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Channel partners- the companies that help you bring your company’s products and services to market- are critical for business success. They can help one open the door to new business opportunities faster, at lower cost, and with lower risk than a merger or acquisition. However, a glance at the rapidly changing business landscape will exhibit the wave of empowerment that the customers are going through. There is an increasing demand among the users for the various technologies that is available in the market and they are extremely specific about how these technologies have to be provided to them. In such a scenario, the role of a channel partner has changed drastically. If earlier they had opted for a simple resell method, they are now forced to look at innovative ways to get the product across to their customers before their peers have a chance to do so.
Finding the right technology platform that fits ones specific channel support is at the same time a necessity and a challenge. Zeroing in on one particular technology from a plethora of similar kinds is quite a daunting task. However, taking a calculated decision based on these questions can ease the burden down by a notch.
Acquiring the right technology isn’t enough either. Utilizing these technologies to help channel partners to take right decisions is also equally important. Each partner differs from the rest in terms of strengths, and weakness. This is why it is important for the channel manager to keep in mind the particular strength while ensuring that the right technology is given to the right partner at the right time and in the right market. This not only empowers the partner but also provides incredible benefits to the company in the long run as well. The right technology at the right time coupled with the right data and awareness leads to healthier business.
A channel manager essentially puts sales in other people’s hands and it might often seem that the manager has no direct control. Although this has always posed a problem, most managers trust their partners and work towards charting out a situation that shows accountability for actions performed and consistency in activities as well as transparency in transactions. A channel manager has to be aware of how the partners run their business so as to gain a level of transparency. This further gives the manager an idea of how accurate their data and forecasts stand. At CA technologies, for example, we listen to our partners and have built a comprehensive program incorporating the right kinds of incentives from a revenue perspective. In addition to this, we work with our partners around thought leadership and innovation thereby paving a two way roadmap to share innovative ideas. This not only enables us to build better products for the market but also understand the pulse of the customers. In the long run, we intend to build an ecosystem that drives the business and the growth of not only the partner’s business by aligning our technology with them but also facilitate us to service our partners better. We at CA believe that showcasing the advancements that our partner have brought out by using our technological solutions will not only provide an arena for new ideas, but also give an idea of how far we have come and how we will go.
Channel partners will have a rewarding future in the aggressive market only if they differentiate themselves. The partners need to be smarter about how they deliver their solution to the customers. Reselling is not in the equation anymore. Partners need to bring in innovative ways of approaching their customers and that too before their counterparts have a chance to react. As the market space is getting more cut-throat by the second, it is important that a channel partner be chosen as the ‘preferred partner to purchase from’ as quick as possible. And organizations like CA Technologies are always available to arm these partners with the ability to build compelling solutions that will not change their way of approach but also enable them to reap in outstanding benefits in the long run.
