK – so the sky is blue, nothing interesting here.

Next point – customer data is silo’d. First step to getting one view is to come up with a common data model. I think this is probably overstated. I can see efforts getting bogged down on things that aren’t that important. Consistency in key fields used for segmentation is important, but lots of the data can be treated as attributes that can add a lot of value.

Next point – Integrated marketing works better. Once again the sky is blue. One view of the contact with data from all marketing channels is required for real time personalization. I agree this is one of many benefits. The paper also talks about the importance of syncing with sales. Once again, that makes sense to me.

They then talk about the 4 stages of data driven marketing. 1 – Marketing data silo’d, 2 – integrated with sales data, 3 – include financial data, 4 – fold in customer lifetime value (CLV). Each stage provides additional data to the customer and accounts records. Getting to stage 4 provides the best returns but is also a lot of work.

Then there is a bit of a disconnect where the paper goes into a sales pitch for Data.com. I don’t see how Data.com helps at all with stages 3 or 4 and even stage 2 is a bit of a stretch. This is not to say the Data.com isn’t hugely valuable, it just seems like this write up is a bit of a bait and switch.

You want to read the whole paper and let me know your thoughts, you can pick up the paper at IDC White Paper Download

The post Review of IDC Paper: Data.com: The Fuel for High-Performance B2B Marketing and Sales Engines appeared first on Zift Solutions.

We are considering using the [syndicated content], however I’m still researching. I’m told by our web people (Hall Marketing) that we’ll lose a lot of our search capabilities [SEO] because all the content goes back to you or Sage, not us. I’m hoping to make decisions mid January, or so…

Hall Marketing in this instance is just incorrect. Correctly syndicated content helps with SEO. Since the exact search engine scoring algorithms are never published to keep people from gaming the algorithms, it is hard to quantify the effect, but it is definitely positive.

How can I be so sure? Google (who knows the algorithms it uses), uses syndicated content with their partners to help in promoting Google Apps. Just check out the public site http://google.zift123.com. I can assure you that Google is not hurting the SEO scores of its partners.

For a detailed discussion about why it helps, check out Paul Marshall’s post on Search Engine Journal, Is Syndicated Content Duplicate Content?

For more information of what syndication content is, and how it might be useful check out either web syndication or content syndication.

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