School’s back in session. Remember the crisp sounds of opening your new textbook and fresh pencils being sharpened? Maybe helping your kids with their first batches of homework for the year sounds a little more familiar.
But there’s another returning event besides the beginning of the school year: Channel Week. Demand Gen Report and Channel Marketer Report’s annual event dedicated to the best and brightest channel experts is back, and we couldn’t have been happier to be a part of it. Zift’s Laz Gonzalez spoke along with Sage’s Kerstin Demko on driving digital transformation through a simplified ChanTech stack. Here are some of the highlights from their session.
A Simplified Approach
How can you simplify channel management ROI and solve common problems that affect it? According to Laz and Kersten, it’s vital to develop both high- and low-touch programs for different partner types.
Different partners have different needs. It’s likely there are experts as well as less experienced marketers in your partner program. Programs that suit every level, from complex multi-touch campaigns and self-service options to concierge services for partners who need help with navigating each step, will encourage partners of different sizes and skill sets to engage with your program. Marketing enablement should be a key component in every campaign.
Data-Driven Pays Off
A data-driven approach is crucial. Data on partners, campaign adoption, products, and end-users can shape and further simplify processes. Demko explains Sage’s approach as a drive to help partners lean into digital transformation. By measuring how many partners have adopted cloud services, they are able to target and promote cloud to partners likely to make the switch. Making it easier for partners to migrate to modern practices increases the likelihood that they’ll make that transition.
Meet Partners Where They Are
Help partners drive leads with net new and existing buyers. Enabling partner education on marketing and selling solutions can be tied back to one question: “what do partners need?” The answer to this question can also be tied back to data. Learning more about partner capabilities helps you create programs partners will love to use. For Sage, this meant finding out their partners’ skill levels. Most had limited marketing expertise, so Sage made a concentrated effort toward educating partners about marketing and the buyer’s journey.
After that, they provided integrated marketing programs that leverage both inbound and outbound tactics. Concierge services and marketing plays with simple activities based on best practices are best for less experienced partners. Sage’s efforts paid off big time: They now have a simpler, data-driven approach, with more partner engagement, especially in concierge activations and campaign execution.
Want to learn more? Don’t worry: school’s back in session, but there’s no test here. Dive in and watch our on-demand Channel Week webinar with Laz and Kerstin, “Simplifying the ChanTech Stack for Faster ROI & Partner Engagement.”
