Best of LinkedIn: Channel Marketing CW 37/38

00:00:00: This deep dive is provided by Thomas Allgaier and Frennus, based on the most relevant LinkedIn posts about channel marketing in calendar weeks, thirty seven and thirty eight.

00:00:09: Frennus is a B to B market research partner, helping enterprises translate market, customer and competitive insights into actionable strategies that drive growth and success across their channel and partner ecosystems.

00:00:22: Welcome to the deep dive.

00:00:25: Today, we're really cutting through the noise, skipping the fluff, we're diving straight into the strategic shifts, you know, the ones defining modern partner-led growth.

00:00:33: Yeah, our mission here is looking at how things like AI, structured programs, enablement, how they all converge.

00:00:40: Based on what B to B leaders were actually talking about on LinkedIn these past few weeks.

00:00:43: Exactly.

00:00:44: And for you, the B to B professional listening, this is... Well, it's essential.

00:00:47: The sources be looked at.

00:00:48: They're not just saying the channel's changing.

00:00:50: No, it's more urgent than that.

00:00:51: Right.

00:00:51: It's that the old ways, treating partnerships like some kind of ad hoc side project, that's actually hurting you now.

00:00:57: Yeah.

00:00:57: The real push is moving from that chaos to structured, programmatic, really revenue-driven ecosystems.

00:01:05: Okay, so let's unpack that.

00:01:06: Let's jump right into the top channel marketing insights, starting with the basics, program structure, and measuring value.

00:01:14: getting that clarity.

00:01:15: Yeah, that lack of structure.

00:01:17: It really is the bottleneck for scale.

00:01:19: Yeah.

00:01:19: Juhi Saha, she really nailed it.

00:01:22: Noted that if your partner ecosystem feels random.

00:01:24: Probably is.

00:01:25: Exactly.

00:01:26: And the reality for so many is their program is still just... While spreadsheets with logos.

00:01:32: Spreadsheets

00:01:32: with logos.

00:01:33: Oof.

00:01:34: That paints a picture, doesn't it?

00:01:36: Describes that messy middle syndrome perfectly.

00:01:39: You know, tons of partners, but maybe only a few actually driving pipeline.

00:01:42: Mm-hmm.

00:01:43: Lincoln acts on.

00:01:43: laid out three really practical.

00:01:46: kind of executive level steps to fix that structural mess.

00:01:50: And these are critical.

00:01:50: This is about moving the program out of just the marketing budget and making it core to the revenue strategy.

00:01:55: First step.

00:01:56: Go

00:01:56: on.

00:01:56: Prove the ROI.

00:01:57: Use something tangible like partner acquisition cost.

00:02:00: Pay.

00:02:01: Pay.

00:02:02: Why is that metric so critical here?

00:02:03: Well, because when the CFO sees partners actually cost less to acquire a customer than your own direct sales team.

00:02:12: That budget conversation, it shifts completely.

00:02:14: Right.

00:02:15: Suddenly the CFO is on your side, not fighting you.

00:02:18: Okay.

00:02:18: What were the other two steps?

00:02:19: Second, you've got to remodel the value network, which means, you know, ensuring comp neutrality.

00:02:25: Comp neutrality, making sure internal sales don't feel like partners are stealing their commissions.

00:02:30: Precisely.

00:02:31: If your sales leader thinks the partner cuts into their earnings, guess what?

00:02:35: the partnership stalls, dead in the water.

00:02:37: Yeah,

00:02:37: that makes sense.

00:02:38: And alongside that, you need airtight attribution.

00:02:40: Yeah.

00:02:41: Across sales, marketing, and the partner team, it all has to connect.

00:02:45: Okay, cop neutrality, airtight attribution, that's the oil in the engine, like you said.

00:02:49: And the third step, that's what the execution really kicks in, right?

00:02:52: Activation sprints.

00:02:53: Yeah, activation sprints.

00:02:54: And this isn't just like a one-off training day.

00:02:57: No.

00:02:57: No, it's focused.

00:02:59: Intense.

00:03:00: Often week-long bursts where your sellers and the partner account managers get together, code draft campaigns, build pipeline together.

00:03:07: Inside their existing tools, like the CRM.

00:03:10: Exactly, within their existing workflows.

00:03:13: Lincoln Axon highlighted this, that it's key to seeing something like Six-X, the partner source pipeline, because it becomes a shared effort, later lift for everyone.

00:03:21: Building that kind of system, that long-term structure, it also means rethinking some old channel.

00:03:26: beliefs, right?

00:03:27: Like the eighty-twenty rule.

00:03:28: Richard L was really challenged that, calling it basically a flawed strategy, focusing all your effort on just the top twenty percent of partners.

00:03:35: Yeah, his point was you're ignoring the huge potential in the majority of partners, the ones who might be dormant right now.

00:03:42: Why is that flawed though?

00:03:44: Isn't it efficient?

00:03:45: Well, think about it, that dormant eighty percent, they probably have ten other vendors vying for their attention.

00:03:51: So Ellis's solution is Build for the majority.

00:03:54: Be completely partner obsessed, always thinking, why IFM, what's in it for me, from the partner's view.

00:04:01: And give them a laser focused target.

00:04:03: A specific ICP, maybe a specific use case.

00:04:06: Something to help them generate revenue quickly.

00:04:09: Get some fast wins.

00:04:10: That focus on actually enabling the majority to succeed seems crucial.

00:04:16: Manisha Schauder made a great point to your channel program.

00:04:19: It's either your... fast growth engine

00:04:20: or your biggest missed opportunity.

00:04:22: Yeah.

00:04:22: And the difference really comes down to whether those partners are actually set up to succeed or if they're just well existing on that spreadsheet.

00:04:31: Which brings us right into execution, doesn't it?

00:04:32: Because all that structural clarity we just talked about, it has to translate directly into winning deals, especially in today's really complex GTM environment.

00:04:40: Exactly.

00:04:41: So let's shift gears a bit.

00:04:42: Let's talk co-sell, marketplaces, and these modern GTM mechanics, particularly with the hyperscalers playing such a big role.

00:04:50: What does it actually take to win those deals now in the cloud era?

00:04:53: You know, it really boils down to two things.

00:04:56: Good co-cell hygiene and very precise targeting.

00:04:59: Hygiene and targeting.

00:05:00: Yeah.

00:05:00: Diavian Mason and Vassalia S

00:05:03: really

00:05:03: emphasize this.

00:05:04: You absolutely must have a differentiated better together story why you and the partner are stronger combined.

00:05:11: Makes sense.

00:05:12: And crucially, you need a strict co-cell ideal customer profile.

00:05:18: an ICP specifically for co-selling.

00:05:20: You just can't spray and pray anymore.

00:05:22: That spray and pray approach feels completely dead now, especially with the rise of Marketplace is right.

00:05:28: Dr.

00:05:28: Nicole Weberknight hammered this point home.

00:05:31: She did.

00:05:31: Marketplace first is basically mandatory now, especially if you're talking system integrators, GSIs.

00:05:37: Why

00:05:37: mandatory?

00:05:38: Because enterprise buyers, they want to burn down their cloud commitments.

00:05:41: Those Azure, MACC agreements, AWS, EDPs.

00:05:45: That's a huge motivator for them.

00:05:47: So if you can't facilitate that through the marketplace.

00:05:49: We're slowing

00:05:50: them down.

00:05:50: You need to be able to package your services, maybe an ISV solution, into those multi-party private offers, MPOs, CPPOs.

00:05:57: If you can't, you're adding friction and you might just lose the deal.

00:06:01: That marketplace dynamic really demands intense focus on execution and visibility within those big platform ecosystems.

00:06:09: Absolutely.

00:06:09: Yousaf Ali had this pretty strong warning about inactive partner center accounts.

00:06:15: in the Microsoft ecosystem.

00:06:16: Yeah, that's a killer.

00:06:18: An inactive account.

00:06:19: It means you're missing incentives, you're not hitting thresholds.

00:06:22: And you're basically invisible to Microsoft sellers for co-sale opportunities.

00:06:26: Totally invisible.

00:06:27: It seems like a simple thing, but it's an incredibly costly oversight.

00:06:31: Easy to make.

00:06:32: hard to recover from.

00:06:34: And

00:06:34: sticking with Microsoft for a second, re-sparry flagged a really important process change too.

00:06:39: Oh

00:06:39: yeah, the IP Co-Cell deals.

00:06:41: Right.

00:06:41: Now you have to populate the solution area and the solution play when you share a deal in Partner Center.

00:06:47: It tightens things up, forces more rigor.

00:06:50: You can't just share some vague deal anymore.

00:06:53: It demands clarity right from the start.

00:06:55: You know, all this tightening around co-sell processes, it highlights a bigger shift in how we even measure partner impact.

00:07:01: Yeah.

00:07:02: Rick Flores had a strong critique of the old way.

00:07:04: The sourced versus influenced model.

00:07:07: Yeah, he basically said it's broken, too binary.

00:07:09: It just doesn't capture the reality of today's customer journey, which involves multiple touch points.

00:07:14: It really doesn't, because a partner might be involved in so many different ways.

00:07:18: Rick Flores actually proposed a new framework with four dimensions.

00:07:23: Four.

00:07:23: Okay, what are they?

00:07:24: Partner initiated, partner accelerated, partner closed, and partner delivered.

00:07:29: Initiated, accelerated, closed, delivered.

00:07:32: Wow.

00:07:33: Right.

00:07:33: It captures the full impact across the entire life cycle.

00:07:37: The data

00:07:37: integration behind measuring all four must be pretty complex, I imagine.

00:07:41: Oh,

00:07:41: for sure.

00:07:42: But it gives you such a more honest and frankly more actionable view of partner value compared to just asking, hey, did you source this lead?

00:07:49: Yes or no?

00:07:50: Yeah,

00:07:50: much more nuanced.

00:07:51: Exactly.

00:07:52: And that actually leads us perfectly into our third big theme, the partner experience itself.

00:07:58: How do we make sure the partnership is genuinely profitable and sustainable for the partner?

00:08:03: This

00:08:03: is crucial.

00:08:04: And Larry Walsh had this observation that was frankly kind of jarring.

00:08:08: What

00:08:08: was that?

00:08:08: He pointed out that vendor revenue targets often just don't translate into actual partner profit.

00:08:15: Well, we push partners to invest, right?

00:08:18: Training, certifications, hiring people, all to hit these high revenue numbers.

00:08:23: But the hidden costs for the partner to actually achieve those targets, they can often mean the partner ends up losing money just trying to reach that next tier level.

00:08:32: Ouch,

00:08:32: that's fundamentally unsustainable, which means vendor compensation models, they have to evolve.

00:08:38: fast.

00:08:39: Ryan Morris made this point really clearly.

00:08:41: If you're still rewarding partners like it's, I don't know, twenty fifteen, purely based on transaction volume, you're about to get lapped.

00:08:47: Seriously.

00:08:48: So the shift has to be towards recognizing value beyond just the moment of sale.

00:08:55: Recognizing that non-transactional stuff.

00:08:57: Precisely.

00:08:58: Think about pre-sales discovery, solution design work, implementation support.

00:09:02: all that critical activity.

00:09:04: Okay.

00:09:04: We're seeing a big move towards rewarding these essential non-transactional activities.

00:09:08: Yeah.

00:09:08: Often through points-based programs, the idea is ensuring partners get paid for the value they bring, even if they're not the ones holding the final contract.

00:09:15: Which ties directly into needing really top-tier enablement, doesn't it?

00:09:19: Absolutely.

00:09:19: Christina Karstensen emphasized this partner enablement.

00:09:23: That's how you win vendor preference when your partner works with ten other brands.

00:09:27: It requires that human touch, she said, and comprehensive assets that are actually easy for the partner to find and use.

00:09:34: Christina Scott gave a great tactical example, too.

00:09:37: She stressed needing a really solid campaign playbook in your partner kits.

00:09:41: Yeah, going beyond just product specs, what should be in it.

00:09:45: Things like buyer profiles, clear messaging, the differentiators.

00:09:50: But also, and this is key now, specific guidance on how AI can help the partner customize that content quickly for their own audience.

00:09:58: Making it immediately usable, about that.

00:10:00: But all this pressure, all this expectation for growth and better enablement, it seems to be taking a toll on the leaders themselves.

00:10:08: Yeah.

00:10:08: Greg Portnoy had an interesting take on burnout.

00:10:10: Oh yeah, what was his angle?

00:10:11: He argued that partnership leaders are burning out, but from success, not necessarily from failure.

00:10:16: Wait, from success, how did that work?

00:10:18: It's kind of a painful irony.

00:10:20: Because these leaders are often so incredibly resourceful, right?

00:10:24: They figure out how to do more with less using spreadsheets, manual processes.

00:10:29: But by doing that, they inadvertently teach their own executives that the program doesn't actually need proper funding or sophisticated tools to scale.

00:10:38: Wow.

00:10:38: So they become victims of their own success, their own resourcefulness.

00:10:42: The program grows, the workload explodes, but the resources don't follow because they prove they could manage without them initially.

00:10:50: That is a really powerful warning.

00:10:52: You have to set expectations early about needing resources after you prove the initial model before the stale just breaks everything, including the leader.

00:11:00: Okay, let's move to our final theme.

00:11:02: And this one really feels like the thread connecting everything, AI, ecosystems and the future of growth.

00:11:08: This seems like the core technology driving the next phase.

00:11:10: It really does.

00:11:11: And AI isn't just some distant hype anymore.

00:11:14: It's becoming like the strategic operating system for the ecosystem.

00:11:18: How so?

00:11:19: What are the practical applications?

00:11:21: Well... Trevor Burnett listed several things AI is already doing, validating deal registrations in real time, spotting pipeline gaps, and recommending the next best partners to engage.

00:11:31: OK, that's useful.

00:11:32: Personalizing enablement based on actual partner behavior, not just guessing, and automating compliance checks at scale.

00:11:39: Imagine the time saved there.

00:11:41: That's

00:11:41: a huge amount of manual work just lifted off the channel manager's shoulders.

00:11:45: Yeah.

00:11:45: Asher Matthew reinforced that too, right?

00:11:47: Mentioned real world uses.

00:11:48: Yeah, like automating QBR decks.

00:11:50: quarterly business reviews and speeding up those often really tedious partner onboarding workflows using AI to make it faster and smoother.

00:11:58: TJLR gave a super specific, really impactful example related to co-selling.

00:12:03: Ah, using tools like PartnerPlex AI.

00:12:06: Exactly.

00:12:06: To automate cloud co-sell wind wires.

00:12:09: Okay, explain that.

00:12:10: What exactly is a wind wire and why is automating it such a big deal?

00:12:13: So the wind wire is basically the proof point.

00:12:15: It's the documentation you need to show the hyperscaler like Microsoft or AWS that the co-sell partnership worked.

00:12:22: that have resulted in a win.

00:12:23: And that proof is critical for getting more support.

00:12:26: Exactly.

00:12:27: It secures more funding, gets more attention from their sales teams.

00:12:31: It gets that whole co-sell flywheel spinning faster.

00:12:34: Automatingness, which was historically a kind of thankless manual job, it completely changes the game for demonstrating ROI.

00:12:43: back to the hyperscaler.

00:12:44: Got it.

00:12:45: So AI isn't just internal efficiency, it's key to succeeding with the big platforms.

00:12:50: Right.

00:12:50: And this deep integration of AI, it just reinforces the absolute imperative of alliances and ecosystems today.

00:12:57: Artanavadiya pointed to those huge integrations we're seeing, like Microsoft working with Anthropic, AWS involved.

00:13:04: It's proof that even for the biggest companies, alliances accelerate revenue way faster than trying to go it alone.

00:13:10: The future she described was many vendors to one customer orchestrated seamlessly.

00:13:15: Orchestrated

00:13:15: seamlessly, that's the key.

00:13:17: It requires deep integration.

00:13:18: And that rapid evolution, particularly driven by AI, it's forcing major changes from the top vendors down.

00:13:25: Dr.

00:13:25: Petri Salonen noted this.

00:13:26: Yeah, he argued that AI transformation is actually bigger than previous tech shifts.

00:13:30: And it's prompting vendors like Microsoft to really rigorously review their entire channel structure.

00:13:36: Which means what for partners?

00:13:38: likely increased requirements, especially for indirect resellers and probably some consolidation.

00:13:44: Smaller partners or those without that clear structure and value proposition we talked about earlier might struggle to keep

00:13:52: up.

00:13:53: Okay, so let's try and summarize the core message from all this.

00:13:57: For strategic channel marketing today, what are the absolute must-dos for growth?

00:14:02: I think it boiled down to maybe three key things.

00:14:04: First, you have to move decisively past those messy spreadsheets.

00:14:08: You need programmatic execution, built on a clear revenue architecture, and KPIs you can actually track and verify.

00:14:14: Right, structure and measurement first.

00:14:15: What's second?

00:14:16: Second, you absolutely must rebalance your compensation.

00:14:20: Reward partners generously for the non-transactional value they bring across the entire customer journey, not just for closing the deal.

00:14:26: Recognize

00:14:27: the whole contribution.

00:14:27: Makes sense.

00:14:28: And third.

00:14:29: And finally, embed AI.

00:14:32: Not as some side project or tool experiment, but as a fundamental strategic operating system.

00:14:37: Use it to accelerate enablement.

00:14:39: Tighten up that co-cell hygiene.

00:14:41: Ensure platform compliance.

00:14:44: It's mandatory now for staying relevant, especially in that hyper-stayler world.

00:14:48: Programmatic execution, rewarding total value, and embedding AI strategically.

00:14:53: That's quite a list.

00:14:54: That's a lot of work for today's channel leader.

00:14:56: It is.

00:14:56: You know, think about scaling all this.

00:14:58: Amy Avalos made a really sharp point.

00:15:00: She noted that partner programs can only really scale what is already working in your main go-to-market motion.

00:15:05: They amplify success.

00:15:07: They don't fix a broken GTM strategy.

00:15:09: That's

00:15:09: a critical point.

00:15:10: Partners aren't magic bullets for a flawed core strategy.

00:15:14: Right.

00:15:14: So that leaves us with a final maybe provocative thought for you, our listener, to chew on.

00:15:20: Given that partners scale what's already working, what part of your existing GTM motion are you most worried about scaling effectively with partners?

00:15:27: Where are the potential cracks?

00:15:29: If you enjoy this deep dive, new additions drop every two weeks.

00:15:32: Also, check out our other additions on AccountBase, Marketing, Field Marketing, AI, and B to B Marketing, MarTech, Go To Market, and Social Selling.

00:15:39: Thank you for listening and remember to subscribe.