It doesn’t come as a surprise to Channel Professionals that things are changing faster than ever across the partner ecosystem. A perfect storm of new technologies, transforming business models, rapidly evolving competition, consumerization and economic forces have fundamentally changed the traditional supplier/partner relationship. Not only are things moving much faster, the relationships have become significantly more complex. Ten years ago, a solid email, portal, phone, advertising and events strategy was all that was needed to communicate effectively to partners and customers. Today we have more than 30 marketing vehicles in play, and the level of noise and clutter is, at times, out of control. Most of us were taught to measure ROI and then focus on the top 2-3 things that drive results. The problem is that these 2-3 things aren’t working the way they used to: Email newsletters aren’t getting opened or clicked thru. Beyond the usual suspects, webinar and tradeshow traffic is dropping. Advertising, whether print or digital is not having the same impact as years ago. Portal traffic is at an all-time low – partners just aren’t coming in the same numbers. While every situation is different – the following 14 Channel Marketing Mistakes are common throughout our industry: Not utilizing new automation tools for Email & Newsletters Too reliant on the Partner Portal for communication Not taking advantage of Communities Too focused on the home run Expecting too much from social Not having or sticking to an editorial calendar Producing too much boring or sales-related content Under-utilizing the media Thinking Direct Mail is too expensive Segmenting Partners into Revenue Tiers Only Expending too much effort on Partner Recruitment Underperforming Tradeshows Renewing tactics year to year without justification Not taking advantage of Mobile

1. Are you making these 14 Channel Marketing Mistakes?
Jay McBain
Co-Founder & CMO

2. Executing a Channel Program is NOT an easy job.

3. The Channel Perfect Storm
new technologies
consumerization
new business models
evolving competition
economic forces

4. Compounding the Issue…
“
“
25% of the Channel has no business plan
38% do not set sales or revenue goals
40% fail to make long-term strategic plans
65% lack a sales development plan
According to the forthcoming 2014 Channel Forecast report by The 2112 Group, the
number of new solution providers — resellers, managed services, systems integrators,
large account resellers — has been steadily declining since the dot-com bust.

5. Why do Partners Leave Vendors?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
(Opportunity) Cost of Membership
Constantly Changing Requirements/Benefits
Low Margins
Insufficient Pre- and Post-Sales Support
Lack of Marketing Support

6. Top 2014 Emphasis for Channel Leaders:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Increased Business Planning with Partners
More Lead Generation for Partners
Building New Services Offerings
Simplifying Programs and Reducing Costs
Co-selling with Partners
Additional Incentive Opportunities
Streamline Training and Certifications

7. Not Utilizing Automation Tools for
Email & Newsletters
#14

8. Too Reliant on the Partner Portal
for Communication
95% of Channel
Partners do not
regularly use
vendor portals
#13

9. Not Taking Advantage of
Communities
“
“
What makes them
powerful is the ability
to influence through
the implied
endorsement
of the larger
membership.
#12

10. Too Focused on the Home Run
We are in the attention
economy now, and not
taking advantage of the
different marketing vehicles
across the different community
platforms is suppressing your
impact.
“
“
#11

11. Expecting Too Much from Social
“
“
Social media is no longer the
“new” platform and has
proven not to be the
utopia that was once
promised.
#10

12. Not Having or Sticking to an
Editorial Calendar
“
“
Organizing the avalanche
of information your brand
needs to communicate
over the next 12 months
can be daunting. When
you roll it up into monthly
themes this task becomes
much easier.
#9

13. Producing Too Much Boring
or Sales-Related Content
Finding your brand voice
and sharing your domain
knowledge with your
partners on a consistent
basis will build trust and
keep them plugged in.
“
“
#8

14. Under-Utilizing Industry Media
“
Getting access to their
community of readers through
co-marketing, sharing your
content, webinars, events and
newsletters can be a very
effective way to reach your
established and prospective
audience.
#7
“

15. Thinking Direct Mail is Too Expensive
#6
“
The average age of
Channel professionals has
grown every year since the
1980s and this demographic
tends to prefer face-to-face,
mail and phone calls to
electronic communication.
“

16. Segmenting Partners into
Revenue Tiers Only
“
“
Newer ways of optimizing
partner programs include
share of wallet, product
specialties, job role and
other behavioral persona
type information.
#5

17. Expending too much effort on
Partner Recruitment
A balanced approach to
Channel management
includes focusing equally
on partner acquisition,
nurturing and growth.
“
“
#4

18. Underperforming Tradeshows
“
“
This is an area where a lot of
opportunity (and money) is
wasted by vendors. Not
having a plan covering
pre-show, show-within-theshow and post-show tactics
as well as defined targets.
#3

19. Renewing Tactics Year to Year
Without Justification
Channel marketing managers
are famous for the “master
spreadsheet” outlining all of
the approved tactics for the
quarter or year.
“
“
#2

20. Not Taking Advantage of Mobile
61% of these partners report
that they prefer to use the
mobile device as a primary
source of information,
engagement and tools for
business.
“
“
Over 90% of partners now carry
a smartphone and/or tablet.
#1

21. The Enterprise Mobile Platform Connecting
Vendors and their Channel Partners.

22. Global Recognition of ChannelEyes

23. Secure Login for Authorized Partners
 Built-in Security Authorization Center
 Authorized White-list by domain
 Remote Authentication with your
back-end portal or PRM System
tom@supervar.com
************

24. Deliver a Personalized Experience
Segment Content Feeds:





Partner Tier Level
Country or Language
Product line or Program
Job Role or Access Level
Internal Staff

25. Taking Partner Communication to a New Level
Share…
• What’s new in your partner portal
• Incentives, promotions & rebates
• Product news, tech bulletins, specs
• Events, webinar, education & training
• Competitive updates, battle cards
Send Special Alerts
Through Push Notification!

26. Drive new levels of Partner Engagement
Two-way Conversations
• Social Comments on Posts
• Community Walls / Q&A
• Private Groups
• Contact Us Form
• Integrates with leading platforms
Community
& Groups
Live
Chat

27. Deploy Tools to Drive Sales, Service & Education
Enable Partners on the go







Deal Registration Module
Price Calculator / Quotes / Configurator
Locator (Product, Place or People)
Service Tickets / RMA / Warranty
Ad Server Module
Gamification / Quizzes / Surveys
Integrations with leading platforms
ACME Inc.
7 Anywhere St.
Chester, United Kingdom
CH1 2HR
Tom Smith
Director of IT
tom@acme.com
0121 555 1234

28. Mobile Channel Marketing is changing the Game

29. Chosen by Top Channel Programs

30. Mobile Idea Board
News Wall
Sales Tools
Support
Features
Announcements
Event Calendar
Webinars
Product News
Tech Bulletins
Incentives/Promos
Best Practices
Whitepapers
Videos
Competition
Press/Media/Blogs
Newsletter Items
Program Benefits
Battle Cards
Price Calculator
Request for Quote
Deal Registration
Lead Distribution
Training Videos
Certification Quiz
Product Documents
Partner Locator
Vendor List/Line Card
Product Catalog
Data List / Map
Commission Reports
Surveys / Quizzes
Contest/Loyalty/MDF
Service Tickets
FAQ’s
Contact Us
Private Messaging
Contact List/Country
Product Wish List
Social (FB/TW/LI)
Push Notification
Single Sign-on
Segmentation
Multi-Persona
Multi-language
Card Carousel
Resource Center
Social Syndication
Gamification
Community Board
Conference Events
Ad Server
Marketing Overlay
Forms to Email
Salesforce Integration
Orders
Order Status
Shipping Rates
Returns (RMA)
Warranty Status
Bar Code Reader
Product Registration

31. Let’s Connect…
Jay McBain
Co-Founder & CMO
jaym@channeleyes.com
518-915-1188
Find us on the interwebs:
http://channeleyes.com