Podcasts about global channels

http://www.sherylkline.com/blogI had the great pleasure of interviewing Rachel Tuller, Vice President Global Channel Sales at Autodesk. Rachel discusses her career journey, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and overcoming challenges. She highlights her non-linear career path, starting as a technical trainer and evolving through various roles. Rachel credits her success to leveraging transferable skills and the support of mentors like James Mundell. At Autodesk, she emphasizes the importance of understanding the company culture, building trust, and establishing executive relationships. Rachel advised new executives to create a stakeholder map, have a clear plan, and leverage available resources. She stresses the balance between collaboration and confidence in driving success.Key takeaways from this interview:0:01:15 Rachel's family history of professional women inspired her to be a "fearless female" and pursue impactful work that helps others.0:02:40 Rachel's career path has been a "lattice, not a ladder" with many opportunistic moves, and she emphasizes the importance of transferable skills.0:04:38 Rachel advises feeling the fear and taking action despite imposter syndrome, building quiet confidence in one's capabilities.0:10:18 As a woman in technology, Rachel embraced being unique and owning her position, focusing on performance over gender.0:16:09 In her new role at Autodesk, Rachel focused on building trust and credibility by aligning, adapting, and accelerating.0:21:53 Rachel emphasizes the importance of balancing collaboration with confidence, being clear about expectations and owning her expertise.0:25:28 Rachel's advice for new executives includes having a plan, working the plan, and leveraging resources like coaching and mentors.If Rachel's story resonated with you, I'd love to hear yours. Let's connect and explore how you can apply these principles to your leadership journey. Book a call with me today to share your story and take the first step toward fearless leadership.If you're interested in being featured on the Fearless Female Leader podcast, please email me at info@sherylkline.com.

In this Thursday episode of the SMB Community Podcast, host James Kernan talks with Mike Anderson, Director of Global Channels for EZDMark. They discuss the importance of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) in improving email deliverability and protecting domains from spoofing. Mike shares his journey from the car business to technology, and explains how EZDMark's user-friendly analytics platform aids MSPs in managing DMARC concerns and monetizing these services. They highlight the platform's risk assessment tool, which allows MSPs to generate quick, customized risk assessments to attract potential clients. The episode concludes with details on special promotions and the simplicity of onboarding with EZDMark.   Chapter Markers: 00:00 Introduction to SMB Community Podcast 00:54 Meet Mike Anderson from EZDMark 01:58 Mike Anderson's Journey into Technology 03:08 Understanding EZDMark and DMARC 04:33 EZDMark's Unique Features and Benefits 06:34 The Power of EZDMark's Assessment Tool 10:31 Onboarding and Special Promotions 14:06 Final Thoughts and Conclusion   New Book Release: I'm proud to announce the release of my new book, The Anthology of Cybersecurity Experts! This collection brings together 15 of the nation's top minds in cybersecurity, sharing real-world solutions to combat today's most pressing threats. Whether you're an MSP, IT leader, or simply passionate about protecting your data, this book is packed with expert advice to help you stay secure and ahead of the curve. Available now on Amazon! https://a.co/d/f2NKASI   Sponsor Memo: Since 2006, Kernan Consulting has been through over 30 transactions in mergers & acquisitions - and just this past year, we have been involved in six (6). If you are interested in either buying, selling, or valuation information, please reach out. There is alot of activity and you can be a part of it. For more information, reach out at kernanconsulting.com

We speak with Craig Patterson, Senior Vice President of Global Channels at Aryaka Networks, where he leads the company's channel strategy worldwide, enabling alignment across partner sales and marketing teams and programs in North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC). Patterson joined Aryaka Networks as Channel Chief and Vice President of Sales - Americas in September 2021 where he led go-to-market strategies within the agent, reseller and distribution channels in North America, including the launch of the Aryaka Accelerate Global Partner Program. Prior to Aryaka, Patterson was the West Division Vice President for Lumen's indirect channel. In this role, he led all sales and revenue strategy for a $1 billion organization within the Lumen Channel Partner Program and managed more than 100 sales professionals. Before joining Lumen, Patterson was a founding member of the Level 3 Channel Partner Program, where he grew revenue from $0 to $500 million over 15 yearsAryaka has an increasing focus on channels in the APAC region with a commitment and investment in the region in terms of expanding the Aryaka team and partner recruitment. Aryaka have recently hired two senior additions to the team in Hong Kong and Singapore, to gain increased traction in the regional with partners and customers. Aryaka as an organization are doubling down on the SASE market with their partners in APACRecorded by MySecurity Media as media partners to the Canalys APAC Forum, Bali, 2-4 December 2024. #pax8 #mysecuritytv #canalys

If you work in this industry you know how hard it is to keep ahead in a world that always seems to be pivoting. Streaming, fast channels, multi-platform media brands – who can keep up?Well, one fella is Jamie Schouela, President, Global Channels and Media at Blue Ant Media. I caught up with Jamie a few weeks ago in Toronto when I was asked to moderate a CTAM panel on the future of the industry from a cable perspective. He leads the strategic direction and operations for the company's streaming and linear networks, as well as digital, print and consumer event properties. The companies' brands include Love Nature, BBC Earth, T+E, Makeful, HauntTV, Cottage Life and many more.He's also busy spreading Blue Ant content around the world. Here he is, one of the good guys, Jamie Schouela.

In this episode of Partnerships Unraveled, we interview Michelle Ragusa-McBain, VP of Global Channels at SonicWall, about building a successful channel program by listening to partners and acting on their feedback. Michelle explains how SonicWall's "outside-in listening" approach shaped their SecureFirst program, making it more flexible and partner-focused.We dive into the specific changes the SonicWall team made to meet partner needs, like introducing flexible consumption models and offering Market Development Funds (MDF) to support co-marketing efforts. Michelle also shares how trust and long-term relationships have kept SonicWall's partners loyal for decades.Additionally, we discuss the role AI plays in both enabling partners and defending against cyber threats. Michelle explains how SonicWall is using AI to improve support, training, and protection against cyberattacks, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated.Join us as we explore practical ways to strengthen partner programs, use AI effectively, and maintain trust in a competitive industry.Connect with Michelle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleragusamcbain/_________________________Learn more about Channext

With the rebranding of Autodesk University, innovation in construction, and advancements in cloud technology, what lies ahead? Live from Autodesk University 2024, Rachel Tuller of Autodesk joined the podcast to discuss the importance of the company's reinvention, a closer look at the hybrid model of cloud and desktop solutions, and how successful global partnerships are crucial to solve complex customer problems. Rachel Tuller is Vice President, Global Channels at Autodesk. With a background at Cloudera, Rachel carries a history of wins in AI ISV and Cloud Alliances, driving daily success with partners. Her expertise lies in strategic leadership and building high performing teams, skills honed through direct experience with global partner sales and ecosystem strategy. TODD TAKES Reinvention is Key in Construction: In today's construction world, staying the same just isn't an option. The companies that keep pushing forward—updating their tools, refining their processes, and keeping an open mindset—are the ones that thrive. Reinventing continuously helps tackle industry challenges head-on, creating room for exciting new opportunities and growth. Data and AI: Game Changers with a Plan: Data and AI have huge potential to reshape construction, but without a clear plan, they can create more noise than value. The key is to know exactly what data to gather, how to use it, and what insights matter most. When approached strategically, AI and data aren't just trendy tools—they're the powerhouse behind smarter, faster decision-making. Leverage the Power of Partnerships: No company needs to go it alone; in fact, working with trusted software providers and partners is where the magic happens. Partners bring specialized knowledge and solutions that can be fine-tuned to fit local needs, making innovation easier to implement and scale. With the right partners, companies can stay agile, grow stronger, and meet changing demands head-on. Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts. Bridging the Gap Website Bridging the Gap LinkedIn Bridging the Gap Instagram Bridging the Gap YouTube Todd's LinkedIn   Thank you to our sponsors! Applied Software Applied Software LinkedIn   Other Relevant Links: Rachel's LinkedIn Autodesk

In this episode of Play the King, Win the Day, host Brad Banyas speaks with John Midtbo, VP of Global Channels and Alliances at airSlate. They discuss the importance of document automation, the role of partnerships in business growth, and how airSlate is positioning itself in the global market. John shares insights on building a successful partner program and the value of collaboration in achieving mutual success. The conversation highlights the innovative solutions airSlate offers and encourages potential partners to engage with the company. Key Takeaways:John Midtbo has 20 years of experience in software and channel programs.Airslate has over 1.2 million customers and 200 million in revenue.The company focuses on product-led growth and automation solutions.Partnerships are crucial for reaching a global market.airSlate's products can streamline various business processes.The company aims to build a best-in-class partner program.Successful partnerships are based on mutual value propositions.airSlate provides extensive support for its partners.The market opportunity for document automation is vast.Engaging with potential partners is a priority for airSlate.Learn More:www.airslate.comPlay the King, Win the Day!*wisdom to power your success.

Vonage Names Kristy Thomas Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances “The channel is a critical part of that growth strategy,” says Kristy Thomas, Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances for Vonage. “Today, the channel is critical to Vonage. A majority of our revenue that comes into our organization is through indirect routes to market. Just two months ago Kristy Thomas returned to Vonage, now as the new leadership role. “We'll continue to invest in the channel as a route to market.” That commitment aligns with Ericsson, which is also committed to the channel. Ericsson completed the acquisition of Vonage in 2022. We learn that Kristy sees a value approach as the way forward in the Vonage's support of the partners and in turn what the partners are offering their customers. “By bringing that value and being an extension to the IT buyer or additional stakeholders within an organization, the relevance of an MSP or technology advisory firm is stronger than it ever has been because there's just so much noise out there. I say that it is also our job at Vonage to educate our partners on market trends, on what's happening from a buyer behavior, what are best practices when buying communications or CX technology so that they can be more relevant to their customers and helping them make an informed decision when there's so much going on.” “Now more than ever, businesses are looking to technology advisory firms or MSP firms to help them make informed decisions on technology buying because innovation is happening so fast,” Kristy adds. With that in mind, Kirsty gives us a glimpse of more opportunities for the partners as we learn about leveraging AI. Visit www.vonage.com

Partner advisory boards (PABs) or councils (PACs) are integral components of many vendor channel programs, serving as crucial platforms for direct and candid dialogue between vendor leadership, channel managers, and partners. These forums allow vendors to gain valuable insights into their current operations and gauge partner sentiment regarding future plans and aspirations. While most vendors acknowledge the significance of PABs in their partner programs, the effectiveness of these forums can vary. Inconsistent execution or a lack of actionable feedback can diminish their value. Successful PABs require careful planning, coordination, active listening, and, most importantly, a genuine commitment from vendors to foster an environment where partners feel encouraged to engage meaningfully. Ivanti, a provider of security and IT management software, exemplifies the impact of a well-executed PAB. Through its robust advisory board, Ivanti gathers crucial insights and direction directly from its partners. In this episode of Changing Channels, Michelle Hodges, Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances, shares her expertise on what it takes to successfully produce and leverage partner advisory boards for mutual benefit. Check out Channelnomics's Partner Advisory Board support resources: PAB Management & Support Services: https://channelnomics.com/pab/ Partner Advisory Boards: A User Manual: https://channelnomics.com/partner-advisory-boards-a-vendor-user-manual/ Choosing the Right Feedback Event: https://channelnomics.com/choosing-the-right-event/   Follow us, Like us, and Subscribe! Channelnomics: https://channelnomics.com/ LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2NC6Vli X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/Channelnomics     About Larry Walsh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lmwalsh2112/ X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/lmwalsh_CN Official Bio: https://channelnomics.com/team/larry-walsh/   About Michelle Hodges LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellewhodges/   Changing Channels is a production of Channelnomics, a brand of 2112 Enterprises LLC   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.    © 2112 Enterprises LLC

Learn how to drive channel success by leveraging AI with Craig Patterson, SVP of Global Channels at Aryaka. Craig brings his wealth of experience to reveal how Aryaka's channel-first strategy drives over 90% of its revenue by fostering trusted relationships with enterprise clients. Learn about the transition from transactional to value-driven engagements, the changing dynamics in global markets, especially Europe, and the critical role flexible purchasing options play in meeting customer needs.We venture into the future of AI in channel go-to-market strategies. Whether it's prospecting, customer engagement, or support, find out how AI is making sales processes more efficient and effective. Don't miss this packed episode full of actionable insights!Connect with Craig on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/globalchannel/_________________________Learn more about Channext

Software manufacturers routinely tie up with resellers to get their foot into the federal market. So why would a software company that is already in every department, sign-up with another reseller after 50 years in the market? It may have to do with artificial intelligence. For more on software distribution and technology trends, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked with the Vice President of Global Channels for SAS, John Carey. And with the VP of Intelligence and Innovative Solutions at Carahsoft, Michael Shrader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Software manufacturers routinely tie up with resellers to get their foot into the federal market. So why would a software company that is already in every department, sign-up with another reseller after 50 years in the market? It may have to do with artificial intelligence. For more on software distribution and technology trends, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked with the Vice President of Global Channels for SAS, John Carey. And with the VP of Intelligence and Innovative Solutions at Carahsoft, Michael Shrader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview, Rob Scott from UC Today is joined by Mark Bunnell, Chief Operating Officer from NUWAVE and Todd Surdey, Head of Global Channels & Business Development at Zoom.Together, they explore Zoom's Distributor Program for Partners and how NUWAVE is streamlining the experience for partners who are looking to fully leverage the Zoom Phone and Bring Your Own Carrier offerings.Discussion points include:What is the Zoom Partner Opportunity and why is it currently in high demand?How can partners profit from using Zoom's platform?As a key partner of Zoom, what benefits does NUWAVE offer to other partners?What type of partners would find Zoom's Distributor Program most beneficial?NUWAVE's solution explained - features and partner benefits

Wendy Petty is the Chief Revenue Officer at WorkFusion, a leading provider of automation solutions for Fortune 500 enterprises, banks, and financial services companies. She has a career in sales spanning over 30 years, with experience in advanced technical expertise, developing influential relationships, and sales education. Some of Wendy's prior positions include Chief Sales Officer at Erwin Inc., Executive Director of Global Channels at Verizon Enterprise Solutions, and 10 years at FalconStor Software. In this episode… Enterprise sales are inherently challenging with a high barrier of entry. These prospects tend to be exceedingly reserved and hesitant to invest in new ideas. For sales teams in this field, it takes an extra level of strategy and dedication to ensure a close. Wendy Petty has firsthand experience with these difficulties. Her extensive career has led her to a leadership position at WorkFusion, working in the world of enterprise sales. She has led herself and her team to continued growth, and now explains how she did it. In this episode of the Revenue Engine Podcast, Alex Gluz interviews Wendy Petty, the Chief Revenue Officer at WorkFusion, to talk about the most important aspects of enterprise sales. They discuss her career, some of the greatest lessons she's learned, and building relationships with potential clients. They also discuss the role metrics and marketing play in sales.

On this episode, Steve Stewart, Head of Global Channels at Smartsheet — a project and work management and collaboration platform — speaks about how Smartsheet went about building their SaaS partner program journey. When they first started fleshing it out, they only had resell partners. Today they invest in high-value-add solution partners. Smartsheet boasts 185 professional services partners with YOY growth of 284%. They have grown this type of partner in a big way because not only is it core to the value proposition but also core to having a fantastic ecosystem of services delivery for both the company and the partner community. Step number one was asking the right questions and interviewing a lot of partners and then defining what it is they wanted from their partners. Steve explains the Smartsheet partner strategy and partner types and goes through their ideal partner profile and how their channel OKRs align with strategy. He also discusses the Smartsheet partner ecosystem with best-in-class partner support, new partner learning pathways and selling channel value-add internally. Note: SaaS Connect 2023 will take place in San Francisco April 19th and 20th. If you would like to be a sponsor, please contact us at admin@cloudsoftwareassociation.com for information. #saas #software #cloud Thank you to our amazing podcast team at Content Allies. Want to launch your own B2B revenue-generating podcasts? Contact them at https://ContentAllies.com.

On this episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast – Interview Series I am joined by Daren Finney, Senior Vice President, Global Channels for Mitel. Our conversation takes a look at how customer lifestyle management can be a game-changer for UC vendors and also their customers. In our conversation we discussed the following: Daren gives a short overview on Mitel, and why customers continue to choose Mitel A look into Customer Lifestyle Management (CLM) and how it impacts Mitel and the UC space A walk through on how the Customer Lifestyle Management changed during Covid Why customers should get excited about CLMs and what the benefits are to end-user customers It was a great conversation and one you won't want to miss. To learn more about Mitel, check out their website here.  

On this episode, we had Daren Finney, Senior VP Global Channels at Mitel on the Channel Chat podcast. Mitel is a global market leader in business communications. Founded nearly 50 years ago, they help businesses and service providers connect, collaborate, and provide innovative services to their customers. Their innovation and communications experts serve business users in more than 100 countries.   We got great insights from Darren, as he shared how to cultivate a culture of hybrid working, what a good partner program looks like, and why he made the move to leave Citrix. There were also some pretty raw opinions on topics as well which might get Marc Sumner in trouble and DM's coming in You won't want to miss this! Streaming on all platforms, follow Channel Chat Media for the latest podcasts and news! Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast... Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/6pTjEZS​​

Whether it's expanding to new markets or tackling crises… Everything is easier with the right partner by your side. Just ask Brian Allison, Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances at Snow Software, whose career has spanned everything from scrappy startups to leviathan corporations — and he has never seen one that couldn't be improved by the right partners. Join us as we discuss: - How to categorize partners - The 3 C's of a good partner - The challenges of scaling — and how partners help you overcome them - Why customer success is the key to partner success Here are some additional episodes featuring other ecosystem leaders that might interest you: - #121 Aligning Ecosystem Strategy with Your Customer as the North Star with Lara Caimi, Chief Partner Officer, ServiceNow - #122 There's No Easy Button For Partnering with Nicole Napiltonia, VP Of Alliances and OEM Sales, at Barracuda - #106 The Secrets to Managing Alliances Like Microsoft with David Totten, Chief Technology Officer, US Partner Ecosystem at Microsoft - #97 Why Quality Always Beats Quantity in Software Ecosystems with Tom Roberts, Senior Vice President at the Global Partner Organization over at SAP. Links & Resources - Learn more about how WorkSpan helps customers accelerate their ecosystem flywheel through Co-selling, Co-innovating, Co-investing, and Co-marketing. - Subscribe to the Ecosystem Aces Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcast. - Join the WorkSpan Community to engage with other partner ecosystem leaders on best practices, news, events, jobs, and other tips to advance your career in partnering. - Find insightful articles on how to lead and get the most out of your partner ecosystem on the WorkSpan blog. - Download the Best Practices Guide for Ecosystem Business Management - Download the Ultimate Guide for Partner Incentives and Market Development Funds To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about modern partnering, he can be reached on Twitter, LinkedIn, or send Chip an email at: chip@workspan.com This episode of Ecosystem Aces is sponsored by WorkSpan.

As we head into 2022, let's take a deep dive into the state of the channel and how channel partners perceive Zero Trust. In a conversation that takes us from North America to LATAM and EMEA and APJ, we explore the value and importance of channel partners in spreading adoption of Zero Trust.Guests:Fiona Doak, Director of Channel Sales EMEA, Appgate; Tina Gravel, SVP of Global Channels and Alliances, AppgateModerator:George Wilkes, VP of Demand Generation, AppgateVisit www.appgate.com for more Zero Trust security resources.

Scott Cunningham is the Senior Director of Global Channels at OwnBackup, the leading data backup, archiving, and sandbox seeding app on the Salesforce App. In this episode, Scott Cunningham delves into how to strategically create influence, where to find partners who will accelerate the sales process, and why employers need to start using incentives other than gift cards. Visit Salesloft.com for show notes and insights from this episode.

Eric Rosenkranz serves as the Executive Channel and Partner Engineering Leader on Google's North America Senior Leadership Team. As the senior Americas leader on the Global Channels leadership team, he leads a multibillion-dollar operation that has achieved exponential growth multiple times since joining in 2016. Eric also Chairs the North American Partner Governance Council and North America Partner Advisory council at Google.

Tina discusses the benefits of a zero trust model

On this episode, we had Ben Fallon, Senior Director, Global Channels at Cisco Meraki on the Channel Chat podcast. Cisco Meraki is a cloud-managed IT company, headquartered in San Francisco California. Their products include wireless, switching, security, enterprise mobility management, and security cameras, all centrally managed from the web. Marc Sumner sat down with Ben to discuss his journey into Cisco Meraki, sharing his advice for candidates who are looking to get into the IT Channel, and what sets Cisco Meraki apart from other Vendors! You won't want to miss it.

Join David Nour and Randy Seidl for this episode of the Sales Community Tech Sales Insights podcast with Cheryl Cook, SVP of Global Partner Marketing at Dell Technologies. Beyond her main global responsibilities for branding, partner program marketing, channel events, partner communications, and MDF/BDF program investments and execution, Cheryl drives long-term partner marketing strategy, together with Global Alliances, OEM, and global and regional business teams. A vocal advocate for the partner community, Cheryl is a 20+ year partner veteran, known as an innovative, collaborative leader who creates compelling business solutions that accelerate partners' success. Prior to her current role, Cheryl served as Vice President, Global Channels and Alliances, leading channel strategy for the company worldwide. Her responsibilities included setting Dell's partner strategy company-wide, as well as developing and executing channel programs, training, certification, and global marketing programs that enabled partners to grow their business with Dell. Cheryl and her team contributed to the growth of Dell's global channel business from 33% to over 40% of Dell's total revenue. Prior to running Dell's channel business, Cheryl served as Vice President of Enterprise Solutions, where she was responsible for the go-to-market strategy and execution for Dell storage, server, networking, and related software businesses. Cheryl has more than 25 years of IT and high-tech experience. A contributor to Fortune Magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women's community, Cheryl is an active proponent of women in business and technology. Cheryl is the founder and executive sponsor of the Dell Technologies Women's Partner Network, an initiative that supports and empowers our community of women partners. Cheryl also contributes to Dell's Women in Action and Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network. Honored by CRN numerous times as one of the Power 100 Women of the Channel, 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs and Top 100 Channel Sales Leaders, as well as Channel Partners Top Gun 51, Cheryl serves on the board of directors for ARC Document Solutions, is a member of Channel Focus Club 50 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Florida. Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/salescommunity/message

AppGates SVP of Global Channels and Alliances Tina Gravel joins co-host Andy Bonillo to discuss her journey in tech and cyber security. She talks about her passion of getting more women in cyber security how and we can improve the talent supply chain. Tina also talks about zero trust and how organizations can leverage technologies and processes they already have to begin the zero trust journey and not make companies feel like they are boiling the ocean. We finished up the show with Tina sharing her personal battle of depression as a result of the pandemic and how she hoped to help others by contributing a chapter in the book Leading Through the Pandemic. All this and much much more in Episode #177 of TaskForce 7 Radio.

AppGates SVP of Global Channels and Alliances Tina Gravel joins co-host Andy Bonillo to discuss her journey in tech and cyber security. She talks about her passion of getting more women in cyber security how and we can improve the talent supply chain. Tina also talks about zero trust and how organizations can leverage technologies and processes they already have to begin the zero trust journey and not make companies feel like they are boiling the ocean. We finished up the show with Tina sharing her personal battle of depression as a result of the pandemic and how she hoped to help others by contributing a chapter in the book Leading Through the Pandemic. All this and much much more in Episode #177 of TaskForce 7 Radio.

  Rob Spee is an experienced channel and alliance executive, who helps clients manage strategic partnerships in order to accelerate growth and revenue. Having built successful channel sales teams from scratch and leading teams of 50+ channel sales and marketing professionals, he is highly skilled and knowledgeable in this topic.   In this episode, Rob discusses top techniques to fulfill selling-potential through channels and common mistakes people make with their channel strategies.    Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:   Maximizing selling through channels Hiring the right people for success Creating strategic company goals Understanding the right channels for you   About the Guest: As the Regional Vice President for Channel Sales at OutSystems, Rob Spee utilizes high-performing channel strategies to increase growth and revenue for the company. He also is the Channel Chief and Podcast Host for Channel Journeys Inc., where channel experts share their career stories and things they’ve learned along the way. Prior to joining OutSystems, Rob was the Head of Global Channels at SAS and the Director of Distributor Channels at Carbonite, where he had opportunities to grow his increasing knowledge of channel strategies, and execute new programs and revenue streams.    Subscribe to Rob's podcast at channeljourneys.com Connect with Rob on LinkedIn and Twitter   Listen to more episodes of the Outside Sales Talk here and watch the video here!   If you love the Outside Sales Talk podcast, you’ll also love Badger’s newsletters!  Our 95,000+ subscribers stay at the top of their game with actionable tips from top sales experts.   Are you in? Subscribe to Badger Maps’ newsletters now! 

Tina Gravel is an award-winning executive with more than 27 years of experience in the IT outsourcing, cloud, data center, security and SaaS industries. She is currently SVP of Global Channels and Alliances with Appgate, the leader in security and analytics products and services for zero trust. A highly rated public speaker, her talks are often memorable and sparked with humor and personal stories. Tina has a knack for making topics that are highly technical easier for those not technically inclined to understand. Scott Schober is a #cybersecurity and wireless technology expert, author of Hacked Again and Cybersecurity is Everybody's Business, host of 2 Minute CyberSecurity Briefing video podcast and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems who appears regularly on Bloomberg TV, Fox Business & Fox News, CGTN America, Canadian TV News, as well as CNN, CBS Morning Show, MSNBC, CNBC, The Blaze, WPIX as well as local and syndicated Radio including Sirius/XM & Bloomberg Radio and NPR.

Tina Gravel is an award-winning executive with more than 27 years of experience in the IT outsourcing, cloud, data center, security and SaaS industries. She is currently SVP of Global Channels and Alliances with Appgate, the leader in security and analytics products and services for zero trust. A highly rated public speaker, her talks are often memorable and sparked with humor and personal stories. Tina has a knack for making topics that are highly technical easier for those not technically inclined to understand. Scott Schober is a #cybersecurity and wireless technology expert, author of Hacked Again and Cybersecurity is Everybody's Business, host of 2 Minute CyberSecurity Briefing video podcast and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems who appears regularly on Bloomberg TV, Fox Business & Fox News, CGTN America, Canadian TV News, as well as CNN, CBS Morning Show, MSNBC, CNBC, The Blaze, WPIX as well as local and syndicated Radio including Sirius/XM & Bloomberg Radio and NPR.

In this episode, Max Clark talks with Rick Ribas, LogMeIn’s VP of Global Channels, on how LogMeIn is providing solutions at the forefront of the remote work revolution. Rick offers insight into how LogMeIn has provided additional solutions for its customers in response to the global pandemic.

Mercer Rowe -- Vice President, Global Channels and Alliances at Commvault -- has his own take on the dramatic shifts in the channel landscape over the past few years. And he outlines how he uses his "Three Ps" to drive partner success in this environment 

Upwards of 70% of global revenue comes from third-party channels, making channels incredibly important, However, most organizations haven't reshaped their channel programs to meet changing buyer trends and the need for proper channel sales enablement . In this interview with Jay mcBain, Principal Analyst for Global Channels at research and advisory firm Forrester., we discuss significant channel enablement research findings from Jay and his team, what strategic changes leaders are making now to address new opportunities, and why the Forrester team believes 2020 is THE year for Channel Enablement. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaymcbain/ #Forrester #channelsales #channelenablement #salesenablement #contentmarketing #influencermarketing #valueselling #resellers #indirectsales #salestools #sellingtools #salestech #salestechnology #evolvedselling #research #insights

Jay McBain, Principal Analyst of Global Channels at Forrester joined us on the Sunny Side Up podcast hosted by DemandMatrix in this episode! Jay leads Forrester's research and advisory for global channels, alliances, and partnerships. In this episode, our CEO Meetul Shah discuss the future of channel marketing within the B2B and Tech marketing domain with Jay , given his extensive background in channel leadership, sales, marketing, and operations, …so well, there’s lots to uncover and learn from this conversation!

With the advent of AI, contact center agents will no longer be left to fish around knowledge bases or external data sources. Instead, they’ll have all the information they need delivered to them immediately. In this episode, we interview John Bourne, Senior VP of Global Channels and Strategic Alliances at Verint and Dan Burkland, President of Five9. Listen in to hear John and Dan talk about how artificial intelligence will inevitably reduce churn amongst contact center agents while also providing the ultimate customer experience.

How to Accelerate Channel Performance in Hyper-Growth CJ12. This episode features Josh Lewis, Vice President of Global Channels at Alteryx, an analytics firm on hyper-growth. The channel strategy that got Alteryx to a $50M company wasn’t going to scale and continue fueling hyper-growth. The channel program reached a plateau. As a result, Josh needed to … Josh Lewis: Driving Breakthrough Channel Performance Read More »

The internet of things has tremendous potential, but success will be found only by those who are strategic in their approach. Selecting the right vertical, creating partnerships and leveraging service resources to carry the technology is critical. Join innovators from Intel, Microsoft and Arrow as they discuss how to engage in the unique sales motion that is necessary to grow your IoT business. Compare Ashish Parikh VP, Global IoT Platforms and Solutions, Arrow Ashish Parikh leads the internet of things platforms and solutions in the IoT global solutions organization at Arrow Electronics. Parikh and his team are responsible for assessing and integrating with partners to develop comprehensive IoT solution offerings for OEM and enterprise customers. This includes development of Arrow Connect, a SaaS middleware platform for device and data management. Parikh’s solutions team is also responsible for strategy and marketing of horizontal and vertical technology for customers looking to either build or use IoT solutions. With over 25 years of experience in computer aided system design, contact centers, unified communications and IoT, Parikh has developed, managed and deployed software products. His experience spans product development, product management, professional services, channel enablement, strategy, business development and go-to market across start-ups, mid-sized and large organizations. Parikh received his bachelor’s and master’s in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Parikh currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. When not engaged in professional pursuits, Parikh enjoys spending time with his two sons and wife, cycling, hiking, photography and tinkering. Hosts: Rod O'Shea Worldwide IoT Partners and Channels Director, Intel As Worldwide Director of IoT partners and channels, Rod O'Shea is responsible for ensuring Intel delivers compelling strategies to drive industry leadership and foster global innovation. This includes engaging a world-class ecosystem of partners to accelerate IoT transformation. Rod has held a variety of positions within both Intel’s sales teams and its product divisions. Prior to his current role, Rod was General Manager of Direct and Channel Sales for Intel’s Europe region. Rod holds a First Class Honours Degree in Operational Research and Computing, and in his spare time enjoys outdoor pursuits, traveling and reading. He is now based in Phoenix, Arizona, having recently relocated from London, England. Nicole Denil General Manager of Global Channels, CDS IoT, Microsoft Nicole Denil is General Manager, Global Channels for IOT. She has been with Microsoft for 14 years, and has held positions across Latin America, Cloud and Enterprise, OEMs, and ISVs. Prior to IoT, she was the Devices Sales Director and led the cloud and enterprise strategy for Latin America. She was a pioneer in launching Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure, and previously was a co-founder and VP of Sales and Marketing at Sitemasher, a SaaS cloud-based content management system that was acquired by Salesforce.com. Prior to joining Microsoft, Nicole served Rockwell’s Automation and Software divisions for 10 years. Nicole tallies more than 24 years of experience in high-tech business and has a Master’s Degree in International Business.

The internet of things has tremendous potential, but success will be found only by those who are strategic in their approach. Selecting the right vertical, creating partnerships and leveraging service resources to carry the technology is critical. Join innovators from Intel, Microsoft and Arrow as they discuss how to engage in the unique sales motion that is necessary to grow your IoT business. Compare Ashish Parikh VP, Global IoT Platforms and Solutions, Arrow Ashish Parikh leads the internet of things platforms and solutions in the IoT global solutions organization at Arrow Electronics. Parikh and his team are responsible for assessing and integrating with partners to develop comprehensive IoT solution offerings for OEM and enterprise customers. This includes development of Arrow Connect, a SaaS middleware platform for device and data management. Parikh’s solutions team is also responsible for strategy and marketing of horizontal and vertical technology for customers looking to either build or use IoT solutions. With over 25 years of experience in computer aided system design, contact centers, unified communications and IoT, Parikh has developed, managed and deployed software products. His experience spans product development, product management, professional services, channel enablement, strategy, business development and go-to market across start-ups, mid-sized and large organizations. Parikh received his bachelor’s and master’s in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Parikh currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. When not engaged in professional pursuits, Parikh enjoys spending time with his two sons and wife, cycling, hiking, photography and tinkering. Hosts: Rod O'Shea Worldwide IoT Partners and Channels Director, Intel As Worldwide Director of IoT partners and channels, Rod O'Shea is responsible for ensuring Intel delivers compelling strategies to drive industry leadership and foster global innovation. This includes engaging a world-class ecosystem of partners to accelerate IoT transformation. Rod has held a variety of positions within both Intel’s sales teams and its product divisions. Prior to his current role, Rod was General Manager of Direct and Channel Sales for Intel’s Europe region. Rod holds a First Class Honours Degree in Operational Research and Computing, and in his spare time enjoys outdoor pursuits, traveling and reading. He is now based in Phoenix, Arizona, having recently relocated from London, England. Nicole Denil General Manager of Global Channels, CDS IoT, Microsoft Nicole Denil is General Manager, Global Channels for IOT. She has been with Microsoft for 14 years, and has held positions across Latin America, Cloud and Enterprise, OEMs, and ISVs. Prior to IoT, she was the Devices Sales Director and led the cloud and enterprise strategy for Latin America. She was a pioneer in launching Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure, and previously was a co-founder and VP of Sales and Marketing at Sitemasher, a SaaS cloud-based content management system that was acquired by Salesforce.com. Prior to joining Microsoft, Nicole served Rockwell’s Automation and Software divisions for 10 years. Nicole tallies more than 24 years of experience in high-tech business and has a Master’s Degree in International Business.

Can one sector of a business drive change in an entire channel? Though the IT channel is has been around for many years, it is changing rapidly to a integrated solution based model.  One of the most significant change agents is the urgent need to integrate information security and cybersecurity into all IT products and services. Bruce Johnson heads up Global Channels at BlueVoyant, a next generation cybersecurity provider built on a threat intelligence platform. BlueVoyant has leaders from diverse backgrounds, from executives at Morgan Stanley to members of the NSA and FBI. Bruce and his team at BlueVoyant have seen first hand the widespread impact that information security and cybersecurity concerns have had on sales channels.  If a company is in the technology space, they need to have measures in place to protect their own information as well as the information of their clients. BlueVoyant helps neutralize those threats. Bruce has experience working all over the globe, so we sat down with him to learn more about the state of the sales channel in North America, the differences between the North American Market and the European Market, and where he sees rooms for improvement in these channels.

For around a year now, Jay McBain has been the Principal Analyst for Global Channels at Forrester Research, a position built upon a distinguished career partner marketing. In addition to his work with Forrester, Jay is an accomplished speaker, author and innovator in the IT industry. TCMA market is growing because B2B2C marketing professionals see distributed and local marketing as key to influencing new buyers. In this new world, having super squared-away marketing is no longer a nice-to-have.

Karl Fairbach, Head of Global Channels at SAP and Deepider Sahni, Senior VP at AMI Patners: INSIGHTS MATTER: Successful SAP Partners Using Cloud Technology

Narrator: Effective selling takes an ecosystem. Join host Jen Spencer, as she explores how to super charges your sales, and master the art of never selling alone. Welcome to the Allbound Podcast, The fundamentals of accelerating growth with partners. Jen: Hi everybody. Welcome to the Allbound Podcast. I'm Jen Spencer. And today, I am joined by Travis Smith who is Technology, Global Channels and Regional Vice President for HMI Performance Incentives. Welcome Travis. Travis: Hi Jen. Thanks for having me. Good to be here. Jen: It's great to have you. And for those of you listening who don't know Travis has a lot going on. So, in addition to his role at HMI Performance Incentives, he's also the CEO and Founder of Move the Channel, which we're gonna talk about, and CEO and Founder of TribeVest. So we're gonna get into a lot of good channel talk. But first, can you tell us a little bit about Move the Channel, because I know that's something you're really passionate about. I'd love to get a quick overview of what this is. Travis: You bet. Absolutely. Again, thanks for having me Jen, and good to be here with all your listeners. Move the Channel, absolutely is something I'm passionate about, and it's hard to believe it started eight, almost nine years ago. And in the way that it came to be was…of course, you know, I come from the technology space. So worked with a number of manufacturers and developers, worked for some distributors, was even a VP of sales for a system integrator and re-seller. So, along the way I had met a ton of friends. You know, colleagues, partners, and people I liked and really respected in the channel marketing and channel sales space. And, as you know in technology, there's a lot of moving that goes around, so it's sometimes hard to keep track of everybody. And so, I was playing around in this new thing called LinkedIn. You gotta remember this is 2010. Jen: Right. Travis: So it was kind of a very new...it's hard to believe. Jen: Right. Travis: In particularly, groups were even more new or more foreign to some of us. What I saw was that it was an opportunity to create a group, a community of old friends that I had met and worked with over the years. And so, I came up with the name. I'm convinced it's dumb luck, but it's a little bit of the genius of what has become Move the Channel community, and that's the name, Move the Channel. And we...I invited probably 40, 50 of these people in my network. Again, as a way to kind of keep in touch, and really, not just keep in touch but it turned out to be this network of friends that supported each other, collaborated, opened doors for each other. We even went as far as calling ourselves the Move the Channel Mafia, which I'm glad we didn't do. Sounds exciting doesn't it? Jen: I know. Travis: But, you know, it didn't take long. Here was this tight-knit group of 50 of us. And before we knew it we had 50, and then we had 100, and 1,000, and then, you know, 4,000. And now we have over 6,000 channel marketing, channel sales professionals worldwide. Jen: It's awesome. Travis: And that's how we came to be. Jen: I love it. And I just love, you know, your mission, the vision of it, you know, really trying to cultivate a community. And a lot of people try, and it doesn't always work. And so, I think you got in early like you said. You've kept it very helpful, it's organic. And I think that it's authentic. And I think that's part of why it's been so successful. Do you have like a success story about channel leaders who have been part of this community? Anything that you can share, like an anecdote of something really cool that's come out of it? Travis: You bet. And you nailed it. If you were to go try to start a group today, there's just so much noise and so much out there, it's hard to stand out. So, you know, credit a lot to the name, which I think captured a lot of people's attention and creativity. And the timing of it, getting in first, was obviously a big deal. I think we were, if not the first, one of the first groups dedicated to channel marketing and channel sales. Over the years we've really just been blown away by the impact that Move the Channel, and the reach that Move the Channel has been able to have. And there's...you know, I think about the successes out there, and all the channel leaders in the community. I mean, every time you see these lists of the channel chiefs, the women in the channel, at anytime they're kind of recognizing leadership in channel marketing and channel sales. There's a really good chance that they're a part of this community, whether it's in a Move the Channel group, or our movethechannel.com. But, you know, what we're probably most proud of is just all of the connections that have led to business successes in this group. It's impossible to measure, but I can't tell you how many stories I hear about two people, two leaders getting together, you know, connecting, finding each other from the group or Move the Channel community, and connecting and helping each other. Look at their respective channels from a different angle, through a different lens. And so we don't take credit for these big events that happen, or huge successes, but we like to take a little bit of credit when they actually...those connections were made in the Move the Channel. And a lot of, you know, finding new hires, more teammates, and even vendors. Finding vendors that have helped them achieve their goals, getting referrals to vendors that have helped them achieve their goals. So, you know, there's a lot of specific people that come to mind, but I think highlighting the success of the community is what I'm most proud of. Jen: Well, I think it's definitely something to be proud of. And maybe people listening here, well, if they haven't found Move the Channel yet, they'll go join that community and start reaping the benefits of it as well. Let's talk about HMI Performance Incentives as your, kind of that's your day job, right? That's your main gig. So tell us a little bit about that. And I really wanna learn how you've seen incentives really put to use in the channel. Because it's a big question, you know, people talk about incentivizing sales reps, gamifying experiences, incentivizing your channel. Channel sales reps are, you know, they're just their sales reps that are just not working all the time for you, right. So I'll stop talking. You tell me more about HMI. Travis: You bet. Absolutely. Yeah, you're right. You know, and there's a lot of buzz words out there. It's tough to know what's the appropriate strategy when it comes to engaging, not with just your channel partner, right? And I think of the channel partner at the organizational level. And then there's the channel sales person, the person, the human that works for the partner organization, or the partner sales engineer, or customer support. And HMI, gosh, it's such an exciting company right now. Even though we've been around for 35 years, we really are at an exciting point. We continue to innovate and move the incentive world forward. You know, Jen, when most people think of incentives, they think of the reward. And don't get me wrong, the reward is so critical. If you don't have the right reward, and the reward isn't motivating, your strategy is dead on arrival. Jen: Yeah. Travis: And more than ever, the reward options are more compelling to your target audience. You know, we're seeing huge trends towards experiences, and sporting events. You know, pick out not just merchandise or things like that. You can actually pick out the event, the theater, the summer concert. And don't just stop there but pick the date, the venue, the seat. And what about booking a hotel, and a shuttle to the show, you know, all this online in the incentive program, real time. And it's really, really cool. But let's be honest, I mean, compelling rewards are the baseline, you know, that's just the beginning. And I think what's most exciting that we're seeing at HMI is how channel incentives are solving big problems, you know, big challenges in the channel. And again, most people don't think of incentives like solving challenges. Jen: Right. Do you have an example, like an interesting use case you've seen for a particular partner program? Travis: Yeah, there's a lot of them that come to mind. You know, when I think of these challenges that we're solving, I think of…you know, the three that come to mind that are most common out there is the manufacturer distributor, either, A, doesn't know who's selling their stuff. They might know the partner that they've signed up to distribute or sell their solutions, but they don't necessarily know the sales person on the front line. And so, you know, they don't even have a database to communicate to them. And that's one challenge. The second challenge is you know who these people are. At least you have their contact information, but you don't really have any insight into them. You don't know how they're selling it, or what else they might be selling, or how your solutions might be complimenting their total solution that they're bringing to their customers. And then, C, you know, the third would be insight. They know who the customers are, they have a pretty good insight into their business, but they don't have...are they really winning the engagement, you know, the mind share, and grabbing the mind share and wallet share of these partners? And, you know, HMI has a pretty, really cool story to tell around solving these problems through channels and incentives. So for example, if you were looking to bring in a new, you know, someone that you didn't know. You don't have their information, but they're supposed to be selling your stuff, but you wanna communicate to them. It's much easier to get them to come sign up and register for an incentive program than it is a partner portal or something like that. Jen: Right. Travis: Right. And I know you guys understand why the indirect sales force are just not going to those types of applications. And therefore, you can't really engage with them very well with the traditional partner portal. But anyway, you know, an incentive program, it's pretty easy to not only get them to come register, but to surrender all sorts of information. Even maybe competitive information on who else they're selling. But anyway, back to your main question, you know, I think if I was gonna kind of single out one impressive program out there that just comes to mind, it's with my buddy Todd Owens over at QLogic and Cavium. Who's probably one of the...Jen, I've got to introduce you to him if you don't know him. He's one of the brightest and most strategic thinkers in the channel as far as I can tell. But what he did was he took HMI and his program and turned a traditional incentive program on its head, where most incentive programs are at the core incentivizing for sales. He doesn't reward for any actual sales but rewards all for engagement and enablement. So things like watching a 90-second video and taking a quick quiz, setting an appointment with one of his sales engineers in the region. So there's all these kind of other things that he's measuring and tracking, and ultimately giving rewards out for, which has been really cool. Of course there's a direct correlation between the people that are engaged in doing these things, and the sales that come in the end. Jen: I love that. Yeah, you have to introduce us, because I love the idea of incentivizing. Not the end result, but the behaviors that you know are gonna lead to the end result. So that's awesome. Love it. I want to ask you about your time at ProfitStars. So you were at ProfitStars before you joined HMI. When you were there, you were really in the thick of it, living, you know, day-to-day strategic alliances, identifying, recruiting, on-boarding, and then managing those partners. I'd love to hear some of the biggest struggles that you had in executing your job effectively, because a lot of our listeners are living that life right now. Travis: You bet. Yes. You know, but before HMI and Move the Channel, that was my world. You know, that was the world I was living. And I mentioned working for a number of manufacturers and distributors. And so, a few years ago, I was actually recruited back to that world where they wanted me to run their strategic alliances and roll out partner programs. And was just an incredibly awesome and exciting initiative…for those of you who don't know ProfitStars, it's part of Jack Henry, the $1.8 billion software company that sells through banking channels, so banks and credit unions. And then ProfitStars is the division that sells through all the other partners. So everybody that's not a bank or credit union. And that was the division I was in. And it was pretty easy, because the name was so well-known and they're so respected. You know, getting a meeting with the owner or CEO to sign them up as a partner wasn't a difficult part. And, you know, the CEO and the partner got the value prop that ProfitStars and Jack Henry were bringing to the table. So closing the partner, and you know, recruiting partners was a little bit the easy part. I know that not everybody has that luxury, but that was the case. And it turned out that, you know, the biggest challenge wasn't finding and signing up the partner. It was, you know, how can we engage with that new partner's front line. The sales people, the account managers. Jen, as you know, they're the ones that have the influence over the sale. Jen: Yeah. Travis: So that was our challenge, you know, and that was the fun part. And had a lot of good success, and very proud of the work there. But, you know, it's not something you solve and say, "Oh, we're engaged with the front line and sales people check." Jen: Yeah. Travis: It's something that you're always working on. Jen: Right. Travis: You're always, you know, making sure that you continue to engage and have their mind share. Jen: Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think, you know, speaking of that kind of engagement and results that you get. You know something we talk about quite often here is that 80/20 rule in the channel where, you know, right, 80% of revenue comes from 20% of partners, or even more. You know, even 90/10 sometimes, or more often, lately it seems that we're hearing that. And a lot of that goes back to recruitment, and then how you're engaging, how you're maintaining mind share. You know, what are your thoughts on this principle? Is it something we just have to accept, that this is just the way it's gonna be? Is there a way to avoid it? Love to hear your thoughts on that topic, because I know there are people that definitely fall into both camps. Travis: Sure, sure. Yep. There are people out there that just accept it, and the statistics would be tough to argue that. But, gosh, great question. We've seen though, HMI specifically. I think we're uniquely positioned to help with this dilemma. You know, here's the thing, it's way easier to move up, you know move up an existing customer, a partner, than it is to find and train a new one. And, you know, recruitment and out there finding new partners always needs to be part of your plan. But, if we could just take a look at that middle 60, you know that middle 60%, and focus on them. You know, there's a great opportunity to move them up to that next level. And the challenge has between with performance incentives and channel incentives is a lot of companies kind of roll out these blanket reward programs, right? And when you do that, you have the same 20% hitting those goals and enjoying the rewards, or the president's club trip to Hawaii. And, you know, taking a page out of Allbound's book here, you know, it's all about…today, it's all about personalizing it, and customizing it to each individual person. So, to be honest, the technology wasn't there five years ago. But today, literally, each person that logs in to, you know, an HMI system for example, has a completely unique experience. You know, they see their unique goal or threshold, or unique promotion that's available to them because they sell a certain product or in a certain region, or there's unique rewards available to them. You know, all depending on their demographics or how we've segmented the customer/partner database. So, and then those goals are based on how much they sold from the previous quarter, or how much they sold from the previous year. It's not this, you know, "You have to sell this for us to get our attention," it's, "If you show us progress, we're gonna invest back in you." Jen: Awesome. Travis: And we call this intimacy at scale. You like that? Jen: I do like that. I do like that. Travis: I'm trying to get it to stick. Jen: No, I like that because I think it's something that; you've hit on something that really plagues, you know, a lot of sales and marketing professionals. And the tactics that really work well tend to be ones that are very hard to scale. Because as soon as you start scaling something, you start automating it, it makes it impersonal. And then, you lose that effect, right? Like, you think about the experience, the feeling you get if someone takes the time to write a handwritten note to you, right? And so, I like getting this note, right? Well, then it becomes, let's just e-mail everybody, right? And then it's just another piece of noise in your inbox. And so I like that, I like that idea of intimacy at scale. Yeah. I'm a fan. Travis: Right on. No, that was an awesome perspective. You're right. You know those things that work we try to scale them, and then in the process, we lose the personal touch. And that's usually what it is. It's the personalization that we lose. But, you know, I think technology is finally there. We can still personalize and have the user feel special, because they are, if you're using the right systems out there. Jen: Yeah. Travis: And as a result, you know…so getting back to the 80/20 rule, you know, if we kind of segment our partner, customers in your A tier, and B tier, and C tier, you know, we're all about moving those C tier customers to B, and the B's up to the A tier. And then...now, the only problem is how do we create a new tier for those A's because we've run out of letters. Jen: Right. Right. So I've one more, like channel question for you. And I'm gonna ask you to kind of look through your crystal ball here. Wondering about the future of partner programs, you know, you think about like the last 10 years or 20 years, and then where we are today, they've definitely evolved. If you were to look ahead, where do you see the future of partner programs going? And what are you most excited about for the next decade or two of this world of strategic alliances? Travis: Gosh, that's a fun question. Good question. You know, partners...it used to be…I mean, I guess if we were going to look back before we look into the future, it used to be, you know, the strategy was build it and they will come. And that included all these resources. And they would build these things and kinda put these libraries in place. And back in the day when there was only a handful of vendors doing that, they actually had a little bit of success. They would actually get their partners to come and use these resources. But today, there is just so much noise. Everybody has these resources that they expect their channel partners to come to and access and use. And it's not happening, and it's not gonna happen in the future. It's not build it and they will come. Jen: Right. Travis: It's not the field of dreams. And so, you know, what we're seeing now is...and where I see the future is, it's not getting all these assets and resources. It's how can you integrate with your partner? How can you integrate? And you've always tried to integrate your product into theirs. You know, you've got to keep doing that. You've got to integrate your marketing into theirs. You've got to keep doing that. And you've got to keep doing it better. But the real advance is gonna be, how can you integrate with the buying experience? And can you help your partners be more effective out there selling, and help them through the journey? And, you know, we don't have all the answers there but it's starting to crystallize. Again, companies like Allbound are doing things in ways that people had never seen before or considered just a couple few years ago. And those are areas of advancement that are starting to show us the future of channel marketing programs. And on the HMI side, five years ago we weren't having intimacy at scale, and customizing each participant's experience in the channel incentive program. Today we are. There's a long way to go, but that's where it's heading. Those are gonna be the vendors that win. The ones that can integrate into the buying experience. Jen: I agree, because it's all about the customer. That's exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing that all transpire along with you. So thanks for this. Thanks for sharing a lot of your time today with me about incentives and channel programs. This has been awesome, and I do hope that folks who haven't had a chance to participate in Move the Channel will get over to LinkedIn and join that group and start contributing to that group's success. Thank you for starting that. I think it's...I'm glad, I'm very glad you did. Travis: Also, I think it's where we first crossed paths, virtually. Jen: Yep. That's right. So, but Travis before I do let you go, like, really, I have some more personal questions that I always ask our guests. Just so we can get to know you a little bit better. So I'm gonna put you through that rigor now. So, my first question for you is, what is your favorite city? Travis: Gosh, great question. Cleveland, Ohio. Jen: Really. Tell me why you love Cleveland? Travis: You don't get that answer very often, do you? Jen: No, I don't. I don't. I've been there once, and I liked it when I was there. But why do you like Cleveland? Travis: You know, I'm a little bit from Ohio, and a little bit from California. I always joke my parents when I was really young, so there was a lot of back and forth. I was born in California, more raised in Ohio. But growing up in Mansfield, Ohio, which is about an hour south of Cleveland. I became the biggest die hard Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavs, and everything Cleveland. And it was always such a big trip to go to the big city. And so, I have really fond memories of it. And to this day, it's still one of my favorite cities to go visit. Jen: That's great. That's wonderful. Okay, next question for you. Do you consider yourself an animal lover? Do you have any pets? Travis: I do. I'm not a cat person, although my wife is. Jen: Okay. Travis: But fortunately, she's also a dog person. And we saved a mutt from the pound, about seven years ago, and it's part Boxer, part Lab, part Golden Retriever, and a few other things that we're not quite sure. But it is still a puppy today. Seven years later, it has not calmed down a bit. And her name is Honu, which is turtle in Hawaiian. Jen: Yeah. Travis: So, we call her a dog turtle. Jen: What inspired that? I've never met a dog named turtle. Travis: We went on our honeymoon in Hawaii, and went swimming with some honus, some sea turtles. And we found ourselves kind of calling them, and trying to get their attention like you would a dog. Jen: Okay. Travis: And so, we said, "When we get a dog we're gonna call him or her Honu." Jen: That's great. Oh I love it. Okay, next question, Mac or PC? Travis: Oh gosh, I"m sitting here looking at both right now. Jen Spencer: Oh, you're one of those. Travis: I have both, and I love both of them. I have recently been turned onto Mac, and that's where I run a number of my businesses. But, you know what, I have the Microsoft Surface Pro. Jen: Okay. Travis: And, pretty sweet, I have to say. They've come a long way. Jen: Yeah, I've heard great things about that. Okay, last question for you. Let's say I was able to offer you an all expenses paid trip, where would it be to? Travis: It would be to Sydney, Australia. Jen: All right. Have you been there before? Travis: I have. I spent a summer abroad over there. And I've been trying to get back ever since. Jen: Well, I hope you have a chance to return. Travis: Well, should I expect that package in an e-mail after this, or? Jen: No, not any time soon. Travis: No, I was just curious. Jen: Never. It was just hypothetical. Let's say, I was able to offer this. Travis: Yeah. I would say there or Patagonia, Chile, which is another place I've been before, but I'm dying to go back. Jen: Well good. Travis: How about you? I'm curious, what's your answer on that one? Jen: I wanna go to Greece. I really wanna go to Greece, because I want...my background is in theater, and there's a lot of history there, and I want to be able to experience that. But then, I also just love to like just chill on a beach and do nothing. And as far as I can tell, I can do both of those things in Greece. And so that's what I would like to do. Travis: Beautiful. Jen: Yeah. Travis: You've almost made me change my mind. Jen: Oh. Travis: Now, I want to go to Greece. That sounds awesome. I've never been, and that's definitely one high on my list too. That's cool. Jen: Well, thanks for again spending some time with me today. It was awesome. So if anyone wants to reach out to you personally, obviously, they can go to LinkedIn and they can join the Move the Channel group. Is there another way for them to get a hold of you if they want to chat, maybe about HMI or anything that we've talked about here on the show? Travis: You bet. You can go to movethechannel.com and reach me there by submitting just an e-mail, which is perfect. And also, at my HMI e-mail, tsmith@hmiaward.com. And I look forward to it. I love this stuff. I'm kind of nerdy when it comes to channel marketing and sales programs, as you can tell. Jen: Perfect. That's what I like to hear. Thanks again. Thanks Travis for joining me, and thank you everyone else. And we'll catch you next week with an all new episode. Narrator: Thanks for tuning in to the Allbound Podcast. For past episodes and additional resources, visit the resource center at Allbound.com. And remember, never sell alone

Diva Tech Talk was honored to be onsite at one of the largest Midwestern offices for Logicalis U.S., during its recent GIRLS IN TECHNOLOGY DAY. Logicalis (www.us.logicalis.com) is an international information technology solutions and managed services provider that designs, builds and supports enterprise solutions for customers throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia Pacific.  Logicalis entertained 56 high school and early college girls, offering tailored discussions of practical topics related to succeeding in a technology career. Horizon-broadening sessions covered topics as diverse as: uncovering what you are good at, communicating with confidence, the wide variety of career options in the technology field, how to use social media to build your personal brand, how to ace a job interview, and how to write an excellent resume. Logicalis supports an internal group dedicated to fostering the missions of its own women employees.  Two of the veteran leaders of that group (Logicalis Vice Presidents, Renae Johnson and Julie Spiller) were in the cohort interviewed during this podcast.   Ghazal Asif, Director of Global Channels of Cisco Meraki, was also a key participant in the day. Ghazal was enthusiastic about having the chance to be one of the main keynote speakers since “the idea of women having equal opportunity is very near and dear to my heart.” She spoke eloquently about the need to be fearless in the face of any setback, or any opportunity. “If we look at the data and the stats, it is sad to see that over the last couple of decades, we haven’t made much progress” in diversity building, she said. “Yet, as of today, there’s more awareness, more research on why diversity and inclusion is so good for companies. In every industry, across every function, women are under-represented. More women should step forward so that in 10 or 20 years from now, we can look back and say ‘we made a difference and we changed some of those stats’ for the next generation, and generations to come.” Finally, Vince DeLuca, CEO of Logicalis, took time to present to this audience because “these young ladies are our future.”  DeLuca was encouraged by his interactions with the girls and women.  “Knowing that they have interest in technology is really important,” he said.  “I also think that overall diversity in the field is wildly important to our (Logicalis) success. When we have a male-dominated organization, with just male leaders, we don’t enough of a flow of ideas.”   DeLuca really enjoyed his event participation.  “To see the amount of interest, the general attention of these young ladies is really rewarding.  The benefit that I get out of this would be seeing every one of these folks succeed in their own passion.   I may not get to see that individually, but as a group I think they will do that; and that, to me, is the best reward that I could ever get.” DeLuca waxed philosophical about how the overall education of our youth can be helped by everyone in their environment. “We live in such an interesting world right now.  I think, as a society, we need to do a better job educating everyone about what’s happening out there,” he said. DeLuca sees some key tech trends that can help with this.  “Collaboration has to be near the top,” he said. “There’s so many ways to connect vast amounts of resource groups or information.”   DeLuca is proud that community-building is part of the Logicalis culture. “Giving back to the communities we serve is a core value, across all our offices,” he said. “It’s so important to us, not just to reap the benefit of what we are trying to do with our customers, but making an impact into the community.” Make sure to check us out on online at www.divatechtalk.com onTwitter @divatechtalks, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/divatechalk.