Solutions

Our solutions are designed to support key decision-makers such as:

  • Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
  • Chief Operations Officer (COO)
  • Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
  • Chief Sales Officer (CSO)
  • Head of Channel / Partnerships

in their efforts to assess and implement the best partnership strategy for their tech company.

Assessment

Depending on how far your organization has already ventured on the path to implement a successful partnership strategy, you might have several questions:

  • Should you invest in a partner program? And if so, how can you best tackle it?
  • Do you already have a partner program but are unsure if you should grow or kill it?
  • Have you built a somewhat successful channel ecosystem and you want to know how to take it to the next level?

What exactly will we do?

  • Collect a wide range of information, such as:
    • Your overall goals: market share, revenue, gross margin, customer satisfaction, entering specific new markets, etc.
    • An overview of any services you are providing together with your technology
    • Revenue and cost breakdown (both for licenses and services)
    • Sales mix, sales cycle length, cost to deal, etc.
    • Simulated scenarios to assess impact on cost structures at scale
    • Current partnership strategy (if any):
      • setup of the channel team
      • channel management processes
      • key results (partner-sourced leads and deals vs direct sales, value of partner sales, median deal amount, CSAT when a partner is involved, etc.)
  • Analyze the data and identify the gaps between your goals and your current setup
  • Highlight how best-in-class organizations in the industry approach similar challenges
  • Collect insights over your competition
  • Formulate recommendations and present the assessment to your C-suite.

What is the output?

A report which highlights:

  • current state of your partnership setup
  • recommendations
  • future state scenarios

The document includes an executive summary.

How much time will it take?

From beginning to completion, the assessment takes around 1 month and requires interviewing several people from various departments, such as sales, channel, product, professional services.

What is the price?

The assessment requires interviewing several people in your organization, reviewing the data provided and comparing it to relevant best-in-class cases, researching your competition, writing a comprehensive assessment and presenting it to executive level profiles.

Partner program strategy, planning and support

Once your organization decides launch a new partner program or refresh an existing one, you will face some key challenges, among which:

  • there are many different ways of implementing a partner channel: which strategy is the right one for your organization?
  • what are the details of the new program (including financial decisions like partner discounts, rebates, and so on)?
  • what is the correct organizational setup to adequately support this initiative and ensure it’s a success?
  • what is the exact sequence of tasks to execute and who should be responsible for them?
  • partner program management software: is it necessary and what are the requirements?
  • how do we make sure the program becomes a success, since we haven’t done it before?
  • how to get executive buy-in?

What exactly will we do?

  • Based on the assessment* and our experience, isolate 2 to 3 alternative strategies and discuss their pros and cons with relevant stakeholders and decision-makers, then commit to one
  • Build a plan, assign responsibilities and tasks
  • Write the requirements (workflows and processes, including sales/marketing/channel/IT)
  • Write the partner relationship management software requirements (if applicable)
  • Present the plan to executives for a go/no-go decision
  • Oversee execution, periodically review progress, coach and recommend how to get rid of blockers

*: an initial assessment is required, in order to build strategy and plan. In case the assessment was completed more than 6 months earlier, a small refresh is required to make sure no significant changes happened in the meantime.

What is the output?

During the course of this consultancy, the following documentation will be provided:

  • NDA
  • Strategic plan
  • Execution plan
  • Partner management software requirements

How much time will it take?

From beginning to completion, the process to launch a new partner program takes between 3 and 6 months, depending on its complexity.

What is the price?

This consultancy can be split in two parts: in the first one, we will write a strategic plan, complete with our recommendations from an organizational and technological point of view, and present it to your management. In the second part, after C-level commitment, we will create an execution plan and support you during execution.

Field training

Partner programs don’t work in a vacuum, they affect your organization in many different ways. Everybody in the organization must be made aware of the reasons behind the decision to build a partner ecosystem and understand how to work with partners, to maximize the investment in partnerships.

Some issues you might face if your field personnel isn’t adequately trained include:

  • Conflict between direct sales and partner sales
  • Ineffective co-selling motion
  • Conflicting messages to customers and diminished customer satisfaction
  • Lack of clarity and guidance for partners, resulting in limited growth
  • Misalignment between own and partner marketing

What exactly will we do?

  • Define the goals of the training for each cohort (sales, channel, marketing)
  • Run the following sessions:
    • Sales:
      • The partner program(s) explained
      • What happens if there is no alignment between sales and partners
      • What are the benefits of working with partners
      • Co-selling best practices
      • Account planning best practices and template
      • Approved escalation paths in case of issues with partners
    • Channel:
      • The partner program(s) explained
      • Understanding partners, their business model and KPIs
      • Partner business planning and template
      • Facilitating co-selling and account planning between partners and sales reps
      • Recruiting and activating new partners
      • Final assignment
    • Marketing:
      • The partner program(s) explained
      • Risks in case of misalignment between own and partner marketing
      • How to incorporate partners in your marketing strategy and plans, to increase reach and strengthen your message

What is the output?

During the course of the training, we will provide the following resources:

  • Account planning template
  • Partner business planning template
  • All presentations shared with the teams

How much time will it take?

Adaptation of materials to your specific partner program depends on its complexity but usually requires 1 to 2 weeks.

The actual training requires:

  • Channel:
    • 2 x 2h sessions
    • 1 x 4h final session to review final assignments
  • Sales:
    • 1 x 2h session
  • Marketing:
    • 1 x 2h session for Marketing

What is the price?