Bold Journeys Podcast

By Rob SpeeReligion & Spirituality Education Self-Improvement Religion

Bold Journeys Podcast episodes

June 05, 2024 141 Transforming your Channel for SaaS with Lisa Citron - CJ141
Lisa Citron, VP Global Partner Ecosystems at F5 Networks, shares how she is modernizing their channel strategy for success as F5 transitions to the SaaS model.
45 min
May 22, 2024Breaking the Discount Cycle: Colin Puckett’s Playbook for Partner Success
Are you aware of the impact customer discounts are having on your partner ecosystem? Are you wondering how to break the never-ending cycle of discounting and find a better way to drive growth? In this episode, Colin Puckett, SVP of Global Channel and Field Operations at Appfire, talks about their groundbreaking approach to sales discounts. Colin shares insights into Appfire’s non-negotiable, no discount strategy that has transformed their channel sales.
You’ll hear why traditional discounting practices can erode trust and impede scalable growth. And how Appfire’s focus on quality products, ecosystem citizenship, and strategic partner enablement has fueled their successful growth without relying on discounts. This episode offers valuable lessons for channel professionals looking to navigate the complexities of the modern sales landscape while fostering sustainable growth and stronger partner ecosystems.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here’s what I learned from Colin about the benefits of their no-discounts strategy:
Sales reps offering customer discounts can erode the value of partner programs and diminish trust within your partner ecosystem.
Colin’s success in implementing a strategy of no customer discounts at Appfire transformed channel sales and enhanced value creation in the ecosystem.
Maintaining a fair and transparent pricing strategy across all partners allows you to avoid negotiation-based business wins and focus on the value of services provided.
Appfire’s no discount policy encourages partners to focus on providing added value rather than competing on price, fostering a healthier, more sustainable partner ecosystem.
Transparent pricing aligns with modern consumer expectations and its critical in ensuring global consistency for multinational customers.
Forgoing a traditional sales team in favor of investing in partner relationships supports profitable growth without direct sales expenses.
Building strong, trust-based relationships with partners over time brings you long-term benefits over short-term transactional gains.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Connect with Colin on LinkedIn
Listen to Frank Rauch on Driving Growth & Profitability with a 100% Channel Strategy
Try Impartner Partner Management
The post Breaking the Discount Cycle: Colin Puckett’s Playbook for Partner Success first appeared on Channel Journeys.
43 min
May 20, 2024 Breaking the Discount Cycle: Colin Puckett's Playbook for Partner Success – CJ140
Colin Puckett, SVP Global Channel & Field Operations at Appfire, shares how vendors can reinvent channel sales with a no-discount sales strategy.
43 min
May 08, 20245 Steps to Unleashing the Power of Ecosystem Marketing with Rick van den Bosch
Looking to amplify your partner marketing strategies? This episode of Channel Journeys features Rick van den Bosch, founder and CEO of the Channext partner marketing platform and co-host of the Partnerships Unraveled podcast. You’ll learn 5 steps you can take to unleash to power of ecosystem-centric partner marketing. And proving that startup CEOs do not shy away from a challenge, Rick shares a personal challenge he undertook: training for the Amsterdam Marathon with his team.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here are 5 things you can do to unleash the power of ecosystem marketing:
Gather data on your partners to segment them based on their business model, which of your alliance partners they represent, and the markets they are serving.
Merge your alliance marketing with channel marketing to leverage a larger budget and create a joint value story that is more interesting for your partners and your customers.
Look at the overlap between your alliance partner’s partners and your channel partners and run alliance campaigns with those overlapping channel partners.
Recruit more of your alliance partners’ partners using a Nearbound strategy for introductions and your alliance campaign to generate interest.
Leverage your alliance partnerships and automation to create and execute campaigns with your overlapping partners who are targeting the SMB market. Apply an Opt-Out rather than an Opt-In strategy.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Connect with Rick on LinkedIn
Listen to Tricia Atchison: How to Build an Award Winning Channel Marketing Program
Check out Rick’s podcast Partnerships Unraveled
Try Impartner Partner Management
The post 5 Steps to Unleashing the Power of Ecosystem Marketing with Rick van den Bosch first appeared on Channel Journeys.
42 min
May 08, 2024 5 Ways to Unleash the Power of Ecosystem Marketing with Rick van den Bosch - CJ139
Rick van den Bosch, CEO of Channext and host of the Partnerships Unraveled podcast, shares how vendors can unleash the power of ecosystem partner marketing.
42 min
April 24, 2024Building Partnerships that Drive Customer Value with Barrett King
Is your channel business loosing steam? Classic channel programs and partnering strategies were meant to serve one purpose. Drive more revenue. The world has changed. Focusing solely on more revenue for your company doesn’t fly with your partners or your customers. In this episode, I explore the art and science of building partnerships that drive enhanced customer value that in turn drives growth.
Joining me is Barrett King, Sr. Director of Revenue at New Breed and host of the Outcomes podcast. Barrett worked at a partnering powerhouse, HubSpot, for 8 1/2 years before taking a leap to join their top partner. Barrett knows all about successful partnering. You’ll learn key success factors including the importance of collaboration, active listening to customers, and prioritizing meaningful relationships over traditional sales tactics in today’s evolving market landscape.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here are some of the things I learned from Barrett about building partnerships that drive customer value:
Partnering is ultimately about the value triangle, you plus another organization, combined to deliver more value for your customer. If you keep the customer at the nucleus of everything that you do, then your go to market should always be about making their experience, their value, their outcome better.
It’s easy to say things like ecosystem or community as a word. It’s harder to build them into your go to market, into your business at an organizational level. The companies and people that have done a good job are the ones that listened really well in the beginning.
No one actually owns the customer the way that they think they do. When you think about ecosystem, it’s about the shared value. It’s about blend. Blend in terms of the fact that it’s going to be give and get and someone may do more and someone may do less. But at the end of the day, if we keep it about the customer, then we all win.
If you look at the best ecosystems, the best programs right now, are the ones that recognize that we need to do more than just call up our business and say, what are you going to sell this month? What are you going to service this month? If we actually work with them and to go to market through better marketing, better selling, through servicing, then we all win because again, the customers, are at the nucleus of everything we do.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Connect with Barret on LinkedIn
Hear Tiffani Bova on 5 Paths to Consistent Channel Growth
Check out Barrett’s podcast Outcomes: Where Partnerships and SaaS Meet
Try Impartner Partner Management
The post Building Partnerships that Drive Customer Value with Barrett King first appeared on Channel Journeys.
44 min
April 19, 2024 Building Partnerships that Drive Customer Value with Barrett King – CJ138
Barrett King, Sr. Director of Revenue at New Breed and host of the Outcomes podcast, dissects the mechanics behind successful SaaS ecosystems that amplify the value for your partners and customers.
44 min
April 10, 2024Your Blueprint for Successful Channel Transformation with Sam Valme
Wondering how you can transform your company to drive more business through the channel and greater partner engagement across your organization? In this episode, Sam Valme, Sr. Director US Channels at Ave Point, shares how they are ramping up sales through Resellers, Integrators and MSPs. Sam unveils the pivotal moments and strategies behind AvePoint’s thriving channel ecosystem, emphasizing the crucial role of product development, enablement, and agile marketing.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here’s what I learned Sam did at AvePoint to drive channel transformation:
After AvePoint went public, Sam gained the support of the AvePoint founders to invest in the R&D required to go after the SMB space aggressively through the channel.
AvePoint shifted how they do product development to provide a better solution for MSPs, including providing a single pain of glass to see all their customers and manage customers’ licenses within a matter of months.
As Global Program Manager, Sam had monthly calls with every region around the world to get their feedback and earn trust as he was building the partner program.
Sam standardized the program with consistent discounts around the world. The requirements for the different program tiers was adjusted to meet market conditions in different regions.
One of the biggest things they had to establish was comp neutrality to get sellers, who are coin operated, to engage the channel. It took the support of the Executive Leadership Team to get this in place.
Rules of engagement are critical for handling the exceptions that will come up.
Make sure you have executive alignment on the metrics you’ll be using to measure success for the year, and stick to those metrics throughout the year.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Connect with Sam on LinkedIn
Hear how Dark Cubed transitioned to a 100% SaaS channel model
Try Impartner Partner Management
The post Your Blueprint for Successful Channel Transformation with Sam Valme first appeared on Channel Journeys.
43 min
April 08, 2024 Blueprint for Successful Channel Transformation with Sam Valme – CJ137
Sam Valme, Sr. Director US Channels at Ave Point, shares their journey from selling direct to 50% of their business going through Resellers, Integrators and MSPs.
43 min
March 27, 2024Rob Spee: 5 Levers for Partner Sourced Business
One thing I hear almost every day is “how can we get our partners to bring us more business?” The shift to the SaaS model and a partner ecosystem approach is designed to add more partner value throughout the buyer journey. More influence, more customer success, more account expansion. The good news is that when done right, the ecosystem can also bring you more partner sourced business. In this episode, I share five partnering levers you can use to drive more partner originated business.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here are levers you can pull to drive more partner sourced business:
Shift your low margin, low value-add passthrough business to higher margin, higher value-add co-selling.
Drive as much implementation and adoption services to your delivery partners as they can handle.
Engage your Global System Integrators in co-selling and high-value services work.
Include your Technology Alliance Partners in your go-to-market activities for the better together story.
Run more business through the hyperscaler marketplaces and co-sell with their sales reps on every deal.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Connect with Rob on LinkedIn
Learn How to Amplify Customer Experience with Nancy and Norma
Try Impartner
The post Rob Spee: 5 Levers for Partner Sourced Business first appeared on Channel Journeys.
11 min