We took on our first foray into AI by helping suppliers develop partner-facing content with an embedded AI tool. From portal pages to portal posts, to to-partner communications, it’s now easier to figure out what to say with AI.

The post 2023 Year in Review for ZiftONE appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The possibilities are endless. Got a Lunch and Learn scheduled in New Hampshire for certified partner technicians? With user fields, you can make it visible only to those located in New Hampshire, and with user segmentation rules, you can limit it to those who have completed the certification online or in-person. This is especially helpful if you have larger national or global partners who have staff in multiple locations. You can track their staff’s information so that they see what’s relevant to their region and role.

ZiftONE makes it easy to customize as little or as much as you want to. Filters can be applied to content and collateral, courses, certifications, onboarding plans, marketing plans, and more. You can easily gate pages within your portal view to certain user types and partners, create entirely different menu structures for specific Partner Groups, and even have different information displayed within a portal page based on Partner Group membership.

Not getting the customization you need out of your current partner portal solution? See ZiftONE in action and start a conversation with us.

The post Give Everyone on Your Partner Portal a Truly Customized Experience appeared first on Zift Solutions.

CARY, N.C. – July 24, 2023– Zift Solutions, a leading provider of Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) software, has been named as a “Leader” in The Forrester Wave™: Partner Relationship Management, Q3 2023 report by Forrester Research.

Zift Solutions was among the select companies that Forrester invited to participate in its Q3 2023 Forrester Wave™ evaluation, Partner Relationship Management, Q3 2023. In this evaluation, Zift Solutions’ top scores in the Strategy Category were in the Roadmap and Adoption criteria.

In Forrester’s evaluation, Zift Solutions received the highest score possible in 12 criteria, including:

• Current Offering Category: Business planning and management, Guided partner journey and experience, Continuous partner enablement, Content Management, Partner demand management, Lead and opportunity management, Platform governance and security, Partner types, classifications, and values, Personalization and customizations
• Strategy Category: Roadmap, Adoption

According to the report, authored by Hannibal Scipio, “Zift Solutions shines with a comprehensive platform for optimal engagement. Launched a few years ago, Zift Solutions’ new partner platform has come of age. It has transformed from a product focused on channel programs to an extensible platform for ecosystem partners to deliver excellent customer experiences. With its more recent enhancements, including integration of generative AI technology, such as ChatGPT, and a superior roadmap to deliver increasing self-serviceability, expanded automation, and ecosystem-wide engagement, it is well-positioned for success.”

“We believe being named as a leader in this Wave evaluation validates what our customers have been saying about the value that ZiftONE brings to the channel and partner programs,” said Lionel Farr, CTO, Zift Solutions. “We remain committed to delivering the most innovative solution in the market, further empowering our customers, and continuing to shape the future of Partner Relationship Management.”

The ZiftONE Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) platform is purpose-built to support a solution provider’s entire partner ecosystem while delivering greater efficiencies to the entire organization. It manages the flow from onboarding to enablement, lead generation to marketing, all the way through sales.

A copy of the complete report is available HERE.

About Zift Solutions

Founded in 2006, Zift Solutions is the only Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) tool built as one to work as one. The company’s ZiftONE platform manages the flow from onboarding to enablement, lead generation to marketing, all the way through sales. Backed by the most experienced team in the industry, Zift was named the only leader in both Channel Marketing Automation and Partner Relationship Management by a leading independent research firm, as well as a market leader in Partner Management Software and Through-Channel Marketing Software by G2. For more information, visit www.ziftsolutions.com.

The post Zift Solutions Named a Leader in Partner Relationship Management Report by Independent Research Firm appeared first on Zift Solutions.

ZiftONE Tier Programs enable partner programs to set up rules for multiple partner tiers, show partners what they need to do to meet the criteria for different partner tiers, easily monitor which partners have made progress and manually move partners up or down to different tiers if partner management teams feel they should be eligible outside program rules. Tier Programs can take into account revenue actions like deals registered, training actions like certifications completed, marketing actions like campaigns, and other aspects of partner performance. Partner program management can utilize ZiftONE’s Partner Groups to filter which Tier Program is displayed. Partners can be listed in more than one Tier Program, enabling partner programs greater flexibility. Tiers can be set to update automatically or manually; if a program changes its tier status quarterly or yearly, they are empowered to do so.

ZiftONE User Achievements rewards partner portal users for engaging with activities by granting points for every achievement completed. These can be repeatable or set to be completed one time only. When an achievement is completed it changes color, so every partner representative can easily see what they still have left to achieve. Completing an achievement earns points for the individual and shows their progress in the portal. User Achievements can be centered around marketing activities, onboarding completion, training completion, the registration of deals, lead activities, and more.

Both ZiftONE Tier Programs and User Achievements allow for custom imagery, ensuring that the look and feel of the portal are in line with each company feature and overall brand strategy.

“Motivating and rewarding partners and the people who work within partner programs are key to driving greater engagement,” Heather Tenuto, Chief Revenue Officer at Zift Solutions, said. “Making partner program compliance, like a Tier Program, easily viewable to partners is a huge step in driving this behavior. Setting goals for individual users takes this even further. These new features show Zift’s commitment to helping set customers apart from other partner programs.”

Tier Programs and User Achievements have been rolled out to customers in the powerful ZiftONE platform. They are included in Zift’s top-rated feature set with no additional licensing fee for all new customers. Current ZiftONE customers are encouraged to contact their Customer Success Manager (CSM) if they have questions about these new features.

###

About Zift Solutions

Founded in 2006, Zift Solutions is the only Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) tool built as one to work as one. The company’s ZiftONE platform manages the flow from onboarding to enablement, lead generation to marketing, all the way through sales. Backed by the most experienced team in the industry and fueled by the recent $70M capital investment by Investcorp, Zift has been named the only leader in both Channel Marketing Automation and Partner Relationship Management by Forrester Research and a market leader in Partner Management Software and Through-Channel Marketing Software by G2. For more information, visit www.ziftsolutions.com.

The post Zift Solutions Launches Features to Increase Partner Engagement appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Businesses that rely on an indirect channel to amplify marketing campaigns, generate leads and close sales need a single, enterprise-wide view into the performance of every partner, regardless of business unit, geography, product set or distribution strategy. This information is critical for accurate forecasting, planning and global expansion. Until now, companies managed their various partner programs separately using disparate applications and platforms without a consolidated enterprise dashboard. ZiftONE Global eliminates the time-consuming process of managing, extracting and consolidating critical business information about channel partners and performance. The PRM platform provides a centralized way to manage, analyze and present channel performance data in an easy-to-follow dashboard.

ZiftONE Global is purpose-built for worldwide industries including technology, telco, manufacturing, building materials and other companies that have multiple partner programs with various channel configurations. By using ZiftONE Global, customers can easily expand into new regions, integrate partner programs from newly acquired companies and amplify marketing campaigns without eroding brand equity. The platform drives higher partner engagement, faster sales cycles, increased revenue and greater market share. For partners, the advanced channel enablement capabilities of ZiftONE Global eliminate potential roadblocks to success, even delivering leads directly into a partner’s CRM of choice. 

“With 75-80% of all sales going through the channel, it’s critical for businesses to be able to easily see the status of every partner and their activity without losing valuable time and resources trying to manage an increasingly complex tech stack. ZiftONE Global solves this issue,” said Lionel Farr, chief technology officer of Zift Solutions. “We’ve done the research, interviewed customers and partners, and have built the industry’s most comprehensive PRM to support the needs of customers today while providing the foundation for them to build long-term, profitable partner relationships.”

New features of ZiftONE Global include:

Global channel management: A centralized platform offers complete visibility into channel activity across all business units. The easy-to-understand dashboard provides decision makers and stakeholders with accurate insights and analytics showing the performance of all partners by marketing campaigns, revenue forecasts, sales and other key performance metrics.

Support for global growth and expansion: The platform is designed for easy onboarding of new partners and partner programs as organizations grow through acquisitions and expansion into new regions and sectors. 

Streamlined organization of products and services: Customers can easily group products and services by reseller, distributor, business unit, country, region and more. Presenting only relevant information to distinct audiences in a highly organized way avoids confusion, enabling partners to successfully move forward with their go-to-market strategies. 

Shared marketing assets: Each business unit or region has dedicated portals, content libraries and campaigns. Global admins and corporate marketing teams can place assets into specific portals to ensure consistent messaging and branding while allowing customization by language or product type. This allows partners to easily rebrand content and amplify marketing and sales campaigns using only approved materials.

Existing customers can learn more about ZiftONE Global by contacting their Customer Success Manager. Interested parties can contact the Zift Solutions team to learn more at www.ziftsolutions.com. 

About Zift Solutions

Founded in 2006, Zift Solutions is the only Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) tool built as one to work as one. The company’s ZiftONE platform manages the flow from onboarding to enablement, lead generation to marketing, all the way through sales. Backed by the most experienced team in the industry, Zift was named the only leader in both Channel Marketing Automation and Partner Relationship Management by Forrester Research and a market leader in Partner Management Software and Through-Channel Marketing Software by G2. For more information, visit www.ziftsolutions.com.

The post Zift Solutions Launches ZiftONE Global for B2B Enterprises to Accelerate Growth and Drive Revenue Through Channel Partners appeared first on Zift Solutions.

ZiftONE’s existing bulk upload feature has been revisited and improved. Now suppliers can carry over the information of all fields – including custom fields – into a bulk import. These fields are already added by ZiftONE customers in the partner registration process by using the Form Builder. Zift’s Form Builder feature allows administrators to customize each form housed in ZiftONE.

ZiftONE provides suppliers with personalized sample CSV files to follow. These files include all of the fields that are available on the registration pages. When uploading CSV files, ZiftONE will draw attention to any missing information so that suppliers can go back and correct their file.

Most suppliers use fields to create Partner Groups, which are key to filtering content and creating a customized portal experience for every partner. By adding all custom fields, Zift is ensuring that a partner’s first experience is exactly what you want them to see — without any additional lift from you.

If you’re a current ZiftONE customer, you have access to the updated bulk import feature and can try it now.

Not a customer and want better control over your portal and program? See ZiftONE in action and start a conversation with us.

The post Starting a New Portal Just Got Easier appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Since every partner program and its people have different needs, Zift is introducing a new way to manage all of them. Today we’re increasing our default roles from three to 16. Additionally, we’re giving ZiftONE administrators the ability to customize what each one of these 16 roles can view and have access to.

With this new user management feature, you can decide who from your team has access to partner management. This includes adding and removing partners and partner users, marketing content, training content, deals, and leads, reporting, changing the partner portal, integration, and other features. Combined with the ability to limit to specific segments of your partner program, this feature enables administrators to truly control who can manage their portal and partner program.

If you’re a current ZiftONE customer, you have access to this new feature and can change your user roles now.

Not a customer and want better control over your portal and program? See ZiftONE in action and start a conversation with us.

The post Control Access with ZiftONE User Roles appeared first on Zift Solutions.

With this feature, users can simply edit a text block within ZiftONE and then select the new “Write with AI” option. Based upon the user’s prompt, AI will generate original text. This text can then be applied with just one click. Zift’s new AI functionality not only enables an easier content creation process but helps users leverage the power of artificial intelligence while still controlling their unique branding and messaging.

“We are excited to launch this new feature for our customers. AI-generated text is a game-changer for businesses that want to streamline their partner communications process,” says Gordon Rapkin, Chief Executive Officer of Zift Solutions. “With this feature, our customers will save time and increase efficiency, all while maintaining a high level of quality and consistency in their communications with partners.”

One of the most important actions a supplier can take to generate partner engagement is to continuously provide fresh, relevant content and maintain a constant flow of communication with partners. AI-generated text has been rolled out to customers as an integrated capability in the powerful ZiftONE platform. It is included in Zift’s top-rated feature set with no additional licensing fee for all new customers. Current ZiftONE customers are encouraged to contact their Customer Success Manager (CSM) if they have questions about this new feature. 

###

About Zift Solutions

Founded in 2006, Zift Solutions is the only Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) tool built as one to work as one. The company’s ZiftONE platform manages the flow from onboarding to enablement, lead generation to marketing, all the way through sales. Backed by the most experienced team in the industry and fueled by the recent $70M capital investment by Investcorp, Zift has been named the only leader in both Channel Marketing Automation and Partner Relationship Management by Forrester Research and a market leader in Partner Management Software and Through-Channel Marketing Software by G2. For more information, visit www.ziftsolutions.com.

The post Zift Solutions Launches AI-Generated Text Feature for Partner Communications appeared first on Zift Solutions.

ZiftONE’s latest premium feature, Automatic Translations, brings simplicity to serving international partners.

With ZiftONE Automatic Translations, text on portal pages – including on pages with customized HTML – is automatically translated to your partners’ language.

From ZiftONE, partner users are able to select their preferred language. A version of the portal page will then be automatically refreshed in their native language. 

ZiftONE already offers 23 languages for translating menus and site structure associated with ZiftONE’s out-of-the-box features. The new premium feature, Automatic Translations, extends that functionality to custom pages and gives partners the in-language experience they deserve… All without a heavy lift from you.

Best of all, the Automatic Translations feature enables you to turn pages around quickly and without the need for extra staff or timing to receive translations.

Are you interested in ZiftONE Automatic Translations and want to find out more? Talk to your Customer Success Manager or ZiftONE Account Executive today.

The post Translate Your Portal Into Your Partners’ Languages – Automatically appeared first on Zift Solutions.

ZiftONE for Ecosystems includes all of the existing features of ZiftONE, including its market-leading through-partner marketing automation suite. These, combined with a new set of features, are designed to work together to improve partner collaboration and sales through multiple channel partners.

“We’ve seen the channel transform from selling through an individual partner to collaboration across value-added resellers (VARs), distributors, managed service providers (MSPs), and agencies to drive product value and better enable sales across different regions and geographies,” Gordon Rapkin, CEO at Zift Solutions, said. “We view PRMs as the hub for companies embracing a collaborative partner program model. ZiftONE for Ecosystems offers these companies a place to host, manage, and grow their partner ecosystem. ”

ZiftONE for Ecosystems features functionality that enables partners to most effectively interact with a supplier’s offerings, including services, other partners, or resources. These features help partners get everything they need from one platform, in one place. In addition to the existing features included in Zift’s award-winning PRM and TCMA ZiftONE platform, ZiftONE for Ecosystems includes the following features: 

• Partner Finder – ZiftONE’s Partner Finder provides an entirely new way for partners to locate other partners to work with. Through the feature, channel partners can search for a specific partner that will meet their needs. Partners can also promote themselves to other partners by creating a profile that highlights the skills, services, and complementary products they can bring into a deal. From there, partners are able to directly contact each other.
• Multi-Partner Deal Registration – Multi-Partner Deal Registration offers a way for partners to document if and when other partners are collaborating with them on deals. This includes non-transacting partners who have had a huge influence on the deal closing, giving ZiftONE for Ecosystems customers a more accurate picture of who is actually influencing customer decisions. From there, Multi-Partner Deal Registration enables suppliers to reward each partner’s participation in a deal. 
• Provider Locator – The Provider Locator feature is focused on connecting channel partners with the service providers, including approved agencies and technology partners, they need to best sell a supplier’s product. By connecting partners with approved providers, suppliers can have peace of mind that the listed service providers will maintain foundational brand and market understanding. Within the ZiftONE portal, partners are empowered to search for whatever they need within their geographical area – and then connect with the appropriate providers.

ZiftONE for Ecosystems enables and rewards stronger partner collaboration by empowering suppliers to provide an environment where one partner can work with another to close business. This adds value to partners while simultaneously improving the end customer’s experience. 

ZiftONE for Ecosystems is available now for companies interested in improving their channel partner ecosystem experience. Current ZiftONE customers who are interested in adding these features to their ZiftONE instance are encouraged to contact their Customer Success Manager (CSM).

###

About Zift Solutions

Founded in 2006, Zift Solutions is the only Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) tool built as one to work as one. The company’s ZiftONE platform manages the flow from onboarding to enablement, lead generation to marketing, all the way through sales. Backed by the most experienced team in the industry, Zift was named the only leader in both Channel Marketing Automation and Partner Relationship Management by Forrester Research and a market leader in Partner Management Software and Through-Channel Marketing Software by G2. For more information, visit www.ziftsolutions.com.

The post Zift Solutions Introduces ZiftONE for Ecosystems to Power the Next Generation of Channel Programs appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Instead of entering deals in two different places, enable your distributors and major national partners to work within their own systems. With ZiftONE’s Advanced Partner CRM Integration, an add-on capability that builds upon ZiftONE’s industry-leading partner CRM Connectors, you can equip a number of partners with the ability to work within their own Salesforce platform. From there, partners will be able to sync Salesforce to ZiftONE’s Deal Registration or Lead Registration automatically–reducing friction and time spent.

With ZiftONE Advanced Partner CRM Integration, you will:

• Reduce the time partners spend on manual data entry.
• Enable partners and their team to work within a familiar platform.
• Prevent duplicate work caused by registering deals and/or leads in partner portal accounts and CRM software.

Are you interested in ZiftONE’s Advanced Partner CRM Integration and want to find out more? Talk to your Customer Success Manager or ZiftONE Account Executive today.

The post ZiftONE Advanced Partner CRM Integration: Simplify Getting Deal and Lead Data from Your Large Partners appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Through this add-on capability, Advanced Partner CRM Integration, suppliers can enable channel partners to work out of their own Salesforce platform. Advanced Partner CRM Integration was designed for use by both distributors and significant national partners. The integration allows these partners to enter deals and leads through Salesforce without requiring the additional step of logging into the ZiftONE portal. It builds upon ZiftONE’s existing, robust CRM Connectors for partners, which allow them to bring in leads from ZiftONE’s best-in-class TCMA features

“Through our experience working with national and award-winning channel programs, we’ve found that access to partner data is a distinct advantage for partner program leaders,” Gordon Rapkin, CEO at Zift Solutions, said. “This new capability makes it easy for partners to share more comprehensive information with their suppliers and improves the deal and lead registration experience, helping suppliers foster better, stronger relationships with their most important partners.” 

Advanced Partner CRM Integration also generates reports that are capable of identifying connection issues, empowering partners to manage their CRM integration themselves.

Advanced Partner CRM Integration is now available as part of the ZiftONE platform. Current ZiftONE customers are encouraged to contact their Customer Success Manager (CSM) if they are interested in accessing this new premium feature. 

###

About Zift Solutions

Founded in 2006, Zift Solutions is the only Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA) tool built as one to work as one. The company’s ZiftONE platform manages the flow from onboarding to enablement, lead generation to marketing, all the way through sales. Backed by the most experienced team in the industry, Zift was named the only leader in both Channel Marketing Automation and Partner Relationship Management by Forrester Research and a market leader in Partner Management Software and Through-Channel Marketing Software by G2. For more information, visit Zift Solutions.

The post ZiftONE’s Advanced Partner CRM Integration Provides Simplicity for Partners appeared first on Zift Solutions.

With ZiftONE’s latest Premium Feature, Provider Locator, connecting partners with the right resources has never been easier. Partners can now access a searchable list of approved agencies and service providers in their unique area, taking the guesswork out of who they can and can’t work with. Each provider receives an HTML-rich customizable profile that they can control, enabling them to most effectively present themselves to your partners.

Get started with Partner Locator by submitting a list of companies that you’d like to make available to your partners. Zift will create accounts for the companies on this list; providers can then use the HTML-rich editor to create a comprehensive profile that features their provided services. If you need to add additional agencies or service providers at a later date, Zift makes it easy for you to set up their accounts.

Once Provider Locator has been set up through your ZiftONE portal, your partners can search for the local services they need and connect with the appropriate agencies and providers. These providers specialize in the language and business practices of your international partners while maintaining familiarity with your branding, products, and corporate identity. Partners can request services directly from their ZiftONE portal, giving you valuable insight into how many inquiries (leads) are generated for the agencies–and by which partners.

If your partners reach out to a listed provider, you will be able to see that the contact has been made. Having access to this information can help you better understand which service provider relationships are meeting partner needs, as well as which areas may need improvement. 

Are you interested in ZiftONE’s Provider Locator and want to find out more? Talk to your Customer Success Manager or ZiftONE Account Executive today.

The post ZiftONE Provider Locator: Connect Your Channel Partners with the Right Resources appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The post Zift Solutions Marks Six Years of SOC 2 Compliance appeared first on Zift Solutions.

“We are thrilled to announce the collaboration between Zift and Microsoft to deliver a Dynamics 365 capability that manages channel partners through our industry-leading ZiftONE platform,” said Gordon Rapkin, CEO of Zift Solutions. “By building partner management directly in Dynamics 365, the user experience for channel sales leaders, marketing leaders, and administrators is familiar and efficient, and delivers the full power of Zift’s Partner Relationship Management (PRM) platform.”

With this integration, Dynamics 365 customers can now manage deals and users directly in Dynamics 365 without ever leaving their native environment. With a combination of channel expertise, powerful data tools, and a platform built for ease-of-use, channel programs will be empowered to see immediate ROI and dramatically improve their partner experience. 

This new solution includes all of ZiftONE’s features: Dynamic, hyper-personalized, easy to use partner portal experience, powerful through-partner social media and email marketing campaigns, co-brandable video, comprehensive onboarding plans, easy-to-create online training, partner locator, deal registration, lead distribution and more.

“Microsoft is glad to be partnering with Zift Solutions to provide a partner relationship channel management system with a more seamless technology experience built on Dynamics 365,” says Toby Bowers, General Manager, Industry, Applications & Data Marketing at Microsoft Corp. “By making it easier for partner programs to access their data in one place, we are significantly reducing roadblocks that lead to friction and reduced ROI.”

Companies interested in adding ZiftONE for Microsoft Dynamics 365 to their current Dynamics 365 instance can view the listing in the Microsoft AppSource to find out more.

About Zift Solutions

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

The post Zift Solutions Launches Integration Between ZiftONE and Microsoft Dynamics 365 appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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

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

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

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

The post Introducing Portal Posts appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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

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

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

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

###

About Zift Solutions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click on which communication you want to build, then click edit under content to start building your message.

You can add images, content blocks, and more. Emails will come with a template already featuring your logo and footer. If you want to edit this, click the three dots on the main Emails & Pop-Ups menu. Pop-ups are editable in their actual size and even include an easy add video feature.

Both types of messages can be filtered to specific partner groups to ensure that no one sees a message that isn’t relevant to them.

In addition to the improved communication-building experience, this new feature offers individual opt-outs and improved reporting. You can click on any message and see how many people viewed or opened it. For to-partner emails, you can also export a file with the emails of everyone who opened or received the email.

Next Steps: To-Partner Emails and Pop-Ups

If you’re a current ZiftONE customer, you should already see this feature on the Partner Management menu. Not a customer and want to see ZiftONE in action? Start a conversation with us.

The post Product Update: To-Partner Emails and Pop-Ups appeared first on Zift Solutions.

Utilizing video content helps partners break through the clutter of social media “noise.” Take videos a step further by helping partners make them their own; with Zift, you can expand your reach and deepen prospect engagement by providing partners with co-brandable videos.

How to Use Co-Brandable Videos in ZiftONE

Current ZiftONE customers can find this feature in the multimedia menu of the “Partner Marketing” tab. This is where other co-brandable collateral, like PDFs and website showcases, now live.

Customers can then select “New Video Asset” from the “Create New” menu. On the next screen, you will upload your video. You need a description of the video and a name for it. After that, you can select your video from the multimedia menu, select the partner groups you want to share it with, add a thumbnail, change the default logo placement, and publish it to your partners.

Your partners will be able to find co-brandable videos in the “Collateral Library” within your partner portal. They can add their logo, change the logo’s position and opacity, and then finalize it. Once finalized, partners will be taken to a screen where they can get a link to share or embed the video within a website.

Next Steps: Co-Brandable Videos in ZiftONE

If you are a current ZiftONE customer, you should already see this feature on the drop-down menu on the Multimedia page.

Not a customer and want to see ZiftONE in action? Start a conversation with us.

The post Product Update: Co-Brandable Video appeared first on Zift Solutions.

This weekend, Zift introduced report favorites and a filtered menu, enabling each supplier user to view the reports that are important to them. Simply click on your favorite report, click the heart next to the title,

and then you can view a list of only these reports by clicking the Toggle Favorites button in the Analytics & Reporting menu.

Best of all, every user in Supplier.ZiftONE.com can select a report that’s important to them on their profile to show as their home screen when they first log in. Channel marketing pros can start out with the Email Summary or Campaign Highlights report. Leaders in learning can select the Certifications Detail to track learning progress and adoption. Channel chiefs can start their day with the Deal Attribution report. Everyone can have their own customized experience.

If you are a current ZiftONE customer, you should already see this feature on your top menu. Not a customer and want to see ZiftONE in action? Start a conversation with us.

The post Product Update: Favorite and Filter Your Analytics Dashboards appeared first on Zift Solutions.

• Done right, quarterly business reviews can result in channel partners and vendors getting in sync with important leaders and key decision-makers.
• On the other hand, QBRs also present an opportunity for conversations to be derailed.
• Learn how to seamlessly align your next QBR using the Success Plans feature from ZiftONE.

---

Quarterly business reviews (QBRs) present a rare opportunity for vendors and partners to meet with the leaders who touch their account but aren’t usually interacted with. These meetings have the potential to open up crucial conversations. QBRs open the door to speak about mutual efforts for success or the future of the industry. At the same time, QBRs can be a place for conflict. 

What issues pop up in quarterly business reviews?

Ongoing stress or tumult in an account often comes to a head during QBRs. Reduced face-to-face time due to the pandemic can make these issues worse. Miscommunication can amplify feelings of ill will between vendors and partners, leading QBRs to derail from their goals. Both sides can feel that the other isn’t doing what they need to carry their weight. 

Get it right: Lead with data 

One way that vendors can improve these meetings is to lead with data. Show what the partner did and did not do during the quarter. Did they distribute a flyer on the new product? Are their reps trained to speak to it? Did they send out the campaign promoting integration options? Have they been registering deals? Are they closing them in a timely manner?

ZiftONE: An innovative solution for quarterly business reviews

Zift Solutions’ ZiftONE platform can facilitate more successful QBR discussions with Partner Explorer.

Its two built-in reports show real data on how a partner has or has not been meeting expectations:

1. The Marketing report shows all marketing activity at the partner level. Here, you can see if a partner has leveraged the assets and campaigns you’ve given them. You can also see who is logging into the portal and how often to accurately measure engagement.
2. The Partner Overview shows closed deals and open deals. You can see which users have completed training and how their portal activity ranks against your partner base.

These reports can be eye-opening to partners. They can help start a conversation around what has actually happened within the account, what worked, and what hasn’t. 

What comes next for quarterly business reviews?

When you’re planning your next QBR, review past metrics in the Partner Explorer. Take a look at how they’ve influenced your sales. From there, you can work with stakeholders to carve out mutually agreed-upon goals. You and decision-makers can decide on what has worked – or what needs to improve.

With the Success Plans feature in ZiftONE, agreed-upon goals can be put into play. You and your channel partner can improve progress within the account and set a focus for the next QBR discussion.

Success Plans offer real-time metrics for KPIs around training, marketing, and deal registration activities. Both you and your partner can see these and regularly review them. Additionally, your channel partner can see the Success Plan as well as their ongoing progress within a page in the portal. You can view the same data within Partner Explorer. 

As you monitor partner progress, start having conversations early. Early conversations prevent lack of action from becoming an issue. This ensures that your next QBR will be a positive experience for everyone who attends.

Don’t let your QBRs be derailed! Use Zift’s Partner Explorer dashboards and Success Plans to keep discussions on track.

 

---

The post How to Optimize Your QBRs for Stronger Partner-Vendor Collaboration appeared first on Zift Solutions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Zift Solutions

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

The post Zift Solutions’ Virtual Event Campaigns Integrate the Webinar Experience appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The post Zift Solutions Expands Global Offering to Include a New European Data Center appeared first on Zift Solutions.

“Joint partner success plans are an essential ingredient to maximizing long-term partner potential and success, but a majority of partners report that many vendors don’t prioritize this initiative,” Theresa Caragol, Founder and CEO of AchieveUnite, said. “Joint success plans present a great opportunity for vendors to engage and collaborate with their partners to drive Partner LifeTime Value® and accelerate revenue. The key differentiators between this approach and traditional planning are that this is an experience created for the benefit of both parties and will guide the relationship for the next 12-24 months.”

Vendors can kick these discussions off with their partners as part of regular conversations and planning. 

“This approach is not an 18-page spreadsheet to be filled out or a complex process that provides little value to the partner,” Caragol added. “This approach is a joint value-based planning exchange that brings together the best of both organizations to serve a set of clients/markets/solution areas. It requires the right executives from both companies, active participation, and strong execution. This execution can be in the form of QBRs or my new favorite term, MBRs – monthly business reviews – which are more critical in a Covid/Hybrid world than ever before.”

This ongoing transformation within the channel has increased pressures for channel leaders to get it right.

“For companies that sell through an indirect channel the expectation to drive accretive growth and capture the addressable market has significantly increased,” Christian Alvarez, SVP WW Channel Sales at Nutanix, said. “In order for manufacturers to reach their financial goals, they must partner even more effectively to better leverage their existing partnerships. Partner success planning is fundamental and a key foundation to setting mutual go-to-market objectives, goals, growth targets, and drive alignment on what ‘good’ looks like. Success planning should be a comprehensive 360° exercise encompassing all key stakeholders from channel marketing, sales engineers, and field sales leadership. An effective planning session should have very clear financial targets and goals that all parties have agreed to and measure quarterly to celebrate when goals are achieved and learn when goals are missed.” 

In addition to financial measurements, vendors can look at another factor that drives success: what steps their most successful partners have taken. From here, vendors can create a model for their other partners to follow. The goals listed in this model might include recruiting new accounts, distributing marketing campaigns, and achieving certifications and training. 

This approach can be beneficial to the long tail of your channel program as well. In channel programs, money, staff, and other resources are finite. It’s easy to focus what you do have on the channel partners generating 80-90% of revenue. In the meantime, your other partners are wondering what they need to do to level up, get attention from your team, and succeed over competitors. You can help these often overlooked partners by providing them with a plan. Annual business planning, enhanced with automation,  makes goals more clear, giving partners a sense of which hurdles to jump over. 

“Ultimately, business planning should be part of an overall discussion of both partner and supplier goals,” Heather Tenuto, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at Zift Solutions, added. “Vendors should come out of the discussion with the partners’ agreed upon goal, their plan to achieve it, and a list of what the supplier is going to do to enable it.”

Companies looking for guidance on how to improve their business planning efforts can contact AchieveUnite to learn more about value-based business planning. To see a demonstration of Zift’s robust Success Planning tool, contact us for a demo.

The post Driving Success Through Improved Business Planning appeared first on Zift Solutions.

The post Success Plans from Zift Solutions Empower Partners and Vendors for Mutual Success appeared first on Zift Solutions.