Channel Partner Program to Succeed in the new world of Digital Transformation

The Channel Partner Program to Succeed in the new world of Digital Transformation

Let’s face it, the digital revolution is redefining business models, go-to-market strategies, sales tactics and much more across every industry and vertical.

With growing complexities in the technology stack, businesses in every vertical are unsure of what they need and how to evolve their businesses to stay competitive in the digital-first era.

Priorities and goals are constantly shifting, leaving technology up for debate at each stage.

The channel team I am managing has collaborated with our sales, business development and engineering teams to see the complete picture and determine how we can best set our partners up for success and help them drive impact for whatever is next in a customer’s agenda.

Our partner program has been adapted to equip our partners with the tools, training and support needed to create critical long-term value for their customers who want to thrive in this digital revolution.

Our ecosystem of partners is structured in two tiers: At the top are our most strategic partners. This level gains access to resources that provide strategic support needed for partners to incorporate our solution into their digital story so that our mutual customers can achieve maximum value:

·  Sales and Pre-sales Enablement: Through customized, in-person    training and enablement programs we’ll build sales and pre-sales champions within our partners and drive a deeper understanding of our solution. These advanced level “Masters” training courses will ensure that we’re delivering optimal value to our joint customers as they undergo their digital transformations.

· Services Implementation Training: Completion of this hands-on practical training will enable our partners to build advanced consulting services and have a more direct relationship with our customers. Once certified through this program, our partners will be able to work directly with our customers to drive more differentiated offerings based on customers’ unique needs.

· Dedicated Sales Engineering and Field Channel Manager   Support: We’re heavily investing in growing specialized teams that offer support at every stage of our partnerships – from laying the foundation of each partnership and aligning with channel sales resources to dedicated channel SE teams that will work hand in hand with partner’s technical teams to develop joint offerings.

·   Exclusive Rebate Program: Our partners will receive an agreed rebate to enable additional investments into building a long-term, strategic solution practice.

In addition to the benefits listed above, partners will have access to following resources that are available to all our partners:

·  Online Training: All partners are eligible for our “Kick Starter” online courses, which provide an ideal introduction to our solutions. Both sales and pre-sales partner teams will have access to this 101-level content for a strong start with mutual customers and an accelerated path to profitability.

· Margin Guaranteed: Unlike most deal registration programs, we guarantee our margins by paying our partners an agreed percentage of the Total Contract Value. This results in greater predictability in joint opportunities.

·   Sales and Pre-sales Support: Our sales and pre-sales teams will work closely with our partners and mutual customers to assist with proof of concept, Business Value Adds (BVAs) and joint planning.

Philippe
 Lignac sales director MDSL at Procurecon Amsterdam

We are constantly improving our partner program to response to the technical complexities and hurdles our customers are facing in the digital revolution. Working more collaboratively with our top partners and sharpening alignment with their technical talent will establish a strong network of global technology leaders our customers can call upon to help realize their digital transformation visions. 

Now if we look across other companies,

What the Best SaaS Partner Programs Have in Common

• All companies offer co-marketing support for their partners.

• All companies offer a partner portal to help manage their partner relationships.

• Most programs are free to join. Only a few large enterprise programs (Salesforce, HubSpot, and PayPal) have partner fees.

• Two-thirds of partner programs pay partners for referrals, although frequently this is only offered to higher-tier partners. Partner programs that don’t offer compensation for referrals are usually smaller companies.

• Likewise, two-thirds of SaaS companies list their partners publicly, although once again this benefit is frequently only offered to higher-tier partners.

• All but a handful of SaaS partner programs provide some form of sales training, although only half provide hands-on sales support.

Looking over the list of the best SaaS partner programs, a few common themes jump out:

Overall, each of the partner programs offered a mix of services for partners, while utilizing the strengths and weaknesses of both parties involved.

Philippe Lignac sales director MDSL with Eli Lilly

Philippe Lignac sales director MDSL

Philippe Lignac sales director MDSL talking at Procurecon Amsterdam

Some great examples, I picked up from looking at their websites

1. Atlassian’s Solutions Partner Program
2- Slack’s Communication Platform Partner Program
3- Zendesk Customer Service and Engagement Platform
4- Optimizely’s Conversion Rate Optimization Software

1-Atlassian makes collaboration tools for teams of all sizes, including the popular issue management tool Jira and knowledge base tool Confluence. Atlassian offers a tiered Solution Partner Program—all tiers include partner portal access, access to certification and training programs, a listing on Atlassian’s partner directory, and free access to Atlassian products for internal use. Higher tiers also include referral bonuses, product discounts, and a dedicated channel manager. Partners can graduate to higher tiers by meeting sales goals and completing Atlassian’s training programs.

Key Takeaway: Creating tiers based on performance means that you can reward partners based on their contributions to your business.

2-Slack provides a well-run integrations program for partners, working with over 1,000 SaaS products to help users be more efficient and productive in their communications. Their partner list includes some big names, like Salesforce and Google, so partners can be sure the program is well run.

Slack’s partner program isn’t open to just anyone – to join the program, potential partners must submit a complete application and be accepted into the partner program. The benefits for integration partners are huge, with access to 9 million weekly active users and a listing in the public Slack apps directory to help users find the functionality they’re looking for. To help support app developers, Slack provides partners with detailed documentation on their API and platform.

Key Takeaway: Partner applications help ensure customers can rely on your partners, especially for mission-critical products.

3- Zendesk’s Customer Service and Engagement Platform

Zendesk helps companies turn interactions into lasting relationships through their integrated platform of customer support, knowledge base, and live chat tools.

Zendesk’s partner program ticks a lot of boxes, offering benefits across three different tiers: Referral Partner, Solution Provider, and Business Service Provider. Technology partners can build apps to integrate with Zendesk as well. All partners receive access to online sales training, commissions for referrals, a dedicated partner manager, and more. Higher tiers are eligible for instructor-led product training, marketing funds, and joint business planning. Zendesk also maintains a public directory of Zendesk client services & partners.

Key Takeaway: Clear documentation on your partner programs can help partners understand how they will benefit, especially when you offer multiple different programs.

4- Optimizely’s A/B testing software allows SaaS companies to take the guesswork out of product development and marketing, making it easy to run and manage A/B tests to optimize conversions and product experience.

Partnering with Optimizely includes comprehensive developer support and enablement, a custom sandbox for experimentation, and access to Optimizely’s partner community and certifications through Optimizely Academy. Co-marketing resources are provided for partners along with a dedicated partner manager and joint sales collateral to help with sales enablement. All partners are listed in a public directory of Optimizely partners, and Optimizely will pay a 10-20% commission on the first year of customer revenue.

Key Takeaway: Offering a certification program can help increase your partners increase trust with their own customers.

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