Bold Journeys Podcast

By Rob SpeeReligion & Spirituality Education Self-Improvement Religion

Bold Journeys Podcast episodes

October 27, 2021 Daniel Graff-Radford: The Digital Body Language of Successful Partners – CJ76
Daniel Graff-Radford, CEO of the global PRM company Allbound, discusses their study of partner portal engagement and key indicators of successful partners.
37 min
October 13, 2021Rob Spee: Sailing the Bermuda High in a Covid Low
This is the story of my sailing adventure in the summer of 2021 from Bermuda to New York. I’m out on the high seas once again with my sailing hero, Tania Abei, the author of Maiden Voyage, and 4 other crew I’ve never met before. We’ve got 800 miles of open ocean and a Berudua High to cross, giving us plenty of time to get to know each other. My trip is filled with drama and uncertainty, and that’s before I even get to the boat!
HIGHLIGHTS

Avocation – our Swan 48 for the week
Approaching the Town Cut – only 3300 miles to Morocco!
Sunset in the Bermuda High
Loving life!
LINKS & RESOURCES
Find Rob on LinkedIn and Twitter
Listen to A Sailing Journey Through Covid
Read more about Tania Abei and get a copy of Maiden Voyage
Learn more about Offshore Passage Opportunities
The post Rob Spee: Sailing the Bermuda High in a Covid Low first appeared on Channel Journeys.
28 min
October 10, 2021 Rob Spee: Sailing the Bermuda High in a Covid Low – CJ75
Rob Spee, RVP Channel Sales at OutSystems and host of the Channel Journeys podcast, shares his story of sailing 800 miles from Bermuda to New York. Just getting to Bermuda is an adventure in itself.
28 min
August 11, 2021Lana King: How to Drive Cloud Adoption in the Channel
We’ve all heard how the global pandemic has accelerated cloud adoption. Analysts report that 90% of enterprises with over 1000 employees and 50% of government agencies use the cloud. But why are some partners and customers still hesitant to make the shift?
In this episode, I’m speaking with Lana King, VP of Partner Programs, Training and Enablement at Mitel. Lana shares why some organizations are still relectant to embrace the cloud. Learn how Mitel is helping partners and their customers adopt the cloud business model through their unique partner managed program that allows partners to retain control of their customers while meeting Mitel’s business goals.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here are the top things I learned from Lana about setting up a program to drive cloud adoption – many of these apply to achieving any objective through the channel.
Leverage partner feedback, either one on one or through partner advisory councils, to hear partner concerns and learn what they need to succeed.
Many partners still have a big fear of losing their relationship with the customer if deals are done directly. But as Mitel learned, it’s not just about who’s paper the deal actually goes on.
Partners want to be the trusted adviser for their customer and to continue to extend their value added services to the customers as they have for years. Don’t set up a partner model that pushes them out of that role.
Customers can purchase SaaS on the vendors paper while still allowing the partner to take on the responsibility of deal negotiation, onboarding, activation, post sales support, and contract renewals – the entire customer lifecycle.
Make sure you are providing partners with all the support they need to be successful in what you are asking them to do. In this case, Mitel provides quote assistance, sales and technical enablement, and VIP partner support to make sure that their customers are satisfied.
Hold regular cohort sessions to get feedback from partners who are all at the same stage in their onboarding journey.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Find Lana on LinkedIn
Learn more about the MiCloud Connect Partner Managed program
Check out the special offer for 2 free months of Magentrix
The post Lana King: How to Drive Cloud Adoption in the Channel first appeared on Channel Journeys.
38 min
August 10, 2021 Lana King: How to Drive Cloud Adoption in the Channel – CJ74
Why are some partners and customers hesitant to make the shift to cloud? Find out, and learn how Lana King, VP of Partner Programs, Training and Enablement at Mitel, is helping partners and their customers adopt the cloud business model through their MiCloud Connect Partner Managed program.
38 min
July 21, 2021Balaji Subramanian: What Partners Want More Than Discounts and Rebates
What do partners want more than discounts and rebates? That’s the question I posed to Balaji Subramanian, SVP and Global Channel Chief at Igel. Before this interview, I didn’t know much about this successful edge computing company. They have a very interesting channel story of transformation.
Igel launched 21 years ago as a hardware company with a 100% channel, traditional 2-tier model with distributors and VARs. As they transitioned to being being a software company, they added System Integrators and MSPs to their partner ecosystem. And now they are moving to the SaaS subscription model.
Balaji stepped in as Igel’s channel chief one year ago and is modernizing their partner program to align with their new go to market model. One of the areas he’s focused on are partner incentives. Taking advice from his Partner Advisory Council, he’s replacing traditional back-end rebates with bespoke investments to help his partners drive more land, adopt, and expand motions in their customers’ journey.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here are the top 5 things I learned from Balaji about partner incetives:
Don’t operate in a vacuum. Get out an talk to your partners to find out what they need to grow your SaaS business. It may not be what you think.
One size doesn’t fit all. Uniform rebate programs will only motivate some of your partners, and may not drive any change in behaviour.
Be flexibile in how you invest in each of your partners. Develop a bespoke investment capability based on each partner’s business plan.
Examples of bespoke investments include paying for your partner to hire a business development rep or build a demo lab for your solution.
Ask the right questions in your deal registration to learn more about the partner’s role in the deal and be more intelligent about how to support the partner.
Build dashboards to track partner peformance and to hold your own company accountable for supporting your partners.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Find Balaji on LinkedIn
Learn more about Igel’s Velocity Partner Program
Check out the special offer for 2 free months of Magentrix
The post Balaji Subramanian: What Partners Want More Than Discounts and Rebates first appeared on Channel Journeys.
39 min
July 21, 2021 Balaji Subramanian: What SaaS Partners Want More Than Rebates – CJ73
Learn why Balaji Subramanian, SVP, Global Channel Chief at Igel, is replacing traditional back-end rebates with bespoke investments as they transition to the SaaS model.
39 min
June 16, 2021Chris Westfall: How to Build a Referral Program that Works
There’s a wide range of partners and influencers who can help you find and win new customers. The trick is finding what motivates them to recommend your solution. Learn how Chris Westfall, VP Channels and Alliances at Paylocity, built a partner referral program with creative non-cash rewards to drive partner sourced business.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here are the top 5 things I learned from Chris about how Paylocity built an effective referral program that meets the top needs of their partners:
Survey your partners to find out what they like and don’t like about your referral program, and what you could do better to help partners grow their business.
Create a program that is super easy to join, with no requirements and a simple one page contract.
Instead of simple cash rebates, get creative and provide what partners say they need to grow their business. That could be marketing funds and programs for the partner, rewards for individuals in the partner organization, and better pricing and special offers to their customers.
Provide a dedicated tech support team for your referral partners to answer questions, problem solve, handle escalations, and make sure that their client is having a really great experience.
Support your referral partners with a team of partner managers who act like a traditional channel team; doing business planning, enablement, etc.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Find Chris on LinkedIn
Dave Taylor: How To Build A Shadow Channel Program
Check out the special offer for 2 free months of Magentrix
The post Chris Westfall: How to Build a Referral Program that Works first appeared on Channel Journeys.
44 min
June 15, 2021 Chris Westfall: How to Build a Referral Program that Works – CJ72
There's a wide range of partners and influencers who can help you find and win new customers. Learn how Chris Westfall, VP Channels and Alliances at Paylocity, built a partner referral program with creative non-cash rewards to drive partner sourced business.
44 min
June 02, 2021Paul Bird: 3 Tips for Finding the Right Channel Partners
What percentage of your channel partners are achiveing their sales targets? Recruiting partners who are non-productive or a bad fit with your company is a costly waste of time. Paul Bird, Salesforce enthusiast and portal wizard at Magentrix, comes back for another Channel Journeys interview to share how you can find the right channel partners to grow your business.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Here are 3 tips to finding the right channel partners:
Finding the right partners stars with having a solid, well defined channel strategy. That’s first and foremost. Like the old adage, if you fail to plan you plan to fail. As part of your channel strategy, you also need to define the ideal partner profile. What capabilities, skills, experience, financial strength, and even mindset do you need?
Look for the people that you want to do business with, from an end user perspective, then go back and look at all the other companies that sell to that same buyer, and see what partners they’re working with.
When you’re interviewing potential partners who fit your ideal profile, ask what are you trying to accomplish? How can I help you grow your business? And what are you prepared to do, what resources are you prepared to dedicate to be successful? Consider using a term sheet that you agree to before signing a partner agreement.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Find Paul on LinkedIn and Twitter
Paul Bird: Stop Making These 3 Channel Management Mistakes
Learn more about Magentrix
Check out the special offer for 2 free months of Magentrix
The post Paul Bird: 3 Tips for Finding the Right Channel Partners first appeared on Channel Journeys.
40 min