Best of LinkedIn: Channel Marketing CW 17/ 18

00:00:00: This episode is provided by Thomas Allgeier and Frennis, based on the most relevant LinkedIn posts about channel marketing in calendar weeks seventeen and eighteen.

00:00:09: Frennis is a B to B market research partner helping ICT and tech providers identify niche-channel partners.

00:00:16: If you look at the data right now, fifty-seven percent of BDB companies are sitting in cloud marketplaces.

00:00:29: But like less than five percent of their revenue is actually coming from them.

00:00:33: think about that gap for a second.

00:00:35: we're treating these trillion dollar hyperscaler ecosystems like passive amazon dot com storefronts and then were wondering why the pipeline?

00:00:47: So today we are cutting through the noise.

00:00:49: We're doing a deep dive into the top channel marketing trends across LinkedIn from the past couple of weeks And

00:00:54: this is really zero fluff mission for you guys listening.

00:00:57: We're unpacking a massive shift.

00:00:59: partner ecosystems Are just they rapidly moving away from those old relationship driven models?

00:01:04: Moving entirely toward Revenue infrastructure models, which brings us to our first theme right co-sell as revenue infrastructure.

00:01:14: I mean, co-sell is easily the biggest buzzword in B to be right now.

00:01:18: Oh

00:01:18: absolutely everyone says they do it.

00:01:20: Everyone

00:01:20: claims that but internally its often a total mess.

00:01:23: i tend like a high stakes relay race, you can spend millions recruiting the absolute fastest runner.

00:01:32: The

00:01:33: top tier partners?

00:01:33: Exactly!

00:01:34: The most aggressive direct sales reps.

00:01:36: but if you haven't actually practiced the baton pass it doesn't matter how fast they run...the baton just hits the floor.

00:01:42: and the Baton isn't just a warm intro anymore

00:01:44: right?!

00:01:44: It's a massive data payload.

00:01:46: It is.

00:01:47: The account context, the pricing history and this aligns perfectly with something Orlando Nato posted recently.

00:01:53: He argued that moving to a partner led go-to market doesn't actually create new gaps in your organization.

00:01:58: Wait what does it do then?

00:02:00: It relentlessly exposes the gap so we're already there.

00:02:03: Oh

00:02:03: wow!

00:02:03: So essentially its stress test for entire revenue operations

00:02:07: A brutal one Like if you marketing team isn't talking about sales ops team attribution A partnered deal will immediately highlight that fracture.

00:02:16: It forces you to coordinate across silos.

00:02:20: And, you know, Sugata Sanyal pointed out that code cell programs usually fail because they miss absolute structural basics

00:02:27: like what?

00:02:27: Well two things.

00:02:29: first

00:02:30: trusted account data.

00:02:31: if your team is still using manual spreadsheets the map accounts Your data is stale.

00:02:36: The exact second You hit save.

00:02:38: Yeah!

00:02:38: You need live API overlap

00:02:40: Exactly.

00:02:41: But the second piece you got to mention is one that really dictates behavior.

00:02:45: Comp and neutral incentives.

00:02:46: Oh, compensation math!

00:02:48: That's The Real Driver?

00:02:49: Always

00:02:50: If your direct account executive gets say ten percent on a direct deal but only five percent if a partner is involved.

00:02:55: They are going route around that partner every single time

00:02:58: Every Time Because the Direct Rep views their partner as attacks of income.

00:03:03: they aren't being malicious they're acting rationally based upon the math You gave them

00:03:06: Even if the partner could close it faster which was crazy.

00:03:09: Yeah.

00:03:10: So a comp neutral policy isn't just a nice cultural perk.

00:03:13: It's mandatory requirement.

00:03:15: But okay, even if you fix the comp structure The operational stuff can still pill you.

00:03:21: Barrett King had this really brilliant warning about this

00:03:23: SLA Warning right?

00:03:24: Yeah

00:03:25: You recruit the partner, you fixed the comp and rep is motivated And then your direct sales team unintentionally suffocates the deal because they don't have service level agreement.

00:03:34: it's silent killer

00:03:36: totally.

00:03:37: Barrett advocates for a strict forty-eight hour SLA.

00:03:41: If a partner brings you warm lead, risking their own reputation they need documented response in two days!

00:03:48: And you do need rules of engagement document too?

00:03:50: Yes...

00:03:51: Who sends the calendar invite?

00:03:53: Does the partners stay on call?

00:03:55: If you don't define that handoff feels like hostile takeover to customer…

00:03:59: That partner will never ever bring into account again.

00:04:02: They'll protect client over your software.

00:04:05: So let me play devil's advocate for a second, if internal cost selling is this painful like rewiring CRM data changing compensation rigid SLAs why are we doing this?

00:04:17: Why not just hire more direct reps?

00:04:19: Greg Portnoy shared some data that answers that definitively.

00:04:23: when co-selling has actually executed properly it delivers eighty percent larger deal sizes eight percent eighty percent and forty six percent shorter sales cycles.

00:04:34: So you're basically cutting the sales cycle on half and doubling the deal value.

00:04:37: Exactly, You just can't get those metrics through cold outbound anymore.

00:04:41: But it requires a mindset shift.

00:04:43: Rob Moyer captured this quote.

00:04:45: He said companies need to treat co-selling as a distinct coachable skill

00:04:49: not Just a feels in Salesforce.

00:04:51: right most teams just put A cosale checkbox into CRM And assume The job is done.

00:04:56: but To win you have to train for like you trained For objection handling.

00:04:59: Okay, so let's say you do all that internal work.

00:05:01: You fix the math, you train the team...you still have to send those deals somewhere to transact

00:05:06: Which brings us to cloud marketplaces.

00:05:08: Exactly!

00:05:09: Theme two Marketplace monetization.

00:05:12: Because like Tiratigan said, fifty-seven percent of companies are in there But barely driving any revenue.

00:05:19: It feels like marketers are misreading how these platforms work.

00:05:22: They're treating AWS and Azure Like a digital shopping mall.

00:05:26: Yeah.

00:05:26: Like foot traffic just magically turns into pipeline?

00:05:29: Just set up the passive storefront

00:05:31: and wait!

00:05:32: And Kuiang Luo pointed this out about AWS Marketplace.

00:05:35: startups get their listing approved, they sit there.

00:05:37: but AWS marketplace is infrastructure it's not a sales

00:05:41: channel.

00:05:41: Let's double click on that.

00:05:42: What's practical difference for marketer?

00:05:44: Infrastructure vs Sales Channel?

00:05:46: So A sales channel implies platform brings buyers to you.

00:05:50: Infrastructure means platform provides roads But...you know You still have drive car.

00:05:56: Right, you have to connect the CRM.

00:05:57: Yeah, connect the crm via API route custom negotiated contracts through an AWS private offer.

00:06:03: if You don't wire your go-to market into that billing infrastructure The listing does nothing.

00:06:07: Penny Vanderpoll saw the exact same thing over in the Azure ecosystem.

00:06:12: Software vendors launch and app And it just sits dormant.

00:06:16: but Benny's data shows That partners running active co-sell motions grow fifty one percent faster

00:06:22: because they're using the marketplace as the transactional vehicle at the end of a human campaign.

00:06:27: Right, which connects to Pete Zaris' concept.

00:06:41: Marketers try to take them to lunch,

00:06:44: which is completely useless now.

00:06:46: They don't have the bandwidth to be your BDRs.

00:06:49: PSMs are load balancers.

00:06:50: they want a scale proof in motions.

00:06:52: So what does a proven motion actually look like?

00:06:54: It means bringing him a documented history of co-sell wins.

00:06:58: A pristine profile sure but mostly you need repeatable play.

00:07:01: Your team already closed.

00:07:02: You showed on the math.

00:07:03: we ran this close.

00:07:04: three accounts drove This much consumption and then will scale it.

00:07:08: they

00:07:08: amplify What works.

00:07:09: they don't invent your value prop

00:07:11: Exactly, and Joe Cicero said Microsoft sellers operate the exact same way.

00:07:15: They don't want a twenty minute meeting about your founder's story.

00:07:18: they

00:07:18: wanna hit their quota

00:07:19: right?

00:07:19: They want to know how you're platform Story helps them drive Azure consumption or Microsoft.

00:07:24: three hundred sixty five seats.

00:07:26: well speaking of hyperscaler incentives Right now all that leaves two one place.

00:07:30: theme Three Microsoft ecosystem signals an AI.

00:07:35: Oh, yeah.

00:07:36: The hyperscalers are desperately trying to load balance AI across the enterprise

00:07:40: and the rules of ecosystem credibility Are changing fast?

00:07:43: Diego Rodriguez highlighted this with the launch of Microsoft.

00:07:46: three sixty five e seven an agent.

00:07:48: Three sixty-five.

00:07:49: the market has matured so quickly there right

00:07:52: Diego noted we're past that.

00:07:53: does this a I actually work phase?

00:07:55: We are firmly in the.

00:07:57: how do we govern this phase?

00:07:58: CIOs or terrified of data leaks.

00:08:00: So the opportunity for partners is governance accelerators, managed AIOX.

00:08:05: And the window to establish yourself there is closing.

00:08:07: ARP and Chowdery warned about this.

00:08:09: with the Anthropic Ecosystem systems.

00:08:11: integrators are waiting to see what happens but ARP argues you have to secure a lighthouse deployment introduction now

00:08:17: not just proof of concept.

00:08:18: no proof-of-concept is a sandbox.

00:08:20: yeah a lighthouse means alive paying enterprise client getting a measurable business outcome.

00:08:26: without that your cosale story is just theoretical.

00:08:31: Okay, every tech provider on LinkedIn claims to be an AI governance expert right now.

00:08:35: How do you actually prove your credibility to Microsoft so that you don't get lost in the noise?

00:08:40: You have to submit their new auditing frameworks.

00:08:43: USAFLE brought up a new Microsoft Support Services designation – it is very harsh filter.

00:08:49: It's not just paid for gold badge anymore Not

00:08:51: at all!

00:08:52: You need a CSAT score of at least four point two out five from thirty distinct enterprise customers Plus, independent third-party audits of your tech and support resolution rates.

00:09:02: That is heavy!

00:09:02: That requires an insane customer success operation.

00:09:05: It does And Microsoft's making that designation a hard filter in the marketplace.

00:09:09: soon Buyers will just toggle switch to only see audited partners.

00:09:13: If you haven't done their work You face total visibility wipeout A

00:09:16: TOTAL VISIBILITY WIPEOUT.

00:09:17: THAT IS

00:09:18: TERRIFYING.

00:09:19: IT REALLY IS.

00:09:20: And speaking of vanishing, Rob Fegan raised this massive red flag about broken attribution.

00:09:25: He pointed out partners are doing the heavy lifting influencing deals and leaving six figure incentive checks completely unclaimed...

00:09:33: Because automated systems literally don't know they exist?

00:09:35: Yes!

00:09:36: Rob said it's because the partner's RevOps team fails to file the CPR, The Claiming Partner of Record.

00:09:42: Like if you influence a Microsoft-Microsoft-MICROSOFT-DEPLOYMENT You have to digitally link your partner ID To their Azure tenant id via API.

00:09:51: And If that linkage breaks?

00:09:53: The domino effect is catastrophic!

00:09:55: The microsoft rep doesn't get quota relief.

00:09:57: So they hate you...you don't Get points for support services designation

00:10:01: and the money just vanishes..You're a ghost in this machine Which honestly forces us to look at the profile of a person running this whole thing.

00:10:08: It

00:10:08: has to change entirely.

00:10:09: It does!

00:10:10: Theme four, partner leadership evolution.

00:10:13: Richard Steves argued that channel account manager role is shifting from relationship manager To revenue architect.

00:10:19: Running a twenty fifteen playbook in a twenty-twenty six GTM engine just gets you fired.

00:10:24: You can't buy coffees and present slide decks anymore.

00:10:27: And Brandon Sizemore added to this.

00:10:29: He said, measuring partnership revenue on manual spreadsheets is fundamentally a RevOps

00:10:35: problem.

00:10:36: Right!

00:10:36: You're holding partner leaders accountable for Revenue but they don't own the systems that track it.

00:10:41: They

00:10:41: are cross-referencing Slack messages with CRM notes.

00:10:44: It's absurd

00:10:45: and that systemic failure Is why Craig Booth noted That average Partner Leaders last less than twenty four months.

00:10:52: They are operating inside unstructured systems that just cannot produce predictable performance.

00:10:59: Opportunistic partnering is dead,

00:11:01: but let me challenge.

00:11:02: That what if the revops?

00:11:03: Is solid The attribution works the portal is clean.

00:11:07: What if the partners just aren't engaging like they're inactive?

00:11:10: well

00:11:10: to narrow be and Blake Williams had a great conversation about this.

00:11:12: They said your partners aren't in active there.

00:11:15: Just bidding on someone else's program.

00:11:17: ouch their matching your ideal customer profile.

00:11:20: There's not mentioning you name

00:11:21: exactly Because most vendors only incentivize the closed one deal.

00:11:26: But, The heavy lifting...the Intel gathering.. ...The warm intro that happens mid-funnel.

00:11:31: If you don't reward that behavior They'll go to a vendor who does

00:11:35: So.

00:11:35: looking at all this.... The complex data models... The SLAs... The AI audits How does BtoB marketer pull these together without losing their mind?

00:11:44: I

00:11:44: think Harold Horgan's Square Peg theory is the best way to look at it.

00:11:48: He says, ninety percent of channel partnerships fail because vendors build process where they should have built trust first.

00:11:54: What's a square peg in this?

00:11:55: The square peg is the vendor's rigid internal process...the mandatory portal logins and certifications..The round hole is partners actual daily workflow.

00:12:05: Vendors try force the peg with hammer by adding more processes Which

00:12:08: just feels like micromanagement.

00:12:10: Yeah And the partner mentally check out.

00:12:12: Harold points out that discretionary effort, a partner's willingness to invest their political capital into your product is the only currency that actually produces revenue.

00:12:20: Discretionary effort?

00:12:21: You really can't force a partner to care with a CRM dashboard!

00:12:26: You know, we've spent this whole deep dive in the operational weeds CPOR private offers API's but at the end of day with AI automating account mapping and marketplaces automating.

00:12:37: The transaction yeah mechanical parts of marketing are becoming totally commoditized.

00:12:42: So the only true competitive moat left for BWB professionals is human trust.

00:12:47: How are you earning your partner's trust before?

00:12:49: That deal even exists.

00:12:50: that something you really have to think

00:12:51: about it.

00:12:52: absolutely the dividing line right there.

00:12:54: if you

00:12:54: enjoyed this episode new episodes drops every two weeks.

00:12:57: Also check out our other editions on account-based marketing,

00:13:08: field.