Blog

14 Apr

Introducing the Partner’s Journey: A fresh approach to channel partner recruitment

If you work in marketing, you’ve probably heard of the Buyer’s Journey. It’s the concept that any product purchase is a process, not simply an act, which can be likened to a physical journey. The process consists of multiple phases, beginning with research and ending with a decision to buy. Conventional wisdom dictates that a consumer has completed 70 percent of this journey before even speaking to a salesperson. The message of this narrative is that, contrary to what retailers once thought, there is more than one opportunity to influence a buyer’s decision and resulting purchase—there are multiple opportunities that arise well before the consumer enters a store.  
 
Dan Dignam 0 Comment(s) read more
01 Mar

Managing Millennials: Where women have an edge

We have all read the studies on the influx of millennials who are expected to represent 25 percent of the workforce by 2020. We talk about how that will change business culture.  This is not news to anyone, but there is strong agreement in just about every article that millennials are growing at a faster rate as a percentage of the workforce and they are looking to be managed and motivated differently than what is common practice today. I submit that the skills needed for success in the future workplace are the skills that women have been bringing to the table for hundreds of years.  
Lisa MacKenzie 0 Comment(s) read more
07 Jan

Creating and Using Buyer Personas to Enhance Your Content Marketing

 

Most marketers understand that creating buyer personas has become an essential first step in the creation of a solid content marketing strategy. But what exactly are buyer personas, and how

 do we create them?

 

Karen Newnam 0 Comment(s) read more
07 Dec

Bringing Clarity To The Midmarket

A clearer picture of the midmarket IT landscape is emerging thanks to a recent study of IT leaders we conducted at our Midsize Enterprise Summits. Some of the findings are eye-opening, while others further validate the long-term trends shaping this market.

Robert DeMarzo 0 Comment(s) read more
16 Nov

Emotion In The Workplace: Is It OK To Cry?

Recently, the question of women and anger/emotion in the workplace has been getting some press, and I find myself flip-flopping on how I feel about it. It started with a comment by a senior-level female exec I GREATLY admire who admitted to getting so angry in an executive boardroom situation that she cried. The reaction to the tears from her male counterparts was, "No crying allowed." 

Instead of recoiling, she took a moment and channeled that anger into an expletive-laced tirade that would make any sailor proud, and then quit her job. Every woman in the room applauded as if to say, "YES!  YOU GO GIRL! Wish I had the guts to do that!" Another female exec used the notion of "no crying" as an example of what people tell women at an early age that holds them back from being successful.

Lisa MacKenzie 0 Comment(s) read more
09 Oct

Solution Providers Should Aspire To Become Strategic Service Providers

As the world of IT solutions continues to evolve, one important point of consideration for partners is understanding how they deliver their products, what’s changing about it and how to position themselves with customers as a result.

Increasingly, products are being delivered as services. Services require a very different way of looking at the business model and demand a different structure over the long term.

Robert Faletra 0 Comment(s) read more
09 Oct

Keep The Partner In Mind And You Won’t Go Wrong

Over my 25-year sales career, I’ve read dozens of books on how to become a better salesperson and communicator. “The Challenger Sale.” “The Little Red Book of Selling.” “The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Salespeople.” Name the book; I’ve probably read it.

I certainly learned a lot from each and every one. But the best sales tip I ever received came from my father, and I’ve come to believe it’s really the only strategy you need to be a successful communicator. That is, approach every conversation with a full appreciation of the customer’s point of view. If you don’t view yourself or your product or service through the customer’s lens, you really have no chance of understanding his/her motivation.

Dan Dignam 0 Comment(s) read more
09 Oct

‘Lean In’ Or Leapfrog? How One Woman Changed The Game

The best part of my job is that I spend a fair amount of time planning The Channel Company’s events for female executives, and I have the privilege of listening to and being inspired by many successful women, each with a story more fascinating than the last.

Lisa MacKenzie 0 Comment(s) read more

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