What Types of Software 'Need' a Partner Program (Jay McBain, Forrester Research)
What Dictates the NEED for a Channel Strategy (Jay McBain, Forrester Research)
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaymcbain/
https://go.forrester.com/blogs/channel-marketers-need-to-become-community-marketers-heres-how/
Description:
In this class, Jay shares why, in today's ecosystem, software companies will struggle to grow quickly and scale without a partner strategy. This does not mean you have to pay out for referrals, or even track referrals. It simply means you HAVE to have a strategy for how you work with agencies and consultants when going to market.
Key Takeaways
- What macro factors require you to have a partner strategy.
- Why your buyers are making decisions before visiting your site.
- What you should have in place before building out your agency partner program.
Notes:
A big picture look at what is going on in the world of software partnerships:
Why do you need a channel strategy now (which differs from the why 18 months ago):
- Scaling is dependent on channel
- 60% of software decisions happen outside of IT (this is different from even 18 months ago)
- You may win or lose a deal without ever being involved in the sale.
- Google search + Capterra + G2 + Gartner + Forrester + their agency/consultant
- Influence is key to selling today
- Microsoft is onboarding 7500 new partners a month and most of these (80+%) are non-transacting - they are simply
- Most of your potential Partners will also start their search in Google.
Factors inherent in a software company that scream ‘partner strategy’ necessity:
- Are agencies already talking to and included in the implementation?
- PMF - customer feedback, stage you are at.
- Is your product/price/process solid (McDonalds example - can you give your business to an outside rep and have them sell your product with little training today).
“With 90 key operational attributes of a strong channel partner program, no one piece of software can (today) manage all moving parts effectively. I see this changing during the next few years because product road maps are getting more aggressive, money is flowing in from private equity, and mergers-and-acquisitions activity is catching fire.”