industryopinion
The old channel sales cycles are dead –
communities are the future Communities that foster knowledge sharing, education and enablement are
reshaping how business is done in the channel, says Rene Klein, executive vice president, Westcon Europe at Westcon-Comstor.
I
n the past, sales cycles within the channel were transactional, easy to predict and formulaic. Based largely around hardware sales and renewals, it was
possible to identify key sales moments and opportunities across the quarter and year well in advance and plan around them. With the shift to software, XaaS and subscription-based models
that revolve around recurring revenue, this dynamic has bitten the dust. Now it’s a case of maintaining constant contact and adding value across the solutions lifecycle, optimising revenue at every stage. To thrive in this new subscription economy, channel organisations need two things.
Data-driven approach First, they need to harness the power of data and analytics. Specifically, this is about having the right customer data – including transactional data and data insights that help partners grow their customer base and add more value over the duration of the customer lifecycle. The importance of data and analytics was acknowledged by
the Technology and Services Industry Association (TSIA) when it recently updated the LAER framework (Land, Adopt, Expand, Renew) it first launched in 2014 with the addition of Analyse and Place (hence APLAER). As the TSIA stated when unveiling the updated APLAER
model: “It’s now time to think about digital intelligence with a model that takes better advantage of the wealth of data that is available to your company … in the next decade … every part of the customer lifecycle will be enhanced and digitally transformed by data and analytics.” Channel players are beginning to heed this message, with 48%
of partners surveyed for our recent Navigating the Shift research report stating that data on customer lifecycle and renewal dates is important as they transition to subscription and recurring- revenue models.
Power of communities If the importance of the data opportunity is being widely grasped across the channel, I’m not sure the same can be said of the second element that’s needed to thrive in this new era of sales: namely, the power of community.
12 | November/December 2023 When I say community, I’m not talking about ESG-led
initiatives like planting trees near offices and undertaking charity volunteering days (as important as these things are). Rather, the communities that are reshaping how business is
done in the channel are those that serve as a forum for sharing knowledge and driving education and enablement across different players, from vendors to distributors and partners such as value-added resellers, managed service providers (MSPs) and systems integrators.
Influence and inform Distributors and vendors are increasingly going beyond traditional sales routes and instead looking to influence and inform partners’ tech teams, realising that building deep relationships at multiple levels is the key to delivering long- term value. One example of this community-based approach is the
TechXpert forum we’ve recently launched at Westcon-Comstor in collaboration with multiple cybersecurity and networking vendors. The exclusive, opt-in community, the tagline of which is
‘by techies, for techies’, is aimed at cybersecurity professionals working in the channel and emphasises shared learning without the hard sell. Guest speakers from vendors share insights on topical issues,
from the EU’s NIS2 cybersecurity regulation to revolutionising security outcomes with AI and ML and enhancing detection and response with deception technology. The aim is to provide exclusive training, insights, events,
networking and rewards to drive a competitive advantage, increase engagement and adoption of the latest technologies across the full security portfolio delivering end-to-end solutions. This community-based approach involves a fundamental
rethink of the traditional approach to sales. For distributors, I believe our unique position at the heart of
the value chain means we are ideally placed to drive the creation of these communities and shape the evolution of the channel – demonstrating our value while empowering partners to succeed now and in the future
www.pcr-online.biz
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
