Ecosystem Aces

We call it social distancing, but that’s a misnomer. It should be physical distancing. 
  
In reality, we’re using every digital tool available to make sure the social world keeps going strong. 
  
And these same tools are poised to shape the future of alliance ecosystems.  
  
Though he’s recently moved into a new role, my guest today, Vinodh Raghunathan, PhD, spent over 3 years as Director of Global Strategic Partners Operations at Intel, where he successfully oversaw a sprawling alliance program with a rich diversity of partners.  
  
He came on the podcast today to explain how to track success within such a complex ecosystem and share how the current crisis is shining a light on the future of alliance programs. 
  
To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by: 
  
- Email: [email protected] 
  
- Twitter: @chiprodgers 
  
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers

The best alliances rest on a foundation of successful alignment, but building it can be difficult if you spread yourself too thin. 
  
So, freeing up resources by concentrating on fewer, higher-impact partnerships can be a rewarding strategy.  
  
And having a framework for the full lifecycle of customer engagement keeps you on track, aligned, and able to scale. 
  
My guest today is Preseetha Pettigrew, Global VP Strategic Alliances at Seismic, where she has done tremendous work incorporating these elements into an incredibly successful alliance program. 
  
Preseetha explains exactly how she was able to do more with less in Seismic’s alliance program and drive the company’s incredible international growth. 
  
She goes over: 
- How to get the ingredients right in a partnership before scaling 
- Why it pays to keep an eye on partner engagement every step of the way 
- How to balance solid structures with the need for flexibility 
  
To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by: 
- Email: [email protected] 
- Twitter: @chiprodgers 
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers

Over the years, managing alliances has evolved.  
  
But many of the key insights from older models sill bear fruit when it comes to today’s cloud-based alliance programs.  
  
Our guest today, Christine Puccio, VP of Global Cloud Alliances at F5 Networks, has had tremendous success in her 20+ years of experience managing partner programs.  
  
And Christine shares some of her most valuable insights with us on our latest episode.  
  
Christine covers: 
- How her experiences gave her a de facto MBA in working with alliance partners 
- How public APIs are making delivering joint solutions simpler 
- Why aligning your own roadmap to your partners’ rewards everyone 
  
To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by: 
- Email: [email protected] 
- Twitter: @chiprodgers 
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers

It’s no secret successful partner delivery is a vital part of any thriving ecosystem. 
  
So, it’s imperative to make sure your partners are trained and capable to deliver quality total solutions to your joint customers. 
  
And when your company derives 90% of your business from partners, partner delivery is your lifeblood.  
  
Our guest today is Winnie Zeliger, Partner Delivery Executive at Cisco, where the 90% figure holds true. So, of course, Cisco is absolutely devoted to partner success and has established multiple partner-facing teams. 
  
There are teams dedicated to supporting partners with selling, but Winnie and her team are entirely dedicated to serving partners on the delivery side of the equation. 
  
And they’ve seen outstanding results.  
  
In this episode, Winnie shares: 
- Why success is built upon the success of your partners 
- Why partner delivery deserves your full attention 
- Why listening to, and encouraging, partner feedback is the key to winning partner programs 
  
To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by: 
- Email: [email protected] 
- Twitter: @chiprodgers 
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers

How should you approach building a partner advantage program from scratch?   Should you focus on the leveling — your Gold, Silver or Bronze designations? And who should the program center on?   Well, if you want to succeed like Google, you need to marry a partner-focused and a customer-focused approach and highlight capabilities.   That’s how our guest today, Nina Harding, Chief of Global Partner Strategy and Programs at Google, tackled building Google’s Partner Advantage program from the ground up.    In this episode, Nina goes over: - The challenges and rewards to building Google’s Partner Advantage program from scratch - Why a customer-focused approach is so beneficial - Why partner capabilities matter more than levels To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by: - Email: [email protected] - Twitter: @chiprodgers - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers

Rapid growth is the epitome of the saying “it’s a good problem to have.”   Still, this doesn’t discount the very real challenges breakneck scaling involves.   And as the market landscape gets ever more dominated by SaaS companies experiencing explosive growth, it’s important we learn from their experiences.   That’s why we sat down with Katie Ecklund, Director of SI alliances at Snowflake, to see what her experiences can teach us about how to handle the challenges of the good problem everyone wants to have.   Over the last 3 years, Katie has brought her experience working at major organizations like IBM and even the US Army with her as she has overseen Snowflake’s ecosystem grow at remarkable speed.   Katie went over: - The importance of automation when scaling rapidly - How SaaS has impacted traditional resellers - How engaging with the community keeps everything running smoothly To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by: - Email: [email protected] - Twitter: @chiprodgers - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers

In many of the conversations we have about alliance partnerships, a few key things crop up.    Any healthy alliance program relies on aligning your needs with the needs of partners, enabling their success and making sure you can quantify your shared success.    Olav Schluter, Director of Global Services Channel Programs at Dell, has orchestrated these key building blocks into a symphony of ecosystem success.   He came on the show today to share how Dell achieved this and I think we can all learn from his achievements.    Olav covered: - What Dell’s Services Program is - How they tackled alignment and avoided competitive friction - How Dell enables its alliances - How metrics can be used to differentiate and provide transparency to the consumer   To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by:   - Email: [email protected]   - Twitter: @chiprodgers   - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers

Modern software ecosystems have changed.   Ecosystems are no longer valued for the sheer quantity of solutions they offer — they are valued for, well, the actual value their solutions provide.   More doesn’t mean better; better means better.   It’s a key insight from our guest today, Tom Roberts, Senior Vice President at the Global Partner Organization over at SAP. Tom has had incredible success at SAP, delivering more than $1B in revenue overseeing the Solution Extension program as it grows 89% year-over-year.   There are a lot of great takeaways from Tom’s success and experience and he shares many of them with me today.   - How to get your ecosystem management “just right”   - Why today’s software ecosystem preference quality over quantity   - Great advice for anyone looking to replicate his success   To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by:   Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @chiprodgers   LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers

When discussing ecosystems, often the conversation revolves around what your alliances can do for you.   Yet, the conversation is incomplete without discussing your responsibility in the ecosystem. If you want a thriving ecosystem, you need to ask yourself: How am I adding value to my alliances?   Today’s guest Jenni Flinders, VP and Channel Chief at VMWare, says a great way to add value is to analyze how you can help your alliances differentiate.   We covered a lot of ground today, including:   - Why you should target alliance differentiation   - Why simple questions provide powerful solutions   - How enablement holds an ecosystem together   To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by:   Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @chiprodgers   LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers

As in life, the only constant in managing ecosystems is change.   A company’s needs change as it grows and matures. Market patterns shift and evolve.   A successful ecosystem is one that adapts in the face of rapid change. And while adaptation can mean different things to different organizations, it’s something every ecosystem will reckon with at some point.   Holly Whalen is director of the Global Strategic Partner Program at UIPath, which has experienced a period of tremendous growth in the past few years.    Holly joined us on the #EcosystemAces Podcast and shared insights learned from her experience managing an alliance ecosystem through this growth in a constantly shifting market landscape.    She went over:   - Why in alliance ecosystems, sometimes less is more   - How adaptation is easier with the right alignment   - Why managing ecosystems demands a wide range of talents