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(More customer reviews)If you have been in the channel space for a while, you know that the resources dedicated to channel excellence are few and far between compared to the mass of volumes dedicated to the direct sales process.Well, thanks to Stefan Utzinger's new book, Channel Revolution, we now have a solid reference on how to build, nuture, and maintain effective channels and channel teams.
The book is subtitled, "A pragmatic guide to building and maintaining a profitable channel," and it is truly that, as it offers not only the theory of leveraging indirect channels, but is a step-by-step guide on how to build and manage your channel team and programs. It is an easy read chock full of examples and charts that will spark your imagination as your read it. You'll find yourself jotting down action items to immediately apply to your channel programs.
Some of the information he presents is clearly eye-opening and will change the way that companies configure their channel programs and teams. For me, the most enlightening data was his analysis of a Gartner Dataquest research study that revealed what channel partners most value in their partnerships with manufacturers. While many manufacturers' channel teams perceive that their brand, market share, and MDF funds are lacking as reasons for their mediocre performance, these factors rate low on the scale at 14, 19, and last out of 31 variables mentioned. The top three factors were the quality of the relationship manager, the ability for the product to produce revenue, and the executive level support on both sides.
I've seen companies time and time again focus so many resources on developing their channel strategies and then fail to invest in the quality of their channel teams to execute. Yet, success in the eyes of the channel partners is directly related to who their contact is at the manufacturer. They are looking for a single point of contact that will build and execute plans, work to close specific deals with the partner, and create marketing activities that will generate solid leads.
If you are an Independent Software Vendor, you will be especially pleased to see information about compensating partners in SAAS models, e-Commerce, and software maintenance maximization. Many partners and manufacturers are concerned about how their relationships will change with these new distribution methods, but he explains how to make these models can enhance a relationship by removing many of the costs of doing business.
Utzinger's channel experience is broad and deep and he generously shares the simple tools that his company, NovaStor, uses to execute on their channel strategy. One document that stands out is the Partner Account Plan, which provides the framework for keeping both the manufacturer and the channel partner on the same page. Unlike cumbersome "Business Plans" that take weeks to produce and are quickly obsolete, this document is an "Action Plan" that is easy to create and update. It includes:
Company Facts
Executive Summary
Partner Focus
Overview of signed contracts up to date
Partner's organizational structure with role definitions and relationships
Partner's core competencies
Key facts & objectives of the partnership
Partnership Background
Key Milestones
SWOT Analysis
Partner Action Plan
Critical Success Factors
This and other helpful tools are available at: http://www.channel-revolution.com/resources.php
I highly recommend this book to the executives and managers of all companies who want to do more business through multiple channels. If you are building a channel from the ground up, it will give you a step by step guide, and if you are tweaking your channel, it will give you the tools to take your program to the next level. I only hope that my competitors don't read it too!
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Channel Revolution is a pragmatic guide to successfully building an indirect IT sales channel. Stefan Utzinger explains why in times of the cloud, SaaS and increasing globalization, taking a revolutionary approach is the way to go. The book gives detailed advice on the following topics: - Selecting and attracting the right channel partners - When to use project versus product oriented resellers - Managing the pipeline - Delivering larger projects with your partners - Effectively generating and managing leads - The right discount strategy - And much more
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