MarketStar Blog

Introduction

Picture this: the business world, a bustling marketplace where every player is on a quest for growth. In the midst of this hustle and bustle, the partner channel takes center stage, a network of collaborations and alliances that can make or break a company's trajectory.

The current B2B terrain is an ever-shifting labyrinth, and the onus is on us to adapt or get left behind. A strategy that has emerged as imperative to achieving this is the avenue of collaborative growth through partner channels. This approach not only enhances operational efficiency but also acts as a driving force for revenue growth, allowing us to generate increased returns.

Don’t just take our word for it.

Almost 60% of respondents in the "2023 Channel Partner Marketing Benchmark Survey" anticipated that partner-generated revenue would climb more than 10% this year, while just under a quarter predicted more than 20% gains. Partner channels can serve as gateways to new horizons, enabling businesses to tap into previously unexplored markets and access specialized resources.

This isn't just about broadening reach; it's about forging connections that redefine industry dynamics through mutual growth and innovation. As we navigate this blog, we delve deep into current trends, benefits, challenges, and the power of outsourcing within the realm of partner channels.

The Power of Collaboration: Advantages of Partner Channels

Crafting a partner channel program isn't merely a strategic maneuver; it's a pathway to accelerated growth. A McKinsey article forecasts that by 2025, numerous sectors will transform into expansive partner ecosystems, potentially fueling a $60 trillion economy. Beyond boosting sales and revenue, this approach expedites product time-to-market, harnessing established market channels and consumer demand.

This collaborative strategy widens reach and bolsters awareness, enabling businesses to penetrate new markets and tap into once-inaccessible customer segments. Notably, Zoom’s partner network drove 20% of its international business bookings. Moreover, partners' expertise enhances a company's capacity to navigate intricate terrain, leveraging their insights for more potent strategies.

Partner channels offer shared resources, granting access to tools, technologies, and capabilities otherwise challenging to attain. Leveraging a partner's established network provides a competitive edge, facilitating swift market entry and brand recognition. Ultimately, this translates into elevated customer satisfaction; as per the 2023 State of the Partner Ecosystem report, deals involving partners are 53% more likely to close.

Partner Channel Success: Emerging Trends and Insights

95% of Microsoft's commercial revenue comes through its partners. While partner channels present a potent avenue for growth, harnessing their full potential hinges on meticulous planning and execution. It's paramount to align with prevailing trends and strategies, enriching your comprehension and refining your strategic stance. Drawing from compelling data spotlighting the pivotal role of partnerships in achieving success, let's delve into current trends:

1. Elevate Enablement Programs: Bolstering partner capabilities through channel partner enablement programs takes center stage. This involves crafting a partner enablement strategy to provide partners with the tools, resources, and training necessary to effectively market, sell, and support products and services. By equipping them with vital skills, you empower them to thrive in today's competitive market.

2. Build Effective CPM Strategies: A growing trend is the use of robust Channel Partner Management (CPM) strategies. Clear communication, well-defined performance metrics, target setting, and partner contribution monitoring are essential for effective partner sales management. This streamlines partner performance tracking and supports partners in achieving their established goals.

3. Harness Channel Revenue Solutions: There is a growing recognition of the value of ROIs derived from partner channel revenue. Revenue enablement allows you to track partner-contributed sales, and related costs, margins, and metrics. You can glean profound insights into refining your channel revenue strategies, identifying high-performing partnerships, and optimizing resource allocation.

4. Cultivate Personalized Partnerships: Personalization extends beyond customer interactions; it's paramount in partner relationships too. Tailoring engagement models, integrating incentives, or fostering reward programs are avenues to explore. Recognizing partners' unique strengths and aligning with their objectives fosters profound engagement, robust connections, and mutual prosperity.

5. Expand Your Partner Ecosystem: At the forefront is the exponential expansion of partner ecosystems, transcending traditional boundaries. Enterprises are venturing into diverse partnerships, leveraging the cumulative expertise of networks for distinctive benefits. This strategic approach enables you to tap into new markets and opportunities efficiently and innovatively.

The Different Facets of Partner Channel: Navigating Challenges

While the allure of partner channels is undeniable, they come with their fair share of challenges. Statistics reveal that a staggering 60-65% of strategic partnerships falter, often due to issues as basic as miscommunication or misaligned objectives. Despite acknowledging the worth of partner channels, approximately 73% of marketers find their management a substantial challenge, primarily due to collaboration inefficiencies.

Protecting brand reputation is another pain point. Maintaining consistent messaging and quality among partners is crucial for how a brand is perceived and presented to the market. Ensuring accountability and engagement poses a hurdle, as keeping partners dedicated and actively involved in joint endeavors can be demanding. A previous Accenture study unveiled that 84% of channel leaders lack clear insight into their partners' opportunity pipelines. 

The way we sell today is being shaped by the evolving customer journey, technological advancements, and changes in customer behavior. Additionally, sales processes differ from one business to another, and so do the terminology and data management practices associated with them. At MarketStar, we fully comprehend these dynamics and possess the adaptability to align with and enhance our clients' processes through our proven and reliable practices. We bring our expertise to every task, seamlessly integrating our teams into our clients' organizations. However, occasionally we encounter minor inaccuracies that, despite their size, can significantly impact our efforts.

Nobody ever said enterprise sales was easy. Enterprise tech sales is one of the toughest types of sales jobs, no matter whether you are engaging in enterprise software sales, hardware sales, or cloud services. Another industry term for enterprise sales is complex selling because there are so many variables.

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One universal truth of enterprise sales is that deals take time to close. Enterprise applications tend to be business-critical, with a lot riding on the success of the deployment. As a result, there are lots of stakeholders, each with unique criteria and success factors. There also tend to be extensive discussions about compatibility, integration, customization, and value, making sure the solution will more than pay for itself.

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There is a lot about enterprise sales that has changed, especially since the pandemic. Buyers have come to prefer the digital sales process, and more B2B sales are being handled remotely. According to McKinsey, between 70 percent¹ and 80 percent of B2B decision makers prefer self-service or remote sales transactions. 

When validating sales prospects, you want to make sure that pursuing a potential prospect will yield profits. To determine the potential returns from any new lead, you must start by calculating the customer acquisition cost (CAC). 

Every customer journey starts with your sales team. Stop. Please ask yourself if you are liking the results. Are you accurately defining success for this team? How does your definition translate to the larger enterprise clients’ sales experience?

No sales rep succeeds on their own. Successful sales performance is the result of many factors. You need the right leads, the right sales pitch, the right conversion tools, the right customer service, and more. Sales success is the result of solid sales enablement, which is why successful companies are more focused on developing a frictionless, integrated sales process.