Bold Journeys Podcast

This is a great time of year to evaluate your partner program and see if it’s serving the needs of your partner community. But what can you do better when you have a broad and diverse product portfolio? And how can you build a program to support the diverse partner ecosystem needed by your customers? Find out in this conversation with Mike Day, VP Global Partner Sales at GoTo. Mike shares his approach to build a partner program that scales for both a diverse range of products and partners. 

Here’s what I learned from Mike about building a diverse partner ecosystem partner program:  

After hearing author and thought leader, Tiffani Bova, speak at a recent Ingram ONE event, I decided to repost this interview I did with Tiffani soon after the launch of her first book, Growth IQ. Driving consistent channel growth in this era of digital transformation requires new ways of thinking. We discuss 5 paths to channel growth, applying the strategies from her bestselling book . You’ll learn that the path to growth is never about doing just one thing. Successful companies execute a combination of Growth IQ paths in a well thought out sequence.

These 5 channel growth paths can be used in combination very effectively. Just make sure you apply them in a logical sequence.  

The question is not whether you should have partners. The question today is, what kind of partner do you need? Do you need an ISV partner? Do you need a resale partner? Do you need an integration partner? Do you need a referral partner? You may need all of these types. As business models evolve, we have to continue looking at new partner models.

Many vendors have a protectionist, shortsighted view that prevents them from partnering with companies perceived as competitors. Zero-sum game thinking prevents companies from achieving faster growth. You have to believe that 1 + 1 = 3. And you have to take the customer’s perspective. Figure out what and who it takes to provide the end-to-end solution that gives your customers the business outcome they are seeking. 

Market acceleration is about expanding into new markets with existing products. Leveraging local sales and delivery partners is an excellent way to open new markets without the heavy investment of doing everything yourself. But first you have to make sure you have everything in place to support those partners. Do you have your website and documentation translated? Can you provide product support? Do you have partner enablement resources?

Product expansion is about selling new products into existing markets. Leveraging partners to build new offerings on top of your product or platform allow you and your partners to both focus on what you do best. Salesforce does a great job of this with their app exchange program.  

Streamlining your sales efforts to increase productivity can be even more effective than adding more sales resources. In the channel, look for ways to automate the administrative tasks that can consume over 60% of your channel manager’s time. 

I’ve been placing a bet on distribution. How about you? What role are distributors playing in your partner ecosystem strategy? Is it the right bet? Find out in this episode with Frank Vitagliano, CEO of Global Technology Distribution Council. Frank shares the results of their recent report titled The Innovation Enablement Guide, based on research with IT distributors and suppliers. Learn all the ways distributors can drive growth and accelerate innovation by bringing emerging technologies to market.

Here’s what I learned from Frank about the GTDC and their distribution research:

What is your CRO really looking to accomplish with your partners? Gaining alignment with your executive leadership team, especially your Chief Revenue Officer, is critical to the success of your partner strategy. In  this episode, Brent Thurrell, CRO at BeyondTrust, shares why the partner ecosystem is a vital element of his go-to-market strategy to drive growth. Brent explains how sales reps can leverage the partner ecosystem and the new role for partner managers.

Here’s what I learned about Brent’s perspective on driving growth with a partner ecosystem:

There’s a lot of buzz around ecosystems and the next era of partnering. Is it just a fad driven by the tough economy? Dave Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer at Impartner, explains why this next era is here to stay. Find out how you can weave partnering into your go to market strategy and improve the overall business health of your company. 

Here’s what I learned from Dave on this next era of partnering: