The IT channel is standing at the edge of a major transformation. Agentic AI - AI that can take actions, not just provide insights, is poised to fundamentally reshape how technology providers sell, support, and grow their customer base. In this episode, we sit down with Canalys’s channel analyst expert Jay McBain, to unpack what this shift really means for vendors, distributors, MSPs and solution providers. We'll explore how agentic AI could move the industry from reactive, manual revenue motions to fully automated growth engines - where sales teams focus on landing the deal, and AI takes over the rest: identifying expansion opportunities, increasing wallet share, triggering renewals, and orchestrating cross-sell/upsell motions without human intervention.

Key topics:

This is a must-listen episode for anyone in the IT channel looking to understand the next wave of automation and the disruptive potential for those who don’t adapt.

ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKER

Everyone loves to say they are “100% channel”- but is that strategy actually working, or are you just ticking a box?

In this episode, we take a hard look at why so many vendors who rely entirely on channel partners are still underwhelmed by their results. From missed upsell opportunities to poor renewal performance, the promise of scale through partners often falls short of reality.  

In this episode of ChannelTalks, Nick Verykios is joined by two industry experts for a compelling discussion on the real drivers of success in the IT channel.

The conversation explores the cost of acquiring a customer vs the cost of customer churn and why the channel must shift its focus from chasing new logos to maximizing customer lifetime value.

Our experts discuss and how partner lifetime value plays a pivotal role in sustainable growth and the importance of making it easy for partners to succeed - through better programs, simplified quoting, streamlined processes, and more direct communication with end customers. You’ll hear candid takes on what’s broken in today’s partner models, how outdated channel practices are holding businesses back, and why operational simplicity is the key to scale. If you’re navigating the complexities of channel strategy, partner enablement, or recurring revenue, this episode is full of insights that challenge the status quo and offer a modern approach to driving long-term value.

ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKER Alex Whitford - VP of Revenue - Channext

Alex Whitford is the VP of Revenue at Channext, helping businesses understand how to hit hyper scale through technology and channel strategy. With 8 years of building channels across Europe, Middle East and Africa, he has developed extensive relationships with key leaders and businesses who have taught him the key steps to building a killer channel that scales itself!

In this ChannelTalks interview with Thomas Mardahl and Matthew Ruskin from Rejoose, we explore the critical role of sustainability within the IT sales process, offering valuable insights and strategies for channel partners and IT sales professionals.

ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKERS

Thomas Winther Mardahl is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Rejoose ApS, a green-tech company established in 2017 that specializes in integrating carbon emission data into business transactions to enhance environmental transparency. Mardahl's work reflects a commitment to merging technology with sustainability, aiming to provide businesses with tools to accurately assess and reduce their carbon footprints. 

Beyond Rejoose, Mardahl holds directorial positions in other ventures, including TNT Invest ApS and E Optimo ApS. 

Matthew Ruskin - Chief Commerical Officer - Rejoose

Matthew Ruskin is a seasoned professional in the IT channel industry, currently serving as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Rejoose, a SaaS company specializing in carbon emissions data and reporting for the global IT market. 

"Platforms are the winners on Wall Street. How do you move from being a Channel Chief to a Platform (Ecosystem) Chief?” Jay McBain.

ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKERS

Michelle Ragusa-McBain is a highly visible thought leader in the global technology channel and serves as Global Chief at SonicWall. Entrepreneur Magazine named her as one of the top 4 people to inspire women to pursue a career in Tech and was recognized by SMB Magazine as one of the 150 most influential people in the global IT Business Community. Michelle was recognized as 2021 Leader for Advancing Women in Technology by CompTIA and serves as Florida Leader for Alliance of Channel Women and sat on the board of CRN Women of the Channel.

Jay McBain is a Chief Analyst at Canalys, leading channels research in North America, as well as being an integral part of the worldwide channels research and advisory team. Jay is one of the most visible and respected thought leaders in the global channel ecosystem. Prior to joining Canalys, Jay was a Principal Analyst at Forrester, covering channels and ecosystems. Jay has also held various executive roles with IBM, Lenovo and ChannelEyes over a 28-year career.

In this episode of ChannelTalks, we speak to Barry Schween - a pioneer in driving strategy, transformation and revenue acceleration within the tech industry. Our experts deep dive into the realm of revenue and sales operations, delivering examples of how revenue technology can make a positive impact on reducing organizational complexities and improving revenue performance for both vendors and their channel partners.

RevOps, SalesOps, RevTech and everything in between. This episode is a must-watch for every IT vendor wanting to become more profitable, efficient and channel-friendly. 

ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKER

Barry Schween is an accomplished senior business leader with experience spanning across channel strategy, planning, operations and more. He has a deep understanding of sales and operations strategies through the many positions he has held within leading tech companies, such as VMware, Cisco, Aruba Networks, [24]7.ai, Quantum, Splunk and PwC. 

As we close off another big year for the tech industry, our experts weigh in and reflect upon the state of the channel and lessons learned from 2023. How can these lessons help inform vendors, distributors, resellers and MSPs as they plan for 2024? Where is the industry heading and what changes do tech providers need to make in order to future proof their business?

We speak to Canalys Channels Chief Analyst, Jay McBain and iasset's Scott Frew on a range of topics, including:

3:00 - The state of the channel and tech industry.

5:30 - With channel-led revenue on the rise, how can partners keep up with their growing installed base?

10:00 - The generational shift amongst decision makers and how that will influence things from an operational perspective.

12:00 - Understanding buyer behaviours and the growing importance of integrations.

16:00 - Canalys Channel Ecosystem explained.

20:10 - How to "democratise" the channel ecosystem with iasset's Channel Gateway API.

24:15 - The growing trend for Marketplaces and what that means for traditional MSPs.

26:15 - Channel margins, the new era of transparent, frictionless sales processes and changing B2B customer/buyer expectations and behaviour.

38:30 - Importance of maintaining up-to-date sales data and adopting the RevOps model.

41:45 - Customer lifetime value extension and creating customers for life.

49:00 - Channel Heads and their take on RevOps and SalesOps maturity within their business.

54:30 Reflections on 2023 predictions and forecasting what to expect in 2024.

ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKER----------------------------------------

Jay McBain is a Chief Analyst at Canalys, leading channels research in North America, as well as being an integral part of the worldwide channels research and advisory team. Jay is one of the most visible and respected thought leaders in the global channel ecosystem. Prior to Canalys, Jay was a Principal Analyst at Forrester, covering channels and ecosystems. During his tenure at Forrester, Jay developed his reputation as an industry thought leader and was named 2021 Channel Influencer of the Year by Channel Partners Magazine. Jay has also held various executive channel sales, marketing and strategy roles with IBM, Lenovo and ChannelEyes over a 28-year career.

In Part 2 of our interview with Wendi Sturgis, CEO of cleverbridge, our experts discuss how to tackle customer churn, especially during challenging times. They deep dive into the importance of automation within renewal and revenue processes and how implementation doesn’t need to be as complex as you might think. 

ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKER

Wendi Sturgis has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Cleverbridge, a customer success and process automation company since 2021. She has over twenty-five years of experience as a technology and marketing leader at some of the world’s largest tech companies. Prior to Cleverbridge, Ms. Sturgis was a founding executive at Yext (NYSE: Yext) where she worked from 2011 to 2019, serving in multiple roles, including SVP of Sales and Services, Chief Customer Officer, and most recently, CEO of Yext Europe. She has previously held executive positions at Oracle, Gartner, Right Media, and Yahoo!, where she was Vice President of Account Management for North America in charge of the North American Search business. She is currently an independent director for The Container Store and Sabre Corporation. She has served on multiple boards including Dailyworth.com, Kustomer (acquired by Facebook) Student Transportation of America (Nasdag: STA), Step Up Women’s Network, and Chair of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board. Ms. Sturgis currently serves as a trustee for the Georgia Tech Foundation.

In this episode of ChannelTalks, we speak to cleverbridge CEO, Wendi Sturgis about the importance of quote-to-cash and renewal automation.   The first instalment of a two part series, our experts offer real-world examples and practical advice from the field on how to streamline and expedite your sales processes. They cover the entire customer lifecycle, from what to do once you land a new deal, right through to renewals and asset retirement.

• Who owns the renewal? 7:50

ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKER

Wendi Sturgis has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Cleverbridge, a customer success and process automation company since 2021. She has over twenty-five years of experience as a technology and marketing leader at some of the world’s largest tech companies. Prior to Cleverbridge, Ms. Sturgis was a founding executive at Yext (NYSE: Yext) where she worked from 2011 to 2019, serving in multiple roles, including SVP of Sales and Services, Chief Customer Officer, and most recently, CEO of Yext Europe. She has previously held executive positions at Oracle, Gartner, Right Media, and Yahoo!, where she was Vice President of Account Management for North America in charge of the North American Search business. She is currently an independent director for The Container Store and Sabre Corporation. She has served on multiple boards including Dailyworth.com, Kustomer (acquired by Facebook) Student Transportation of America (Nasdag: STA), Step Up Women’s Network, and Chair of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board. Ms. Sturgis currently serves as a trustee for the Georgia Tech Foundation.

Committing to longer term customer lifecycles that enable sustainable growth and profitability has never been more paramount. But in a channel environment, this is not always straightforward and requires a commitment to customer success from the vendor right through to partners.

Whilst many vendors are adapting their partner programs to include customer success enablement, there are still countless partners lacking the data, support and resources required for effective, scalable execution. This in turn has led to partners taking control and building their own customer success frameworks.

No matter which end of this spectrum your business sits, this ChannelTalks episode is guaranteed to provide countless, valuable take-aways, including:

• A blueprint to starting a partner success program.

About our guest speaker:

Irit Eizips, Chief Customer Officer & CEO at CSM Practice, is a world-renowned expert in customer retention and upsell strategies. She has been nominated Top Customer Success strategists and influencer year after year since 2013 for her contributions in shaping CS methodologies.