Channel Management - Luck or Method?

CHANNEL

MANAGEMENT

It is not luck. It is method.

What You’ll Learn:

• What is the best channel strategy for your

objectives?

• How to find and develop the right partners?

• Are your investments driving the right partner

behaviors?

• Are you compelling verses your competition?

• How well is your team driving results?

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READY?

LET’S START BY DISPELLING SOME MYTHS.

FIRSTChannel partners survive through

relationships.

SECONDChannel partners seek more than

technology from their vendors.

FINALLYChannel partners respond to

vendor programs.

Sowhy exactlyshould you care?

Channel partners are how you

get your products and services to

market..

You can influence the customer and

You can shape the offering presented.

But it’s the Channel Partner’s drive,

capabilities and skills that will determine whether

customers buy and how they will feel about you.

In other words…

YOU NEED THEM.

MORE THAN THEY NEED YOU.

AND THAT CAN BE VERY SCARY.

VERY, VERY SCARY!

DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT CHANNEL PROGRAM?

WOULD YOU KNOW IF YOU DID?

OR WORSE,

DID NOT?

YOU REALLY SHOULD KNOW.

• Get clear on your strategy.

• Know who delivers value.

• Leverage your competitive assets.

• Invest to drive the right behaviors.

• Strengthen your team’s results.

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SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?

FIRSTKnow your goals.

SECONDKnow the capabilities of your

channel partners.

FINALLYUnderstand if you’re driving the

right behavior.

YOU NEED TO KNOW.

EVEN IF IT DOESN’T LOOK GOOD.

DON’T WORRY,

IT USUALLY DOESN’T

LOOK GOOD.

LET’S GET TO KNOW

WHETHER YOU KNOW!

READY?

DO YOU KNOW THE BEST CHANNEL

strategy FOR YOUR OBJECTIVES?

HAVE YOU MADE THE RIGHT CHOICES?

Objectives Strategies

Value

Chain

Business

Model

GIVEN YOUR STRATEGIC INTENTIONS

Market economics

Customer preferences

Scale and complexity

Transaction control

Managed relationships

Alliances

Margin structure

Programmatic capabilities

Customers served

Solutions offered

Core Competencies

Competitive strengths

Market expansion

Product extension

Customer acquisition

Convergence & consolidation

Objectives Strategies

Value

Chain

Business

Model

Do you have the right plan?

and it is working?

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO FIND AND DEVELOP

THE right partners?

Know who delivers value.

And who does not.

Only then can you manage your investment.

HAVING THE RIGHT ECOSYSTEM IS ESSENTIAL.

Coverage

Capability

Commitment

Capacity

Coverage

Capability

Commitment

Capacity

Total Impact Index

x

x

x

=

DO YOU KNOW YOUR CHANNEL IMPACT INDEX?

YOUSHOULD!

DO YOU KNOW WHETHER YOUR investment

DRIVE THE RIGHT PARTNER BEHAVIORS?

HOW DO YOU currently DECIDE HOW TO INVEST?

Your gut instinct?

Your competitors?

Your pocketbook?

In other words…

You guess!

What’s even worse…

THE RESULTS YOU ARE SEEKING MAY NOT BE THERE.

Measures

Outcomes

Structure

Scale

3.71"

3.7

1"

PARTNERS

Customers

Solutions

Attainments

Benefits

INVEST TO DRIVE THE

RIGHT BEHAVIORS.

DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE compelling

VERSES YOUR COMPETITON?

YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO OFFER.

TO BE more compelling THAN YOUR COMPETIOTION.

YOU CAN CONTROL THE VARIABLES.

Partner Economics

MARGIN COSTS BENEFITS

YOU CAN CONTROL THE VARIABLES.

Market Momentum

DEMAND STRENGTH

Joint Alignment

FIT RELATIONSHIP

BUT YOU NEED

CLARITY.

TO GENERATE VALUE..

DO YOU HAVE THAT CLARITY?

DO YOU KNOW WHETHER

YOUR TEAM IS DRIVING results?

IS YOUR TEAM WELL ALIGNED?

MAYBE NOT.

and

that’s OK.

REMEMBER: YOU’RE BUILDING A TEAM

A STRONG TEAM.

WORK ON THEIR WEAKNESSES.

ENCOURAGE THEIR STRENGTHS.

AND MAKE THEM BETTER.

MYTH:

GOOD PEOPLE

ARE ENOUGH.

FACT:

APPROACH IS

OFTEN AS IMPORTANT

AS YOUR PEOPLE .

DISCONNECTDECISIONS DON’T STICK.

DISCONNECTPEOPLE DON’T COMMUNICATE WELL WITH EACH OTHER

DISCONNECTTHE INCENTIVES DON’T MATCH THEIR GOALS.

DISCONNECTTHE TOOLS & PROCESSES DON’T FIT THE NEEDS

DISCONNECTTHE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT ARE UNCLEAR

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TEAM’S PERFORMANCE?

Unstructured

Basic

Functional

Robust

BE FLEXIBLE.

BE DISCIPLINED.

BE RESULTS DRIVEN.

DO YOUR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

MAKE THEM BETTER INDIVIDUALS?

MAKE THEM A BETTER TEAM?

• What is the best channel strategy for your

objectives?

• How to find and develop the right partners?

• Are your investments driving the right partner

behaviors?

• Are you compelling verses your competition?

• How well is your team driving results?

1

2

3

4

5

SO WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW?

can help you know.

ABOUT TOUCH BUSINESS CONSULTING

Touch Business Consulting provides strategy, operations and executive

communications consulting services for companies in the technology,

manufacturing, financial services, and healthcare industries. We are

recognized leaders in partner strategies and operations. Touch Business

Consulting is part of Touch Worldwide that provides brand experiences.

Together we provide clients with powerful business solutions.

Visit us at www.touchbc.com

Contact us at: [email protected]

or (888) 732-6777

© 2009 Touch Business Consulting. All Rights Reserved. www.touchbc.com