5 Key Elements of a Successful Partner Engagement Plan
One question we frequently receive from our customers here at Zift? “How do I…
The Importance of Success Planning in the Channel
It was Ben Franklin who said that “a failure to plan is a plan to fail” – and he…
Driving Success Through Improved Business Planning
As we approach 2022, it’s important to consider overall business goals and how your…
Press Release: Success Plans from Zift Solutions Empower Partners and Vendors for Mutual Success
CARY, NC – Nov. 9, 2021 – Zift Solutions, a leading provider of partner…
7 Ways the Best Channel Programs are Budgeting for 2022
Simplified, effective budgeting can be achieved when the right tools power…
Perfecting Your Partner Strategy through Effective Co-Selling
Those who have been in the IT channel long enough will remember channel partners…
The Key to Your Channel Marketing Strategy? Preparation
It’s a four-letter word many people don’t like to hear used, but it’s critical to…
The Data-Driven Channel Chief: Choose Your Tools
Being a data-driven channel chief myself, you’ll find me talking about data quite…
Six Channel ROI Dashboard Tips from the Experts
Estimating return-on-investment (ROI) is both vital and challenging for…
Check Us Out: The ZiftONE Platform Video
We’d like to take a moment to reintroduce ourselves. ZiftONE…
How Much Does a PRM Cost?
Pricing for most PRM systems is tied in some way to the number of partners in your…
What Are the Different Types of PRMs?
The term PRM covers a broad range of channel technologies. Just as in the CRM…
What is Partner Relationship Management (PRM)?
When you’re starting to build out a channel program for your business, it’s crucial…
Do the Math: Understanding Your Channel Partner Pipeline
Many see a “pipeline” as a list of opportunities a salesperson is working on.…
The Leading Indicators of Channel ROI from Engaged Partners
Every channel partner represents a set of resources. As with any resource, there is…
7 Steps to Build a Channel Partner Management Reporting Framework
The channel is more competitive than it has ever been. Even smaller…
10 Channel Partner Reporting Best Practices for B2B Companies
Channel partner reporting is an essential component to managing channel…
5 Partner Program Metrics That Monitor Pipeline
Carefully tracking partner program metrics can put immense power in vendors’ hands;…
How to Identify Vertical Markets in Channel Partner Data
Identifying vertical markets in channel partner data yields one particularly…
How to Create a Channel Partner Engagement Plan in 30/60/90 Days
Channel partner engagement is both essential to – and a…
Increase Program Stickiness with Partner Engagement Best Practices
Keeping partners engaged is vital to building a solid…
How to Improve Your Channel Partner Engagement Strategy
In our latest post, we discussed the five rungs of channel partner engagement.…
Climbing the Ladder: The 5 Rungs of Channel Partner Engagement
The Rungs of Channel Partner Engagement: Improving Channel Partner…
10 Steps to Achieve Channel Marketing and Sales Alignment for Your B2B Company
Sales and marketing alignment increases the power of marketing’s…
Built for Success: Sales and Marketing Alignment Best Practices from Channel Leaders
Sales and marketing alignment is a challenging but worthwhile pursuit…
How to Create a Channel Partner Marketing Program: 7 Steps to Increase Pipeline
Successful channel marketing doesn’t just happen. It takes planning,…
11 Channel Marketing Best Practices to Engage Partners and Earn Mindshare
Ah, channel partners—you gotta love ’em. They bring your company business on a…
Mergers, Not Acquisitions: 5 Marketing and Sales Alignment Strategies
Honing marketing and sales alignment strategies can better serve Chief Revenue…
Lead by Example: How to Help Your Partners Achieve Sales and Marketing Alignment
If you aren’t asking it yet, there’s a crucial question to begin raising with your…
How to Create a Repeatable Partner Enablement Framework to Grow Your Partners and Your Channel
In any service or support business, there’s one key question that investors ask…
Earning Partner Mindshare: 9 Channel Enablement Best Practices from Today’s Channel Leaders
I can’t tell you how often channel leaders sign up partners and expect the sales to…
Channel Partner Enablement: 5 Strategies to Swipe from Direct Sales
Sometimes it seems there is much confusion as to the definition of exactly what…
The Rules of Channel Engagement: 5 Tips to Avoid Channel Conflict
“If someone can take a customer away from you, they were never your customer to…
How to Measure Partner Engagement: 5 Metrics That Matter
The best way for a supplier to waste time and money is to go through the extensive…
Automated Partner Onboarding: How to Make Time for the Conversations That Matter
Though it has been credited to many, including Mark Twain, most notably Bob Burg,…
How to Create a Channel Partner Onboarding Program to Gain and Retain Loyal Partners
Your channel managers have been hard at work scouring their contact lists, referral…
What Partners Want from Your Channel Partner Onboarding Program
Context is a necessary element to incorporate when building a successful partner…
Ready to Move Past Recruitment? 9 Partner Onboarding Best Practices to Set Partners Up for Success
Once you’ve buttoned down your strategy for recruiting channel partners,…
Reverse the Interview: What Channel Partner Recruits Want to Know Tells You Everything You Need to Know
Partners, like candidates, know all the typical questions they’ll be encountering…
When Recruiting Partners, Seek Business Model Alignment
There has never been a “one-size-fits-all” definition for “channel partner.” Some…
How to Recruit Channel Partners: 10 Strategies from Channel Leaders to Recruit Partners that Produce
Learning how to recruit channel partners is the holy grail of many tech firms…
Pursuing Prospective Partners in a Pandemic
When recruiting channel partners to represent your products and services you’d…
Why Your Channel Marketing Collateral Isn’t Working For Your Partners
How many partners do you have in the NFL cities? How do you think their customers…
Your Partners Thrive on Reusable Engagement Models
Value of Services in a SaaS Market - Part 1 Your service provider partners may find…
Proving Your Channel’s Value in 2021 – Your Questions Answered
On December 10th, Zift teamed up with the experts at Vistex & AchieveUnite to…
What Happens When You Focus on the Last Word in “Channel Account Manager”
It’s easy to get your channel partners to exile your channel account managers (CAM)…
10 Channel Strategies to Drive Higher Sales & Marketing ROI
There really is no precedent one can draw an analogy from to describe the level of…
Full Sales Funnel Management: Dancing Backward — And in Heels
I suppose it goes with the turf, but I have been doing a lot of thinking about…
Tracking the Winds of Change in Growth Marketing
When I joined my first SaaS marketing organization, the winds of Predictable…
Channel Chatter LIVE Captures Zift’s Ever-Elusive CTO
As the host of Channel Chatter LIVE, I’m learning everyone has a favorite podcast.…
Zift Makes Waves: Hang-10 & Get Barreled in the Channel
It wasn’t until the turn of the 20th Century that surfing caught on around the…
Healthy Pipeline, Healthy You
Right now, in this COVID-19 era, protecting and preserving health is a community…
How to Amp Up Partner Engagement Now
The channel is always changing. But it’s changing faster than ever (along with the…
Back to Boot Camp for the Channel
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the channel landscape. Before COVID,…
CALIFORNIA’S GDPR? CCPA, DATA PRIVACY, AND YOU
Not too long ago, data was treated like a house with all the windows open. You had…
SHARING MEANS CARING (PARTICULARLY ABOUT GDPR)
Calm Meditation and Sleep App users may be drifting off to dreamland listening to…
The 3 Cs of To-Partner Communications Amid COVID-19
I learned a new word this week: Infodemic. It’s officially defined as, “An…
No Handshakes, Please! Coronavirus’ Impact on B2B Channel Leaders
If you’re managing a channel program or some aspect of it, you are likely thinking…
The Cost of Inaction: Big Insights from B2BMX 2020
This year’s B2B Marketing Exchange (#B2BMX) was packed with inspirational ideas and…
Navigating the XChange: Surviving Events Season
It’s that time of year again. The promoting-est, free marketing swag-est, knowledge…
Lead Generation Keeping You Up at Night? Your Dream Channel Strategy is Waiting
We’ve all had nights where we lie awake, full of questions. Did I leave the oven…
The 7 Keys to a Successful Channel Partner Program
We spend a lot of time in the trenches with channel programs -- ask any of our…
Inside Zift: Marc Sachdev, Channel Engagement & Metrics that Matter
Tell us about your career journey. What led you to Zift? Marc Sachdev, Director of…
Step into the Future of Enterprise Channel Management
What a year for Zift Solutions! Early in 2019, we launched ZiftONE, a…
2020 Channel Resolutions — And Revolutions
I love January. I really do, it’s a time of new beginnings and despite the harsh…
Key Insights into the 2020 B2B Channel Landscape
Lewis Carroll once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take…
Toll Takers & the Channel: Are You Seeing the Full CX Picture?
In July, The New York Times published an article, The Last Toll Collector, that…
Up Your Partner Enablement Game with EQ Nurturing
According to Forbes, 70% of global revenue is traveling through third-party…
Inside Zift: Meet Channel Leader & Zift’s New CRO Heather Tenuto
Tell us about your professional journey. What led you to Zift? Heather Tenuto,…
The Island of Misfit ChanTech Toys: Scenes from SiriusDecisions Tech Exchange 2019
Most of us have attended a tech tradeshow. Row upon row of nearly identical booths,…
The Rise of Modern Marketing in B2B Channels
Not long ago, partner marketing relied on selling a product to a customer with a…
ZiftONE is the ECM GOAT! Where’d Those Acronyms Come From, Anyway?
One of my favorite quotes is “You are as young as you feel.” I don’t know who to…
Covering All the Bases: Zift Receives Frost & Sullivan Award for Innovation Excellence
Unless you’ve canceled your cable subscription and disconnected from wifi, you…
It’s Alive! Is Frank Ruining Your Channel Program?
“Beware, for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.” -- Spoken by the monster in…
Channel Onboarding, Engagement, & Services: Lessons from Oxford and London
I have longed to visit the UK for years, particularly Oxford and London. These…
How Campaign Management Can Save Time & Resources
Have you ever been in charge of putting all the pieces of luggage in the car for a…
Enterprise Channel Management and Learning to Skydive
For my 21st birthday a few decades ago, all I wanted to do was skydive. I had never…
Get Schooled on a Simpler Approach to Channel Management
School’s back in session. Remember the crisp sounds of opening your new textbook…
What’s Your Flavor? Sales Excellence: eLearning for Channel Sales Success
Sales Excellence, one of our Zift Zone Strategic Alliance partners, has been…
AchieveUnite, Channel Acceleration & the Lifetime Value of Partners
Our Zift Zone Strategic Alliance Program has some standout channel leaders in its…
Rethinking To-Through-For-Channel Marketing
For several years as a research analyst focused on B2B channels, I conducted dozens…
Vacation Time? Straighten Out Your ChanTech First
Mid-July. We’ve entered what is traditionally known in business as the “slow”…
Welcome To The 2019 Channel Partner Draft
Welcome to the 2019 Channel Partner Draft! Following the 2019 NBA Draft and in the…
GDPR’s One-Year Mark: Wild Wild West No More
It’s been one year since GDPR emerged as the first of several initiatives aimed at…
SOC 2 Type II Success: Keeping Data Security Close to Home
Zift Solutions has completed our annual SOC 2 Type II certification under the…
Acronym Mayhem: The Fine Line Between Expertise and Jargonese
You’ve seen them. We all have. You’ve listened to presentations full of…
Necessary Risks? Skydiving for Channel Technology
Skydiving. It’s something people love or hate. You can imagine the expression of a…
What Your Partners’ Portal Behavior Reveals
Move Over James Bond -- We’ve Got Partner Behavior in our Sights I came across this…
Zoned In: Zift’s Strategic Alliance Program is Blooming
We’re growing, like a plant blooming in the sun. With the launch of ZiftONE, we…
Picking Up Speed: Women’s Leadership in the Channel
Is the channel still a boys’ club? According to the statistics, it is. This isn’t…
Kick Procrastination to the Curb: Practical Tips to Stay on Task
We all do it. So I looked to the Internet for an answer. “Why do we procrastinate?”…
SiriusDecisions Highlights: Leading the Changing Channel
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C.…
UX Best Practices for the Channel
Sign into the solutions or platform you’re using to manage your channel program.…
Views from the Summit: The Best of Channel Marketing
One of the best parts about working at Zift is celebrating our customer successes!…
People, Process, and Platform = High-Performance Wins
It’s the season for spring sports. Zifters debate over the Stanley Cup in…
Customer Experience & the Channel: On Being a Customer Experience Advocate
After years of leadership as a product manager and product marketing in software…
Channel Partners Expo Superstar: Meet Juan Johnny Rico!
At the recent Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Zift had the…
Keep It Simple: Managing a Stable ChanTech Stack
Remember those towers of blocks where, one by one, you take out supporting blocks…
Make Yourself Heard: The Importance of Social Media Branding
Having a social media presence as a business is a no-brainer. The influx of…
Rule Your Channel Kingdom with ECM
Imagine, if you will, you’re the ruler of a kingdom -- or seven kingdoms, even.…
Passing the Torch: The Changing Channel Workforce
Channel folks, let’s talk. The channel is changing, though that’s a given. It…
Welcome to the Future. Welcome to ZiftONE.
Last week, we officially launched ZiftONE. ZiftONE embodies years of channel…
Measure the Health of Your Channel with Assessments
When something isn't right, whether it's your car, your pet or yourself, you're…
SEO in 2019: 4 Paths to Success
It’s 2019, and SEO strategies have changed (for the better). Gone are the days of…
Email Deliverability: How to Land in Contacts’ Inboxes
You draft. You revise. You test. And test again. And test some more, just for good…
WeChat: The Social Media Giant You Should Be Paying Attention To
“So, what’s the deal with WeChat?” That was the question among coworkers and I…
5 B2B Companies Doing Social Media Right
You’ve heard it -- and perhaps even felt it. B2B social media isn’t always fun. B2B…
Misalignment Mayhem: Defeat Your Channel Challenges
What problems are hitting your channel program hard? Do you feel up against the…
The Art of Social Listening
You’ve got your social media accounts set up on the usual suspects: Twitter,…
Inside Zift: Margaret Clair & Channel Engagement
Margaret Clair has been a Zifter since 2010 and has seen her fair share of change…
Think Again: Using Predictive Analytics and ABM to Your Advantage
How can you implement Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and make smarter, more…
The ChanTech Challenge: Build Vs. Buy
First, I thought it was a rumor. But this topic is popping up in conversations more…
Easy Listening: Can’t-Miss Tracks from Essential Channel Visions
Alright, I admit it: I’m a millennial. An avocado-on-toast, phone-toting,…
Channel Visions: Sage’s Self-Serve Philosophy
“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you…
The Inside Scoop: What’s Up & What’s Next for Zift Solutions
2018 was a huge year for Zift Solutions. Industry analysts, insiders, and channel…
Leaving the Library: Getting the Most Out of Your CMM Platform
Shh! You’re in a library. Or are you? I’ve noticed a trend of suppliers and…
How Are High-Performing Partners Getting Ahead?
I sat down on the Heads in the Cloud podcast with hosts David Portnowitz and Graham…
Leaving Money on the Table: A Vendor/MSP Love-Hate Story
I travel constantly. If you don’t already know me, you’ve likely seen me or will…
Top 10 Channel Chatters of 2018
We were chatterboxes this past year -- and for good reason. We had a lot to share.…
Is Your Partner Portal Coming to Play or Win?
What’s the main difference between any old partner portal and a partner portal…
The Season of Giving: Zift’s Annual Holiday Program Returns
My kids are big country music fans. Maybe you’ve heard the Luke Bryan song, “Most…
More than Carnival Prizes: Qualities Your Incentives Program Should Shoot For
If there’s one thing people love, it’s rewards. Whether it’s enticing friends to…
Innovation and Inspiration: Takeaways from Women of the Channel East
The channel is changing. We say it all the time, but as inclusivity moves to the…
Not So Dazed and Confused: Refining Your Messaging to Partners and Customers
We’ve all received a text and immediately thought to ourselves, “What?” Just that:…
Solving for Success: How to Streamline Partner Onboarding & Speed Time to Sales
It’s the eternal equation: Suppliers + Channel Partners + X = Faster Onboarding…
Inside Zift Q&A: Meet Krista Fuller and Her Passion for Product Marketing
What brought you to Zift? Leadership and understanding have always been top of mind…
Digital Marketing Grab Bag: What We Brought Back from the Definitive Digital Marketing Gathering
On November 14 and 15, I went to the Internet Summit, the destination for the…
Lost in Translation: Connecting with International Partners
During a recent trip to Mexico to attend a friend’s wedding, an animated…
What the Channel Can Learn From Veterans
Soldiers think differently. We’re five steps ahead. We know 100 percent of every…
Don’t Just Take Our Word for It
It’s one thing to claim you are a market and industry leader. It’s quite another to…
Reaching the Peak of Partner Engagement
Exactly how are you inspiring your channel partners to reach higher and go further…
Check Off Your 2019 Channel Resolutions
It’s that time of year again. You’re gearing up for another Q1 and another fresh…
5 Examples of Click-worthy Trends for Partner Communications
Writing content partners will actually engage with is harder than it sounds,…
Cheers to Our Channel Leaders & A Pint of Partner Engagement
You know me. I’m the Southern guy, who loves pimento cheese, soccer and channel…
Missed Opportunities: The Importance of Partner Onboarding
A better partner onboarding experience will: Create an immediate positive…
Square Pegs or Future Icons?
I work closely with industry analysts on a regular basis in my role at Zift -- and…
Think You Know What Your Partners Want? Think Again
People are people, and we tend to be stubborn when it comes to what we think is…
Hurricane Buckets & Boots on the Ground
I live in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Hurricane Florence just took a spin.…
Channel Visions: Staying Focused on the Partner
Like most of us, I sometimes struggle with focus. I can feel it, even now as I’m…
5 Marketing Best Practices for Your Channel Program
Recently, I presented at Viavi’s Americas Partner meeting, and I’ll be covering…
Ten Reasons to Love Our New Website
We’re pretty excited about our new website. That’s a slight understatement,…
Superpowered Capabilities in Purpose-Built Portals
Your partners may need a hero. Sure, there’s no burning building or cat stuck in a…
Turn the Page for Partner-Friendly Campaigns
You walk into a bookstore. You aren’t sure what you’re looking for, but you know…
I Can See My Future with You
From the moment you saw it, you knew. You clicked around, figured out their pros…
When Trucking Meets B2B Marketing
Breaker one-nine, this here's the Rubber Duck, You got a copy on me Pigpen? C'mon.…
Channel Visions: Three Investments for Happy Partners
The internet loves a good list. I'm as guilty of this as the next person online. A…
Keep in Touch: The Importance of Launching Campaigns When Rebranding
Technology innovations and the expanding global economy have led to rapid…
Two Sides, One Reality: Overcoming Branding Changes in the Channel
Marketing isn’t easy in B2B channels. Branding efforts can be even tougher.…
Channel Visions: What Partners Need to Succeed
One of the biggest pieces of advice we’ve seen offered to channel programs…
GDPR and the Channel: Three Brands Changing the Marketing Game
Last time, Laz Gonzalez talked about how marketers need to update their…
Channel Visions: Partner Engagement & ROI
If there’s one thing marketers are passionate about, it’s data to back up…
GDPR and the Channel: We’ve Updated Your Marketing Policies
“We’ve updated our privacy policy.” How many times have you seen this…
Channel Visions: Creating the Perfect Partner Experience
The one thing that can be counted on in the channel is change. Whether it’s…
Marketing Misalignment in Manufacturing: Lessons Learned from the MAPI Summit
I recently had the opportunity to lead a series of round-table discussions…
Channel Visions: Creating a World Class Channel Program
If you’re running a partner program, you know how much work it takes to keep…
VEGAS, BABY! See You at SiriusDecisions Summit 2018
I know what you’re expecting. A snazzy little blog about the awesomeness of…
Channel Visions: Channel Technology Built for Growth
Though Gwenn Lazar navigates the channel with ease now, she wasn’t always so…
Three Tips to Navigate the Changing Channel
If you’ve been in channel marketing for more than a couple of years, you’ve…
Channel Visions: It’s a Matter of Trust
Trust is one of the most important facets of any working business relationship.…
Zeroing in on the Right Suspects: Where to Look for Partner Recruitment Success
You're constantly on the hunt for them. Your program can't exist without…
Pamper Your Partners by Putting Them First
One of the toughest aspects of managing a channel marketing program is…
One and Done? Not in Channel Marketing
As the NCAA Final Four draws to a close with the National Championship…
The Importance of Providing Partners with Relevant, Engaging Content
Channel marketing has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years.…
Rules of Engagement: Getting and Keeping Partners Engaged
There exists a type of partner that companies dream of working with - the…
Channel Expertise and a Bite of Pimento Cheese
I love pimento cheese. Seriously love it. A Southern classic, it’s the taste…
How Zift Became the Global ChanTech Standout: What’s Next and What’s In It For You
I just spent a great week in Cary, NC, working with the entire Zift Solutions team…
Top 10 Channel Chatters of 2017
There was plenty to chat about in the channel this year. Check out the most…
Share the Warmth: Zift’s Annual Holiday Giving Program is Back
As we celebrate the holiday season, the team at Zift has been reflecting on the…
5 (More) Reasons to Automate your Channel Now
If your organization has built a successful and growing channel program, you…
Zift Acquires Elastic Grid
As we’ve grown and worked with channel leaders across every industry and hundreds…
Who Ya Gonna Call? Ghostbusters, PRM, and You
I love Halloween movies. If Tim Burton directed it, you will find me watching it…
Five Tips to Organically Grow Your List
The lynchpin of a good digital marketing campaign is your list. The hunt for new…
From Content to Conversion – Moving your Buyer through Every Stage of the Sales Funnel
Following my last blog post on KPIs, I think the topic of conversions and…
3 is a Magic Number: Driving Higher Channel Performance through Integration
If you grew up in the 70s, like me, you learned, "3 is a Magic Number" watching…
Digital Advertising KPIs: Your Keys to Measuring Performance
No matter what content you create and/or what platforms you are using, setting…
Pillars to Build a Successful Channel Strategy
Bradford Giles, vice president of channel marketing for Cayan is back in a second…
Channel Visions: Becoming a Better Business Partner in the Channel
The point of sales (POS) systems market is growing more competitive. As a…
Moving Past the Merger: People, Processes & Partnership
The merger of Zift and Relayware has been an exciting process. We’ve worked hard…
Why Channel Technology Must Integrate or Face Extinction
As our regular readers know, Zift has been focused on the vision of…
The Workhorse of Lead Generation: Creating Webinars that Still Work
The other day we were having a conversation in the office about the pros and cons…
Changing the Channel: Zift is Merging with Relayware
We’ve got some big news: Zift Solutions has just announced our intent to…
The Deal on Leads
Lead management and deal registration, two critical components of channel sales and…
Channel Breakthrough: Tapping into the Power of Partner Currency
At the recent Channel Breakthrough LIVE event in Boston, I learned a few things…
Adapt or Fail: Evolving with Today’s Channel
As the channel landscape continues to evolve, suppliers and their channel partners…
Prepare for Global Domination: Zift Adds WeChat
During the past decade, social media has reshaped the sales landscape along with…
Time is Money: Why Channel Tools Matter
Tegile Systems knows how to build and sustain strong channel partner relationships…
SiriusDecisions Summit 2017: Must See Channel Sessions
We just touched down in Vegas and are ready to roll at SiriusDecisions Summit 2017.…
Dispatches from Dell EMC World 2017 Global Partner Summit: 3 Best Practices for Digital Marketing in the Channel
Photo courtesy Sarah Locke @Social4Sarah This week, I had the privilege of speaking…
Watch Your Partnerships & ROI Bloom with PRM
If you haven’t already, it’s time to shed those winter coats and take a peek…
Love, Trust & Leads – A Manufacturer’s Channel Story
Trust. The cornerstone of any good relationship. And as we found in a recent study…
Part 2: Overcoming Account Based Marketing Obstacles in the Channel
In my previous Channel Chatter post, I explained why Account-Based Marketing (ABM)…
Overcoming Account-Based Marketing Obstacles in the Channel (Part 1 of 2)
The Holy Grail of sales has long been the warm lead. It’s far easier to sell to…
One is the Loneliest Number
At a recent event, I overheard a supplier talking about demand creation and…
Zift Solutions – Spring has Sprung World Tour 2017
Event season is in full bloom and Zift Solutions will be hitting the road to meet…
Create a Data-Driven Manufacturing Channel
Recent research from Zift and MAPI shows that nearly 80 percent of manufactures are…