Changing Channels

Poly’s Nick Tidd on Redefining the Value of Technology

Nick Tidd, vice president of global channel sales at Poly, joins Channelnomics’ Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss how vendors can better meet customers’ evolving technology needs.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way the world thinks about work as employees grew accustomed to using their own devices and technology platforms. Now, as employees return to the office, they’re seeking the same rich technology experience to which they’ve become accustomed. Employers are stepping up to meet employees’ demands, upgrading their existing technology, but in many cases, they’re rendering their old equipment obsolete in the process.

While upgrading office technology benefits workers, it also raises the question of what to do with the old equipment. In getting rid of this gear, businesses lose money and jeopardize their sustainability efforts if they don’t dispose of it with an eye to the long term. Considering the current supply-chain shortages, letting go of that old equipment seems like an avoidable waste of resources.

One company addressing this issue is videoconferencing vendor Poly, which has long been a key player in providing offices with the proper devices for communication. Now, Poly is breathing new life into seemingly worthless equipment with its upgrade program, Poly Renew. By offering customers vouchers for new devices if they turn in their old equipment to its partners, Poly is using the program to fill demand for the products customers now want. Simultaneously, Poly is providing a sustainable way for old devices to be disposed of and even refurbished.

Nick Tidd, vice president of global channel sales at Poly, joins Channelnomics’ Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss how Poly Renew is protecting the end-user, redefining the value of technology, and enabling partners to play a vital role in the renewal process.

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Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.  

 

Episode Resources

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa

Guest Nick Tidd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicktidd/

Google Cloud’s Sandeep Gupta on Driving Fluid Collaboration

Sandeep Gupta, Lead of Strategic Partnerships at Google Cloud, joins Channelnomics Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss how Google Workspace can help ensure productivity and meaningful connection for everyone during this transitory time. 

Spurred by difficult conditions wrought by the pandemic over the past two years, the world’s been forced to adopt more flexible, fluid work arrangements. Mobile devices, persistent high-speed Internet, and cloud-based applications make working from home relatively easy, and during this adjustment period, options for collaboration have emerged in ways we didn’t think possible before 2020. 

While working from home – and from anywhere – has its advantages, the primary goal of today’s collaboration solutions is to best enable individuals and teams to stay connected in a meaningful way and maximize productivity. 

Everything is about collaboration, regardless of where workers are. Now more than ever, users need a smooth, effortless way to communicate, share, and produce. As the world ventures even further into a hybrid environment, it’s imperative to build on what we’ve learned over these past two years.  

One company that’s making flexible collaboration and productivity its prime mission is Google with its Google Workspace collection of tools, software, products, and services. Workspace is a solution that caters to everyone – individuals, IT managers, teams, and entire businesses – to ensure that they remain linked securely and on the same schedule. 

Channelnomics invited Google, a partner in our recent cloud research, along with Ingram Micro Cloud and Microsoft, to join us for our latest podcast. Sandeep Gupta, Lead of Strategic Partnerships at Google Cloud, spoke with Channelnomics Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to explain how Google Workspace enables fluid collaboration and helps businesses achieve consistent productivity in these uncertain times.  

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Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/  

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Channelnomics  

  

Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production 

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.   

 

Episode Resources 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa 

Guest Sandeep Gupta: linkedin.com/in/sandeep-gupta-5626bb2 

 

Credits 

Production: Changing Channels is produced by Modern Podcasting. For virtual content capture and video-first podcasts, check out http://www.modpodstudio.com. 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa 

Voice-Over: Denise Quan 

Channelnomics’ Larry Walsh on the 7 Truths About the Channel’s Long Tail

Channelnomics’ Larry Walsh discusses the debate around the true value of the channel’s long tail and explains some of the misconceptions about this cadre of partners.

By definition, the long tail is a collection of partners that contribute little and are considered low-value on an individual level but generate a large sum of revenue collectively. In practice, the long tail is a concept that few in the channel completely understand and even fewer know how to address. That begs the question: Can the long tail truly be leveraged?

There’s always been debate about the long tail’s value. Is it a treasure trove of untapped opportunity, rich with partners that, if nurtured, can yield high performance? Or is it an illusion that vendors chase in pursuit of growth that’ll likely never come to fruition? There’s no simple answer.

Vendors across the industry are constantly looking to improve their growth and revenue. The long tail can potentially help or hinder that. There are many common misconceptions about the long tail, some so ingrained that vendors and partners may not realize they’re off track. By taking the time to better understand the long tail and get to the root of its composition and dynamics, vendors will be better able to make intelligent decisions about programs and strategic development initiatives around this group of partners.

In this episode of Changing Channels, Channelnomics host Larry Walsh shares seven indisputable truths about the channel’s long tail and why they matter to channel chiefs and leaders.

 

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Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Channelnomics 

 

Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.  

 

Episode Resources

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa

 

Credits

Production: Changing Channels is produced by Modern Podcasting. For virtual content capture and video-first podcasts, check out http://www.modpodstudio.com.

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa

Voice-Over: Denise Quan

Cisco’s Denzil Samuels on Driving Better Customer Experiences

Denzil Samuels, vice president of the global CX Partner Practice at Cisco, joins Channelnomics Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss how vendors can enable partners to meet shifting customer experience expectations. 

Customer experience is the new name of the game. While “the customer is always right” might not always be true in practice, what is certainly true is that as the technology market shifts to a service-based model, customer experience is the deciding factor for service success. Customers are looking for the best functionality, outcomes, and ease of use. When partners are part of service delivery, customers include in their experience perception things like accessibility, support, communications, and responsiveness.  

Vendors across the industry are looking to keep up, working on incorporating customer experience into their channel models. Telling partners to focus on customer experiences and outcomes is the easy part; delivering on that promise is the challenge.  

Even successful account management and a good customer relationship aren’t enough anymore. Customers are expecting their providers, whether vendors or partners, to make sure they get the best value out of their service investments.  

A vendor at the forefront of customer experience as a channel value proposition is Cisco. The company has long been a key player in supporting partners in their delivery of services based on its products. As the technical environment transitions, Cisco has begun enabling partners to use the data and intelligence derived from services to better understand and anticipate customer needs and take proactive measures, rather than react to service events and requests. The goal: a better overall experience and value as partners gain the ability to act before customers even recognize they have a problem or need. 

Cisco, like other vendors, understands that engagement and attention to customer needs is the answer to building and maintaining a successful service model. Enabling partners to meet these shifting customer experience expectations is the focus of the CX Partner Practice at Cisco. Denzil Samuels, head of that practice, joins Channelnomics Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss how Cisco translates customer experience to the channel.  

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Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/  

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Channelnomics  

  

Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production 

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.   

  

Episode Resources 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa 

Guest Denzil Samuels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denzilsamuels/ 

Credits 

Production: Changing Channels is produced by Modern Podcasting. For virtual content capture and video-first podcasts, check out http://www.modpodstudio.com. 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa 

Voice-Over: Denise Quan 

Secureworks’ Wendy Thomas on Securing Human Progress

Wendy Thomas, CEO of Secureworks, joins Channelnomics’s Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss how security services are instrumental in helping businesses keep up with the security arms race.

Security is an arms race. With each advancement in technology, hackers find ways of one-upping the defenders of a business’s digital frontiers. Security breaches always have consequences. In the past, a compromise could mean losing access to files or being blocked from mission-critical applications, both of which can lead to lost revenue. Today, though, in the increasingly digitalized world, the consequences of security breaches are increasing in the way of losses and costs – including putting national security at risk and human life in danger.

Innovation is bringing more resources and benefits to the world. This technical innovation, though, is creating more risk. The market doesn’t have enough security professionals to staff the end-to-end needs of businesses and individuals. Businesses struggle to acquire the technology and support required to protect their digital assets adequately. Evolution, it seems, has a downside.

A potential solution to the security conundrum is managed security services. Through the aggregation of technology and human-based expertise, managed security service providers (MSSPs) provide customers with access to leading technology and resources that cost-effectively scale. A leader in providing and supporting MSSPs is Secureworks, which is making securing human progress a cornerstone of its mission.

Wendy Thomas, CEO and President of Secureworks, joins Channelnomics’ Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss the evolving security needs of businesses, how managed security can scale to meet those evolving needs, and the role partners play in the delivery of security services.

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Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/  

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Channelnomics  

  

Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production 

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.   

  

Episode Resources 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa   

Guest Wendy Thomas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-thomas-7133283/

Credits  

Production: Changing Channels is produced by Modern Podcasting. For virtual content capture and video-first podcasts, check out http://www.modpodstudio.com.  

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa  

Voice-Over: Denise Quan   

Impact Pricing’s Mark Stiving on Product Pricing and Discount Strategies

Mark Stiving, chief pricing educator at Impact Pricing, joins Channelnomics’ Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to talk about pricing, discounting, and channel sales strategies.

 

No one wants to pay full price for anything. And people love winning. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that when it comes to the list price of products, people are always looking for a discount. They want to win a deal.  

Through partners, manufacturers often offer significant discounts on their products to meet this negotiation demand and avoid losing a sale. The question arises: Why does a list price even exist?  

It’s a question that Mark Stiving, chief pricing educator at the consulting firm Impact Pricing, relishes answering.  

In this episode of Changing Channels, Stiving explains how a product with a discounted list price creates a unique set of benefits for manufacturers. It makes the product more desirable and gives end users the impression that the product is of a higher value. Even so, it can be difficult for manufacturers to determine exactly how to price their products when they must consider the needs and desires of both distributors and end users. 

Stiving joins Channelnomics’ Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss why the concept of a list price persists and what manufacturers can do to best determine their ultimate selling price.  

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Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/  

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Channelnomics  

  

Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production  

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.  

 

Episode Resources: 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa  

Guest Mark Stiving: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

 

Credits  

Production: Changing Channels is produced by Modern Podcasting. For virtual content capture and video-first podcasts, check out http://www.modpodstudio.com.  

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa  

Voice-Over: Denise Quan  

Ingram Micro Cloud’s John Dusett & Channelnomics’ Chris Gonsalves on Cloud Trends and Opportunities

Channelnomics and Ingram Micro Cloud, with the support of Microsoft and Google Workspace, unveil the 2021 State of the U.S. Cloud Channel report, the fourth annual study on trends around cloud computing among resellers and service providers. John Dusett, executive director of cloud services in the U.S. for Ingram Micro Cloud, and Chris Gonsalves, senior vice president of research at Channelnomics, join Channelnomics’ Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to talk about strengths and weaknesses among resellers in the cloud segment.  

The 2021 State of the U.S. Cloud Channel report, an annual study conducted by Channelnomics with Ingram Micro Cloud and supported by Microsoft and Google Workspace, reveals how cloud-based products and services are becoming an increasingly more significant portion of channel partners’ revenue.  

As demand for cloud services grows, so too does the availability through the channel. The demand is pulling more partners into selling and supporting cloud services. The average channel partner sees the adoption of cloud computing into its portfolio as a means of capturing new sales, expanding business with existing accounts, and staving off competition. 

According to the research, the cloud computing pull is so great that 80% of channel partners plan to increase their cloud service and support capacity over the next year.  

While cloud computing is generating revenue and opening new opportunities for channel partners, not all is well. Partners remain under-resourced, lack in business planning, and are losing too many accounts at renewal time.  

In this special edition of Changing Channels, Channelnomics delves into the details of the fourth annual installment of the State of the U.S. Cloud Channel. Channelnomics’ head of research, Chris Gonsalves, talks about key findings of the study and how channel adoption and performance has changed over the past five years. Ingram Micro Cloud’s John Dusett talks about how the trends revealed in the report are translating into opportunities, challenges, and potential solutions for partners.   

 

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Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/  

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Channelnomics  

  

Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production 

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.   

  

Episode Resources 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa   

Guest John Dusett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndusett/ 

Chris Gonsalves: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-6a8241/ 

  

Credits  

Production: Changing Channels is produced by Modern Podcasting. For virtual content capture and video-first podcasts, check out http://www.modpodstudio.com.  

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa  

Voice-Over: Denise Quan   

Nutanix’s Christian Alvarez on Establishing Channel KPIs

Christian Alvarez, senior vice president of worldwide channel sales and all routes to market at Nutanix, joins Channelnomics’ Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to talk about creating meaningful and contextual channel key performance indicators (KPIs).

A common challenge among channel professionals is proving the relative worth of partner programs and productivity. Everyone knows that KPIs are essential for measuring and monitoring channel performance and success.

The question that vexes many channel professionals is this: What KPIs are most applicable to the unique circumstances and needs of different vendors?

When it comes to KPIs, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t exist, which leads channel chiefs to create metrics that don’t measure what matters. When this happens, doubt about the channel’s value creeps into the minds of senior management.

Measuring what matters in channel performance not only justifies the expense of working through partners but also provides data for planning future investments and sales coverage models.

In this episode of Changing Channels, Nutanix’s Alvarez shares his insights into how to identify the right channel KPIs and use them effectively in demonstrating the value of channel investments and their contribution to a company’s success. 

 

Follow us, Like us, and Subscribe!

Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Channelnomics 

 

Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.  

 

Episode Resources

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa  

Guest Christian Alvarez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianaalvarez/

 

Credits 

Production: Changing Channels is produced by Modern Podcasting. For virtual content capture and video-first podcasts, check out http://www.modpodstudio.com. 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa 

Voice-Over: Denise Quan  

Oracle NetSuite’s Craig West on Partner Enablement

Oracle NetSuite's Craig West joins Channelnomics' Changing Channels host Larry Wals to discuss the importance of continuous partner enablement. 

 

They say it takes money to make money. One of the ways vendors use money to make money is through the enablement of their partners. This investment leads to the creation and cultivation of partnerships that are – in many cases – more productive. Partners enabled through technology and sales training generate more revenue for their vendors.

While training and enablement are universally seen as a channel necessity, connecting the value to the outcome often proves elusive. The vendor community frequently treats training as episodic – only on an annual basis or with new product releases. Also, the training typically focuses on products, not workloads or what customers expect as outcomes. For the most part, training programs treated as onboarding checkbox items do little to speed time to market with new partners. As a result, there’s a disconnect between vendor intent, partner engagement, and customer experience.

One vendor that’s making enablement a core piece of its channel strategy and partner relationships is Oracle NetSuite. Through its SuiteLife program, Oracle NetSuite provides hands-on training and enablement that accelerate partners’ ability to take enterprise resource planning applications to market.

Craig West, vice president of alliances and channels at Oracle NetSuite, joins Channelnomics’ Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss making partner enablement more productive and persistent.

 

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Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Channelnomics 

 

Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.  

 

Episode Resources

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa  

Guest Craig West: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-west-17369b3/

 

Credits 

Production: Changing Channels is produced by Modern Podcasting. For virtual content capture and video-first podcasts, check out http://www.modpodstudio.com. 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa 

Voice-Over: Denise Quan  

 

 

Zebra’s Bill Cate on Working With Influence Partners

Bill Cate, vice president of marketing and channels at Zebra Technologies, joins Channelnomics’ Changing Channels host Larry Walsh to discuss the role of non-transacting partners in go-to-market strategy.

Partners come in various models and sizes. The common trait is that they sell and support technology products produced by vendors. At least that’s what conventional channel wisdom says. But the channel is replete with non-transacting partners – companies and professionals that influence end customer product consideration and purchasing decisions. Non-transacting partners range from IT resellers that see a sales opportunity but don’t have a relationship with the vendor to technology enthusiasts that recommend products to colleagues. Influencers and their cousins, referrers, are an increasingly important part of the go-to-market equation, as they help guide the customer through their purchasing journeys long before they engage a vendor or reseller. A company that’s plying the emerging influencer channel is Zebra Technologies, which is supporting and enabling non-transactional partners such as independent hardware vendors, consultants, technology partners, and systems integrators through its Alliance Partners track. Zebra recognized that gaining benefit from influencers requires an up-front investment – a risky proposition for a vendor that’s used to offering back-end incentives to motivate partners. In this episode of Changing Channels, Bill Cate, Zebra’s vice president of marketing and channels, talks about the role of customers in bringing influencers to the forefront, using alliance relationships to form and achieve common goals, and how to gauge the results of an influencer strategy.

 

Follow us, Like us, and Subscribe!

Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Channelnomics

 

Changing Channels Is a Channelnomics Production

Follow @Channelnomics to stay current on the latest #research, #bestpractices, and #resources. At @Channelnomics – the voice of thought leadership – we define #channel trends, chart new #GTM strategies, and #partner with industry leaders to champion #diversity in the channel.

 

Episode Resources:

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa

Guest Bill Cate: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billcate/

 

Credits

Production: Changing Channels is produced by Modern Podcasting. For virtual content capture and video-first podcasts, check out http://www.modpodstudio.com.

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa

Voice-Over: Denise Quan