Partner Path

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

One solution provider shares actions to take (or avoid) in your partner relationship. We’ve been beating the drum about the importance of partner experience for a while now (if this is the first you’re hearing of it, grab a cup of coffee and start here ). Every step along the partner journey is critical. The experience must be good to attract new partners.

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Partner Path

OCTOBER 18, 2023

Follow 5 principles for a PRM that improves partner experience The new generation of partners are digital-first. They want to self-serve partnership information online – not pick up a phone and make a call (do phones still do that?) to then be emailed a fuzzy scanned PDF (which is probably out of date). From onboarding and enablement processes to opportunity registration and marketing, all partner information should be easily accessed from your partner portal/PRM (Partner Relationship Management

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Partner Path

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Provide a better partner experience by showing some TLC to your PRM system. You would be shocked to know the variety of partner portal and PRM systems I’ve worked on, but one thing remains the same: the need for organization. There are many components to a PRM system: the back end, the front-end, the bi-directional sync to multiple other systems. On top of that, there are different individuals, business units and management levels that must come together to ensure a well-updated, easy-to-use, on

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Partner Path

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

3 Steps to help partners expand your marketing reach. In our last annual webinar discussion between Diane Krakora and Jay McBain , Diane quoted desperate vendors as saying: “We don't care about a partner program; we just need them to generate leads. We don't care about customer success; we just need them to generate leads.” That’s short-sighted. Partners need a good partner program and a path to success with your products/services before they’re just going to hand over a giant bag of leads.

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Partner Path

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

Three takeaways from my discussion with a solution provider. Webinars are not just a great chance for us to provide our audience with great content, but they can be a chance for me to catch up with channel friends. Recently, I had an insightful conversation with Dominic Grillo , President of Atrion Communications (now part of Aurora ) about how his organization decides to bring on a new vendor and the rough patches of getting started.

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Partner Path

JULY 26, 2023

Get busy crafting compelling answers to these partner questions. By now you all know I love data. I love that facts and figures give us insights and trends to change what we’re doing to be better. But you might not know I’m also a math and science geek. An original STEM girl. And that’s why when Anu Bulusu , my guest on April’s webinar, combined data and math and the importance of the partner experience, I knew I found a kindred spirit.

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Partner Path

JULY 6, 2023

A points-based partner program is daunting but the benefits are worth it. If you are looking to engage a wide variety of partner types (consultants, agencies, systems integrators, software vendors, cloud solution providers, managed service providers), consider shifting from a legacy levels-based program (silver, gold, platinum) to a partner program that recognizes and rewards partners for their activities throughout the customer success lifecycle.

System integrators 130

System integrators 130

Partner Path

JUNE 14, 2023

Collect the right data to identify the best PRM for your partnering goals Does working for a high-tech company make you uniquely positioned to pick the perfect technology to support your channel strategy? Not really. The partner relationship management space is so busy, choosing between the overwhelming number of options can be daunting.

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High tech Channel strategies 130

Partner Path

APRIL 14, 2023

The what, when, why and how of rewarding partners at the point of influence In our latest channel chief roundtable, we asked leading technology channel executives what was keeping them up at night. Amongst their answers of: ‘doing more with less,’ ‘marketplaces,’ ‘the big lay-off’ and the ‘slow but steady demise of the “tech alliance,”’ a big topic was the challenge of rewarding partners based on the influence they have on customers and where along the customer lifecycle that influence and value

Channels and alliances 130

Channels and alliances 130

Partner Path

MARCH 23, 2023

No longer a trend, partner ecosystems are the new reality. Maybe I’m jaded because I’ve been writing about partner ecosystems for so many years. In fact, we’ve mentioned it as a “forward-looking trend” for the last five years in our end-of-year channel predictions webinar. It’s not forward-looking anymore. In fact, we're in year two or year three of the new reality where the people, programs and systems are in place to engage and support large partner ecosystems.

Ecosystems 130

Ecosystems 130

Partner Path

MARCH 1, 2023

What’s happening in partnering and what you should do about it. My tradition of watching the annual channel predictions chat between Diane Krakora and Jay McBain with a large mug of glühwein didn’t change when I joined PartnerPath as our EMEA principal. What has changed is the depth of the notes I write. I used to scribble down some key quotes and throw them into conversations with peers and management to sound smart and revisit them when I had a decision to make on positive change for the year

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Partner Path

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Set goals and expectations to make partners happier (and more productive) Do you ever think about how influential partners are to your customers? I mean, really think about it? Solution providers (partners) have a lot of power in the vendor/customer/partner relationship. It’s rare for business leaders to have a line item in their budget for a specific product.

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Partner Path

JANUARY 25, 2023

3 Reasons to Engage Partners in Customer Success We all know that customer success is important. If customers aren’t successful using your products, they’re not going renew their subscription let alone grow their footprint. As soon as they hit ‘cancel,’ the investment you made in landing that customer vanishes. In our recent study we highlight several ways to engage partners in customer success motions.

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Partner Path

JANUARY 11, 2023

Crafting a Plan for Partnering Success. Any good snow skier knows to look three turns ahead to navigate moguls with speed and agility. If your focus is on the current bump, by the time you navigate that turn, you’re tossed back on your heels and in a scramble to set up for the next turn. If you look three turns ahead, you’ve created a visual path and are now executing that plan.

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Partner Path

DECEMBER 12, 2022

It’s like in the Harry Potter books, where they refer to the main antagonist as “he-who-must-not-be-named.” As if just saying Voldemort out loud would conjure his presence. No one wants to say the word recession lest they make it a reality. Instead, I’ve heard “economic headwinds” and “a really tough market” with regularity. However, not calling it a recession doesn’t mean we don’t feel the effects of tighter budgets, pressure to produce revenue and a renewed focus on profitability.

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Partner Path

NOVEMBER 3, 2022

Customize your approach to European partners for better results. “Europe is like North America: the countries are just different states,” a young but enthusiastic new EMEA GM from America once said to me on his first day at his London office. Being a Brit, I smiled and made a comment about the inclement weather and advised that he should buy a brolly (umbrella).

Ecosystems 130

Ecosystems 130

Partner Path

OCTOBER 5, 2022

Be proactive in winning over your sales, services & training teams. If you’re struggling to get your company to adopt a partnering model – you’re not alone. In our recent roundtable with twelve senior channel chiefs, we discussed the challenge of conveying partner relevance across an organization. This group of seasoned executives have led channel efforts at some of the largest and most partner-friendly technology vendors – and even they are struggling to get all teams in their companies on

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Partner Path

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

A primer on the differences and why they’re all important. We talk about partner profitability, partner ROI and partner economics ALL the time. (Here’s a plug for our webinar and a research report on these topics.) I often get asked: “Aren’t these the same thing?” To which I answer in classic consultant fashion: “Yes and no.”.

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Partner Path

JUNE 17, 2022

How to Update Your Program for the Next Generation of Partner Leaders. We speak so much about the next generation of partner programs, but what about the next generation of leaders inside the partner organisations? You know who I’m talking about. ( Whisper: millennials.) Who are they? What do they need from vendor partner programs? Are they a changing force to be considered alongside customer buying trends and the transformation of partner engagement?

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Partner Path

APRIL 12, 2022

The digital age (furthered by the pandemic) ushered in a new model where a customer defines their own buying journey. This journey is typically non-linear and heavily reliant on digital interactions. Since the internet allows a customer to find information about products, pricing, reviews, and expected costs themselves, the value channel partners provide has shifted.

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Partner Path

MARCH 9, 2022

The misunderstood and often overlooked partner portal is (and always has been) the digital face of partner engagement. As decades have passed, technology platforms struggle to BE more and DO more to support partner growth These changes have made PRM (Partner Relationship Management) almost unrecognisable. The death of your parents’ PRM has given birth to a new digital experience to engage, empower and manage the ever-evolving partner ecosystem.

Ecosystems 147

Ecosystems 147

Partner Path

FEBRUARY 23, 2022

For a next generation partner program, consider this first. Limit the Ch-ch-ch Changes. At the risk of aging myself with a David Bowie reference, I understand you feel the need to change your partner program every year, allowing it to “grow up.” As a partner program professional, that’s your job, right? But before you designate new partner types, create new initiatives and/or alter partner incentives – examine why.

Ecosystems 130

Ecosystems 130

Partner Path

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

At the end of 2019, we predicted that marketplaces were going to start taking hold. Boy, were we right. They grew more in the first three months of COVID than they had in the last 10 years combined.

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Partner Path

JANUARY 26, 2022

As we continue to move into a digital age in which individuals are comfortable researching and buying online, a transition accelerated by the Coronavirus pandemic, the buying journey has become non-linear. A potential customer may read a review, ask a friend, then browse the web before ultimately purchasing online (without consulting any sales professionals or entering a store).

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Partner Path

JANUARY 12, 2022

In December 2021, PartnerPath CEO Diane Krakora hosted our annual year-end webinar with Jay McBain, Principal Analyst - Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems at Forrester. They broke down what vendors should keep an eye out for in 2022. To hear the full dialogue, including examples, explanations and what you should do to adapt, be sure to watch the webinar.

Ecosystems 130

Ecosystems 130

Partner Path

MARCH 10, 2021

10 Effects of the Global Pandemic on the Channel. How are the people who design, recommend, resell, integrate, support and manage technology solutions doing in the global pandemic? We conducted a survey of solution providers at the end of 2020 and asked how their business had been impacted by the pandemic with options of 'increased, decreased or stayed the same.

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Partner Path

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Partner Relationships Need a Personalized Touch, Even When You’re Not In-Person. In our recent channel chief virtual roundtable, we asked leading technology channel executives what was keeping them up at night. Surprisingly, it wasn’t partner sales, additional enablement, driving customer adoption or even the plethora of small solution providers teetering on the edge of a pandemic-fueled extinction.

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Partner Path

AUGUST 19, 2020

Recruit partners like you would a customer. Attract and nurture. By Diane Krakora , CEO of PartnerPath. You would be amazed at how many people call us every month to help them with partner recruitment. On the one hand, it's usually companies who see the value in leveraging the channel to grow their business (awesome!). On the other hand, I sometimes think they want me to hand them a top-secret document and say, "Shh, here's the magic list of partners for you.

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Partner Path

OCTOBER 21, 2020

By Diane Krakora , CEO of PartnerPath. I talk about recruiting, enabling and managing indirect partners all the time. The goal of 99% of all technology companies is to leverage indirect channels for increased sales reach, market penetration and customer satisfaction. But there has been a shift that greatly affects the traditional channel model and some vendors are feeling the change.

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Partner Path

JANUARY 21, 2021

Lessons from a virtual road warrior. I attend a lot of events. I’m usually crisscrossing the globe between partner summits, partner advisory boards, sales kick-off meetings and industry conferences. I’m one of the weirdos that actually misses large gatherings. No, I don’t miss the conference chicken or sitting in a freezing cold dark hall. I miss the energy of a packed room, the chitchat with people sitting around you before and after the sessions and catching up with friends and colleagues.

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Energy 130

Partner Path

JANUARY 7, 2021

Welcome to 2021! Boy am I excited to see the calendar turn over. There’s been so much up and down in the news for the last nine months I can barely keep track.

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Partner Path

OCTOBER 16, 2019

The Roles of Enablement, Spending and Distribution in a Cloud Sales World. Does enablement ever end? Enablement is a key tenet to partner success. Both the vendors* and the solution providers* want to invest in enablement. The better trained a partner is the more they design effective solutions to customer needs, produce differentiated marketing campaigns, accurately position the products and troubleshoot issues.

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Partner Path

OCTOBER 30, 2019

The primary goal of vendors focused on recruiting and onboarding partners is to identify and engage new types of partners. These are organizations that aren’t traditional IT solution providers and yet have influence in cloud-based technology solution purchases. Jay McBain of Forrester calls them shadow channels as they aren’t engaging with customers or vendors in the traditional way.

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Ecosystems 100

Partner Path

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

This month, CEO Diane Krakora attended the Cisco Partner Summit in Las Vegas. On day one, she attended the keynote from CEO Chuck Robbins and found several of his key points interesting, in particular the idea of engaging different types of partners and examining unique partner value. Listen to her quick take on the day.

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Partner Path

NOVEMBER 15, 2019

This month, CEO Diane Krakora attended the Cisco Partner Summit in Las Vegas. On day two, she listened to numerous roundtables where the terms customer experience, customer success, customer satisfaction and customer lifecycle were used interchangeably. AHHHH! Listen to her short video explaining why these are all different and then focus in on the critical element of customer success.

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Partner Path

NOVEMBER 18, 2019

This month, CEO Diane Krakora attended the Cisco Partner Summit in Las Vegas. In this short video, listen to her chat about Cisco DevNet, the developer program that delivers APIs, SDKs and sandbox to developers. It's critical that partners have the ability to build solutions and create customer outcomes.

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Partner Path

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

What mistakes are vendors making with their partner ecosystem? A major data point driving home MAKE FEWER MISTAKES is the list of open-responses from partners* detailing mistakes vendors make as they are engaging a solution provider organization.

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Ecosystems 100