1. 10 Channel Practices Going Extinct
(or what NOT to do in 2015)

2. 2
Historically
“Go get 'em!” mentality
Collateral sheets and a pat on the back
Ad builder
The Problem
Partners do not have resources to effectively market
Untapped potential
Measurability falls off a cliff
1. EXPECTING PARTNERS TO MARKET THEMSELVES

3. 3
New Standard
Marketing storefronts
Smart services and content for lead generation
ROI calculators
Syndicated product info and social content
The Benefits
Campaign execution
Access to verifiable, meaningful campaign success metrics (click tracking, site visits, etc.)
More leads = more sales
OFFERING TOOLS TO MARKET FOR PARTNERS

4. 4
Historically
Disjointed channel systems
One-offs built by different administrations
Portal sprawl
The Problem
No big picture view –systems don’t talk to each other
No evolution over time
Weak partner experience –multiple logins, dispersed data
Operation overhead and headache
2. SILOEDCHANNEL SYSTEMS

5. 5
Demand Gen
Demand Gen Center
Event in a Box
Website in a Box
SEM
Partner Ready Campaigns
Social Media Syndication
PORTAL SPRAWL
Vendor Site
Admin Portal
Beta Program Portal
Beta Program Mgmt
eStore
SR Viewer
Partner Eval. Portal
SCA Portal
ISV Portal
Custom Site
Partner University
Parter U. TV
Partner U. Virtual Platform
Marketing
CommTrack Tool
Email Campaign Tool
Partner Logo Builder
PEX
PEX on Tour
Partner Mkt Bureau EMEA
Partner Mkt Bureau APAC
Partner Mkt Bureau NAM
Incentives
Partner Reward Mgt
Parter Sales Rewards
Sales Tools
VPP Portal
Renewals Central
Solutions Opp. Calculator
ROI Calculator
Prospecting Days
Operations
CIP Finder Tool
Compliance Portal
SFDC 2ndInterface
VSX Portal
Partner Central
My Vendor Portal

6. 6
New Standard
Unified and integrated channel offering
“Single pane of glass“
Benefits
Complete View
One place to look
End-to-end dashboards that guide and energize
UNIFIEDCHANNEL SYSTEMS

7. 7
Historically
Payments received over a month after completion of an activity or behavior
The Problem
Partners don’t know what they are being paid for (no reinforcement)
Someone else is capturing mindshare
3. PAYMENTS AT A GLACIER’S PACE
Giant Sloth
(Megatherium)

8. 8
PAYMENTS AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT
New Standard
MDF payment turnaround in 21 days or less
SPIF and Sales Rewards payments instantaneously
Benefits
MDF
•Motivate behavior partners –quick reinforcement means repetition
•Loyal partners
SPIF and Sales Rewards
•In sales activities, happy partners –"Cash is King“
•“Temporal Discounting” –prefer smaller rewards received sooner than larger rewards offered later*
* Incentive Intelligence, “Motivation, Incentives and What Wimpy Knew,” http://incentive-intelligence.typepad.com/incentive_intelligence/2008/07/motivation-ince.html

9. 9
Historically
Home-grown or custom/bespoke channel tools and solutions
“Just get it done!”
The Problem
Build vs. Buy
The 2-year headache
•Built by IT
•Heavily customized tool
4. OPTIMIZING FOR THE SHORT RUN

10. 10
New Standard
Strong configurable systems built to integrate
•Customization through configuration
Benefits
Flexibility –Configurable vs. Customizable
Scalability –cloud-based
Stand up quickly –minimize IT holdups
Lower operating cost
Agility –respond to market changes quickly
Standard APIs –integrate with more sources of information
OPTIMIZING FOR THE LONG RUN

11. 11
Historically
Spreadsheets as primary way to track channel performance
CHAMP plan
The Problem
No social life…rarely makes it out to others, let alone other departments
Disconnected from business systems
People are repulsed by it; resist opening or reading it
Often holds more responsibility than it deserves
Outdated days or even hours after it’s created
5. USINGSPREADSHEETS…FOR ANYTHING

12. 12
New Standard
End-to-end channel tools
Benefits
Instant access everywhere –mobile, office, home
Up-to-the-minute information
More informed decision making
MOVING BEYOND SPREADSHEETS
Dodo Bird

13. 13
Historically
Shoehorning application needs into your mainstream CRM or ERP through customization
The Problem
Expensive to maintain
Bad partner experience leads to NO partner experience
Usually designed/customized by folks who don’t understand channel best practices
Wait a millennium for updates
6. GOOD APP, WRONGAPPLICATION

14. 14
New Standard
Specially tailored applications that play well with your existing systems
Standard API/web services
Benefits
True financial tool
Highly configurable
Lower cost of maintenance
On-going support
Strategic guidance
THE RIGHTAPPLICATION, INTEGRATEDWITH GOOD APPS

15. 15
Historically
No information for Admins, Approvers and CAMs/PAMs
Choosing focus partners based on relationships or hunches
The Problem
Approving the wrong activities
Missing potential “rock star” partners
7. OPERATING WITHOUTVISIBILITY
“Do-You-Think- He-Saurus”

16. 16
OPERATING WITHVISIBILITY
New Standard
Dashboards
Scorecards
Benefits
Quick access to KPIs
Informed metrics that clearly define top performers and potential growth partners
Informed CAMs –pointed partner meetings with clear goals and objectives
More partner tier conversions (Bronze to Silver, Silver to Gold, etc.)

17. 17
Historically
Delayed notifications to partners
Contacting partners on tools they don’t use
The Problem
Partners out of the loop
Bad partner experience
8. SNAILMAIL
Giant Ammonite Fossil

18. 18
New Standard
Meet partners where they are
•Interactions on platforms your partners use (email, Twitter, LinkedIn, RSS, mobile)
Real-time notifications
•Payments
•Roll offs
•Claims
Benefits
More engaged partners
Relevant information at partner fingertips
More efficient workflow
INSTANTMAIL

19. 19
Historically
Paper checks
The Problem
Postal mail loss rates of 20% are common in much of the world…some countries considerably higher*
More errors
Theft
International banks no longer accept bank drafts
9. TRANSFERRING MONEY VIA SLOW BOAT
*George Mason University Study, 2012: http://mason.gmu.edu/~rpetrie1/Mail_manuscript-12162012.pdf

20. 20
TRANSFERRING MONEY VIA ZEROS AND ONES
*George Mason University Study, 2012: http://mason.gmu.edu/~rpetrie1/Mail_manuscript-12162012.pdf
New Standard
Wire transfers
ACH
Reloadable debit cards
Points for travel and merchandise
Benefits
Quick
Secure
Happy partners

21. 21
Historically
Program-centric programs
Paying partners in one single currency
Partner takes the exchange flux hit
The Problem
Partners not paid the amount they claimed
Bad partner experience –sometimes they will lose money
10. ACTING LIKE YOURULE THE WORLD

22. 22
New Trend
Partner-centric programs
Paying partners in their native currency instead of your own
Reimburse your partner the exact amount they spent in their local currency
Vendor chooses to absorb any difference in financial value that fluctuating exchange rates generate
Benefit
Positive partner experience –they can expect to paid exactly what they claimed
LETTING PARTNERSFEEL LIKE THEY RULE THE WORLD
Partner
World

23. 23
Offering Tools to Market for Partners
Unified Channel Systems
Payments at the Speed of Light
Optimizing for the Long Run
Moving Beyond Spreadsheets
1
2
3
4
WILL YOUR PROGRAM MAKE IT TO THE NEXT MILLENNIUM?
Top 10 New Standards
5
The Right Application Integrated with Good Apps
Operating with Visibility
Instant Mail
Transferring Money via Zeros and Ones
Letting Partners Feel Like They Rule the World
6
7
8
9
10

24. 24
Steven Kellam
steven.kellam@channelmanagement.com
415.526.3215
Peter Hornberger
peter.hornberger@channelmanagement.com
415.526.3216
More resources available at: www.channelmanagement.com
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