Sometimes I wonder whether IT vendors are all drinking from the same pool of water. Over the years, we’ve noticed that enquiries about our training come in waves. For a long period of time, it was basic channel management skills. Then it was presentation skills. And then financial acumen skills… then executive conversations… then business … Continued
It’s not often you have a conversation that makes you question whether the advice you’ve been giving for 15 years still applies. But that’s exactly what happened to me last month. In fact, it happened twice, with two different organisations, both exploring models that challenged some fairly established channel thinking. For years, we’ve encouraged partners … Continued
I promised myself I wouldn’t write another Trump article. The first one – Ten Lessons From Trump For Channel Managers – was meant to be a one-off. Then came Six Lessons from the Trump-Harris Debate for PAMs. Surely that was enough. But the past few months have provided such a steady stream of examples of … Continued
The beginning of every year is usually accompanied by predictions from analysts, research firms, and the press. New technologies. New models. Big shifts that are just around the corner. But whenever I read these predictions, I am often reminded of something Bill Gates once said: “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the … Continued
Over the past few months, I’ve attended several partner events, and a consistent theme keeps emerging – everyone’s talking about AI. Not just as a product feature, but as a force reshaping what customers expect from their partners. And nowhere is that more evident than in the managed services space. For years, many MSPs built … Continued
Last month, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Nick Verykios and Scott Frew on their ChannelTalks podcast. The topic was based on my earlier post “How’s that ‘100% Channel’ Strategy working for you?” and covered everything from the importance of customised channel strategies, to the need for defined profitability beyond margin (eg. services, … Continued
So many partner programs today look great on paper – neatly tiered, logically structured, and beautifully branded – but are completely misaligned with how partners actually do business. Vendors create elegant, structured frameworks, while partners build flexible, adaptive models that shift daily based on customer needs. The result is that partners have evolved faster than … Continued
Having spent over 30 years in this industry, I’ve seen some bad behaviour from partners. But to a large extent it’s often a reaction to bad behaviour from vendors. So with a surname like mine, it seemed kind of obvious that I take a leaf out of the Bible and lay down my 10 commandments … Continued
In my experience, the number one reason partner strategies fail isn’t anything inside the partner organisation itself – it’s something else within the vendor’s own business. Misalignment. Too often, partners aren’t embedded in the overall vision, mission, or strategy. Many vendors keep pouring money into expensive direct sales models (even when those teams underperform) yet … Continued
Ok, so you’re a vendor who’s “100% channel”. Great! But is it working for you? Because I meet a lot of vendors who say they have a “100% channel” model but still complain about lacklustre results from non-performing partners. If that’s you, my guess (based on having assisted more than 180 vendors over the last … Continued
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