Channel Management Best Practices: Business Planning, Part 1 (3/x)

In order to both share my perspective and (perhaps more importantly) to elicit constructive feedback and new ways of thinking, I am writing a series of posts giving my perspective on the best practices of Channel Management.  These are things that I have learned and have implemented with success in my career.  Comments, feedback, disagreements, and additional insights are welcome, if not encouraged.  

This is the third in a series.

Partner Business Planning, Part 1

Effective channel management hinges on effective collaboration between your company and your partners.  Partner business planning is the basis for mutual success. This process is vital for aligning the business goals of both parties. It clarifies the strategic rationale behind the partnership and facilitates informed decisions about resource allocation. By engaging in joint planning, you can identify potential gaps in market coverage or partner capabilities. Both your company and your partner benefit from planning across sales, marketing, finance, operations, and technical departments. This collaborative foresight ensures that plans are grounded in realistic expectations. Key concepts in this planning include things like:

• Joint Marketing Plan (JMP):  a blueprint for shared marketing efforts
• Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy:  an action plan for reaching customers and achieving competitive advantage
• S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Based) Goals.

The structure of a joint business plan typically relies on a standardized template that is then customized for each partner. Core components include

• partner-specific data
• Joint Marketing Plan (JMP)
• Joint Sales Plan
• Review and Renew Plan. 

The overarching goals are to bring about a mutual understanding of each party's vision, mission, and strategy and to align them where possible, minimizing conflicts. This involves setting joint business objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), devising strategies and action plans to meet these objectives, allocating budgets, and establishing a review schedule (e.g., monthly or quarterly) to ensure the plan remains a dynamic, "living" document. 

Essential elements within the plan include a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis for both your partner and your company to identify overlaps, synergies, and gaps. The plan should detail partner core competencies and differentiators, articulate a joint value proposition, define target audiences, and establish performance milestones. It should do this with specific, measurable outcomes and criteria. Future investments should be made contingent on achieving these milestones.

A deep understanding of each partner is extremely important before you begin joint planning.  A generic "boilerplate" approach can undermine the relationship from the outset. This involves gathering background data on

• the partner's firmographics (e.g., years in business, core competencies, number of employees)
• their financials (e.g., annual revenue, average deal size, sales incentives)
• the existing relationship (e.g., key contacts, competition, potential conflicts). 

Aligning on several key areas is also critical for success:

• economic alignment, such as how the partner derives margin from the your product versus their own services and the percentage of their total margin from the vendor's product
• sales focus alignment, determining whether the emphasis is on net new customers, upgrades, cross-selling, or account maintenance
• sales cycle alignment, ensuring that sales processes are harmonized, especially for products with long sales cycles. 

Planning often varies by partner tier, with different levels of commitment (e.g., revenue targets) and support (e.g., frequency of joint marketing plans, dedicated vendor resources, annual vs. semi-annual business plans) for Bronze, Silver, or Gold partners. 

In my next installment, I’ll continue on the topic of partner business plans…

Channel Management Best Practices: Onboarding and Enablement (2/x)

In order to both share my perspective and (perhaps more importantly) to elicit constructive feedback and new ways of thinking, I am writing a series of posts giving my perspective on the best practices of Channel Management.  These are things that I have learned and have implemented with success in my career.  Comments, feedback, disagreements, and additional insights are welcome, if not encouraged.  

This is the second in a series.

Onboarding and Enablement

In my last post, I presented my perspective on the best practices in Channel Recruitment.  Now, I would like to address one of the most crucial aspects of growing a success channel ecosystem:  Partner Onboarding and Enablement. Onboarding and enablement of new partners is vital to the overall success of the vendor-partner relationship and, ultimately, to the bottom line of both parties.

Partner onboarding is the initial and foundational stage of the relationship between vendor and partner. Done correctly, onboarding methodically integrates the partner into the operational framework of your company. On a practical level, it should include providing partners with essential resources.  In a mature model, it includes access to a Partner Portal (including a Marketing Portal and Training Portal). 

A carefully structured onboarding process typically follows the 30-60-90 framework with each phase setting clear and incremental goals. Effective onboarding is indispensable since it first rung on the ladder to partner success. Partners typically collaborate with multiple vendors simultaneously.  This means that your company is competing with many others for attention, loyalty, and engagement. A smooth, well-planned onboarding experience can significantly influence a partner’s commitment and subsequent performance. Studies have shown that partners who are well-nurtured during their initial three to six months demonstrate higher longevity and productivity - and, thus, more revenue.

The onboarding process should be formalized; however, it must be straightforward to encourage easy compliance and participation. Using things such as automated learning emails and accessible training videos are effective tools. Offering optional personalized training sessions is also beneficial; this allows for flexibility and accommodates different learning speeds. Additionally, an onboarding checklist that covers things like contract execution, conflict management, credit approvals, portal setups, and initial planning for training and marketing can be a valuable tool for completeness and clarity.

The onboarding process also requires the establishment of clear legal frameworks through a comprehensive yet concise Business Partner Agreement. This ensures uniformity across all partnerships to prevent potential confusion and/or disputes. Another crucial aspect involves personnel mapping that explicitly defines the responsibilities of individuals at both your company and your partner’s. This should cover areas from technical support to financial administration.

Following onboarding, partner enablement focuses on equipping partners with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to market and sell your solutions effectively. Enablement includes ongoing training in three core areas: technical proficiency, sales capabilities, and marketing expertise. Each of these has unique requirements and strategies.

• Technical enablement ensures technology proficiency and promotes skill growth through targeted certifications and competency development programs. This ensures the partner's technical capabilities align with and effectively complement your company’s offerings.

• Sales enablement revolves around syncing partner sales strategies with your solutions. This involves providing insights into customer behaviors, providing comprehensive sales tools (e.g., RFP templates, ROI calculators, case studies, co-branded demos, trials, etc.) and equipping partners to address customer objections effectively.

• Marketing enablement similarly provides partners with essential training on utilizing marketing portals, deploying co-marketing funds, and navigating customer buying journeys. Tools in this area include co-branded materials, sales presentations, branding guidelines, etc.

Continuous communication through multiple channels such as email, social platforms, telephone, and browser notifications, is vital to enablement success. Monitoring partner engagement and soliciting feedback help address any arising issue and maintain productive partnerships.

Successful onboarding and enablement rely on structured yet flexible processes that respect partner dynamics and emphasize clear, continuous communication. These practices encourage committed, productive partnerships, setting the foundation for sustained channel management success.

In my next installment, I’ll discuss business plans…

Channel Management Best Practices: Recruitment (1/x)

In order to both share my perspective and (perhaps more importantly) to elicit constructive feedback and new ways of thinking, I am writing a series of posts giving my perspective on the best practices of Channel Management.  These are things that I have learned and have implemented with success in my career.  Comments, feedback, disagreements, and additional insights are welcome, if not encouraged.  

This is the first in a series.

Channel Recruitment

The basis of channel recruitment is identifying and successfully recruiting the right channel partners to expand market reach and achieve financial goals. This process is crucial because poor partner selections can lead to significant issues. Motivated and strategically aligned partners are essential for a thriving partner program. Thus, partner selection and recruitment are extremely important to achieving maximum market coverage while minimizing channel conflict.

In order to build a strong channel ecosystem, you must (as they say) “start at the beginning”: Recruitment.  This includes understanding the landscape of your industry, assessing the current position and strategic direction of your company, defining an ideal partner profile, learning to sell appropriate personas on the value of partnering, assessing partner candidates, and preparing an onboarding strategy.

The vital first step is assessing your company’s current state and strategic direction.  This involves understanding your company’s vision, mission, and current / proposed strategies. It's important to know your target market segments as well as any planned changes to them. This assessment also determines whether or not the current partner portfolio can achieve the company's goals.

The next stage is defining your ideal partner -  including the key characteristics, strengths, resources, and expertise they need. Competitive benchmarking is essential to understand competitors' partner types and market coverage. Research your competitors’ partner ecosystems! Recognizing business transformations is also critical, as changes in business strategy or direction will impact partner needs and relevance. Your current partner portfolio must be evaluated to identify gaps in core competencies and alignment. An ideal partner profile should be reviewed and adapted on a regular basis.

Convincing potential partners to join your program involves addressing their needs as much as your own. What is in it for them? Understanding the potential partner’s perspective and how the program can help drive their business is critical.  Partners want market-leading / innovative products, support with demand generation, future demand with mutual customers, minimal channel conflict, and professional enablement in areas like operations, legal, marketing, and sales. Partners also seek ongoing training, easy ways to add value and increase profitability, and good communication. Potential partners will have questions about rewards, performance requirements, compensation, reporting, contractual obligations, resources, and joint business planning.

It is important to target the right individuals, such as CEOs, heads of sales, marketing, alliances, and product development. Different messaging and value propositions should be developed for each "persona". Marketing communication about potential partnerships should include social media, email campaigns, events, public relations, and word-of-mouth. Creating a target list involves data sources like LinkedIn and prioritizing prospects based on desirability and probability of engaging, according to the ideal partner profile. Registrations and applications should be centralized and web-based, with a clear application process.

Assessing candidates should involve meetings where both parties present their vision, expectations, and business opportunities. Early-stage legal and administrative aspects, such as Letters of Intent (LOIs) and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), are great ways of outlining the structure of the partnership before finalizing the agreement

In my next installment, I’ll discuss onboarding and enablement...

A Strategic Asset for Your Software Company's Channel Success

I'd like to take moment to provide an overview of my qualifications...

I am an accomplished and results-oriented professional, bringing a wealth of experience in direct sales, channel sales and partner management that would make me an asset to any software company. With a well-established career, including more than 25 years dedicated to the information technology sector, I have demonstrated his ability to drive revenue growth, cultivate strong partner ecosystems, and exceed expectations in dynamic, global environments. My understanding of the SaaS and cloud-based technology landscape, coupled with a track record of success, positions me as a prime candidate to lead and expand a company's channel sales / partner management initiatives.

My experience is marked by an ability to build and scale successful partner programs. I have a global perspective, having managed partners across North America, EMEA, and APAC. My resume highlights significant roles where I have been instrumental in identifying, onboarding, and managing strategic alliances. For instance, during my tenure as Director of Strategic Partnerships at OfficeRnD, I grew the global partner roster from a single partner to over sixty within eighteen months, directly contributing to significant ARR growth through new partnerships and integrations. My hands-on experience in developing and nurturing relationships with ISVs, MSPs, and VARs underscores my capability to build and manage a thriving partner network.

A key component of my effectiveness lies in my skill set, which is perfectly aligned with the demands of a channel sales / partner management role. My core competencies include solution selling, channel development, partner enablement, and consultative sales. I excel in creating and executing joint selling and marketing strategies, ensuring partner success through effective training, onboarding, and ongoing relationship management. Furthermore, my proficiency in program management and my ability to work collaboratively across internal departments such as marketing, product, and finance ensure that partnership initiatives are well-integrated and effectively executed to drive adoption and revenue.

My career is one of exceeding sales quotas and earning accolades for my performance. I have surpassed revenue expectations across multiple industries. Notable achievements include receiving the "Above and Beyond" Award at ControlScan for record revenue and multiple sales awards at IBM, including the prestigious Global Sales Leadership Award. At EarthLink, I increased monthly subscribers from an outbound partner by over 400% within the first four months. These accomplishments speak to my strategic thinking, and ability to deliver tangible results.

In conclusion, I bring a compelling combination of experience, a robust skill set, and a track record of success that makes me an outstanding candidate for a channels sales or partner management role within a software company. My dedication to fostering strong partner relationships, driving revenue growth, and my numerous certifications, including in Channel Management and MEDDPICC, further solidify my qualifications. As testimonials from colleagues and partners attest, I am recognized for my passion, knowledge, work ethic, and for my ability to build rapport and consistently add value. I am well equipped to make an immediate and positive impact, strategically expanding a software company's market reach and revenue through effective channel partnerships.

Thank you for your time. Please share this with anyone who may have a need for a talented channel sales / partnerships professional.  Feel free to contact me directly. 

Joe Gaeta
May 2025

joegaeta@joegaeta.com
(404) 482-2068

Oglethorpe University Baseball 2025 Season Recap

From the Official Athletics Site of the Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels:

ATLANTA - Head Coach Kellen Greer's fourth season came to a close on graduation day after another year of marked improvement.

The season began with a Sunday split against Brandeis with a close 3-2 loss in game one, then an 11-6 win. The Petrels also split their series with Kalamazoo, then Huntingdon handed them their first road loss.

Oglethorpe started a winning streak in late February, triumphing in seven straight games. Conference play began in mid-March with Berry ending the win streak. The Petrels did steal one game from Berry, then picked up a pair of wins against Centre. As the end of the regular season drew near, Oglethorpe started another winning streak thanks to Piedmont and Rhodes.

The Petrels swept the series against the latter before heading to the Southern Athletic Association tournament. The team faced Rhodes once again in the opening round, but could not repeat the energy from the previous weekend.

Award Winners

• Jonathan Cruz: All-SAA first team and SAA Athlete of the Week
• Jaxson Corr: All-SAA second team
• Trey Kinnan: All-SAA second team
• Isaiah Pou: All-SAA second team
• Tate Henderson: All-SAA honorable mention
• Cooper Krause: All-SAA honorable mention
• Nick Tarantino: All-SAA honorable mention
• JB Sain: SAA Athlete of the Week

Team Notes

• Eight freshmen made their debut: Sain, Cade Eidham, Ryan Causey, Konner Burrell, Hayden Partain, Aiden Holley, Will Lumpkin and Cian Khajavi.
• Six players made their Oglethorpe debut: Jace Armstrong, Tyler Hower, Rhett Wells, Jayson Barber, Alex Kerr and Sam Kates.
• Oglethorpe graduated 18 seniors/MBAs/dual degree players: Blair Barnes, Mason Pearcy, Sam Mills, Grant Guinther, Colin Stewart, Jake Hill, Matt Huckabee, Cooper Krause, Hunter Spence, Charlie Boyce, Cruz, Nick Tarantino, Greg Johnson, Brennan Boone, Gavin Latham, Shane Newsome, Jack Groh and Kates.
• Because the SAA tournament began the same weekend as Oglethorpe's graduation, the Petrels held their own private ceremony on Monday, May 5, in Lupton Auditorium.
• Freshman Brooks Gresehover worked the broadcast this season and Latham served as a team photographer.

Season Notes

• Record: 21-20.
• This was assistant coach Andy Hoyer's fourth season and Parker Hildebrecht's '23 second season.
• Oglethorpe faced Brandeis, Husson and Berea for the first time.
• The Petrels played Hanover for the first time since 1994.

Individual Leaders

• Cruz scored 44 runs, had 66 hits, 25 RBIs and stole nine bases. He also had a .522 slugging percentage. Cruz had the best batting average in the SAA (.433), led in hits, ranked second for assists, fourth for runs, and fifth for on-base percentage (.518).
• Pou recorded 37 runs, 43 hits, 10 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. He led the SAA in on-base percentage (.544), ranked third for home runs, second for slugging percentage (.750), eighth for batting average (.393) and RBIs, and sixth for stolen bases.
• Corr ranked 3rd in the SAA for batting average (.404), had 35 hits & scored 28 runs.
• Jace Armstrong recorded a 7.01 ERA, ranking sixth in the SAA. He pitched 59.1 innings and struck out 32 batters.
• Kinnan had 61 hits and scored 28 runs. He ranked second in conference for stolen bases with 28 and also ranked 10th for batting average (.381), fifth for hits, and ninth for RBIs.
• Pearcy had 28 hits, scored 21 runs and had 20 RBIs. He ranked fifth in conference for putouts.
• Dylan Quintilio struck out 36 batters.
• Krause had 40 hits, scored 25 runs, hit four home runs, had 29 RBIs and stole seven bases. His batting average was .333, a slugging percentage of .492, and on-base percentage of .414.
• Brick Conway had 22 hits, scored 21 runs and stole nine bases.
• Henderson struck out 26 batters, Burrell made 25, and Sain followed with 24.
• Drew Jabaley scored 20 runs.
• Causey had 25 hits and 28 RBIs.

----------

On a personal note, #22 in your programs and #1 in your hearts, Paul Gaeta, suffered through a bit of a “Sophomore Slump” but kept battling and never stopped working hard and always supported his teammates.  (There were highlights, including his first collegiate start.)

All in all, I’m very proud of how he handled himself and the personal commitment he has made for his offseason. Please allow me this two-minute indulgence from a proud dad. 😉

#GoPetrels | #StayStormy

Attacking the First 90 Days in a Channel Sales Manager Role

An important expectation for any new-hire Channel Sales Manager to have a solid, well-crafted “30-60-90” plan. It must be detailed and include appropriate KPIs for the industry, vendor, partner, and solution. A structured and strategic approach during the first 90 days is crucial for establishing strong partner relationships, driving revenue growth, and setting a foundation for long-term success. It is designed to outline clear objectives and actionable steps that align with company goals and enhance channel performance.

In my opinion, the first 30 days should be focused on learning and assessment. During this period, the primary objective should be to gain an in-depth understanding of the company's products, services, value propositions, and the partner ecosystem. This involves completing comprehensive product and service training and meeting with internal teams to understand existing channel processes.  It is also extremely important to conduct introductory meetings with key channel partners to understand their business models and strategic goals. In addition, a thorough audit of existing channel agreements and an evaluation of partner performance against current KPIs is needed. The goal is to identify high-performing partners, understand gaps, and recognize growth opportunities that can be leveraged. In addition to the plan laid out above, a structured prospecting and onboarding plan needs to be developed and implemented in order to identify new partnerships.

As one moves into the second month in the role, the focus should shift to execution and engagement. With foundational knowledge established, it is critical to deepen relationships with key partners and begin executing joint strategies. This should include conducting joint business planning sessions with high-potential partners.  These sessions need to outline mutual goals and growth strategies, implement targeted enablement programs such as training and co-marketing initiatives, and launch pilot projects with selected partners where needed. Regular communication cadences, including bi-weekly check-ins and quarterly business reviews (QBRs), should be established to ensure alignment and ongoing support. It is also crucial to address performance gaps with corrective measures and optimize strategies based on early feedback.  

The final 30 days of this initial phase should concentrate on optimization and expansion. This phase should focus on optimizing partner strategies based on the insights and feedback gathered to this point. Successful initiatives need to be scaled across broader partner networks.  Furthermore, the exploration of new verticals and untapped markets should begin. One should also collaborate with the marketing team to facilitate co-branded campaigns aimed at broader market reach. By the end of these initial 90 days, performance reviews of any pilot programs should be conducted, adjustments should be made, and findings should be presented to leadership for validation and further support. All this is essential to set the stage for continuous growth and expansion beyond the initial 90 days.

Throughout this process, key metrics need to be tracked, including partner-driven revenue growth, market penetration within key verticals, partner satisfaction, and the effectiveness of new initiatives. The prospecting and enablement plan implemented in the first phase need to be continually executed against throughout these 90 days and beyond. I believe this structured approach ensures that the Channel Sales Manager not only integrates effectively into the company but also drives meaningful growth and strengthens partner relationships right from the start.

Your thoughts?

Attention Atlanta Area Pitchers! [College Pitchers, High School Commits, and Senior Prep Athletes]

Click image for larger version.

Why channel partnerships excite me...

As I am currently seeking my next challenge in channel sales with a growing and dynamic company, I thought I would share some very interesting statistics that excite me about sales partnerships.

As of 2023:

• 75% of world trade flows through partnerships. (Canalys)
• 38% of CEOs say partnering is their #1 growth strategy. (KPMG)
• There is 50% of YoY increase in the number of B2B partsnerhips being formed. (IDC)
• Microsoft alone adds about 10,000 partners per month and, as of 2023, had over 500,000 partners. (Accenture)
• Companies need to increase their quantity of painters by nearly 10x over the next three to five years in order to succeed. (Forrester)
• 76% of CEOs say that their current business model will unrecognizable in five years due to changing partnership networks. (Accenture)

However, success of partnerships is not guaranteed.  Some statistics point to high failure rates for business partnerships (sometimes as high at 70 to 80%).  

The good news is that IT partnerships can achieve success rates of over 80% when approached strategically with clear goals, strong communication, mutual commitment, dedicated management, and formal processes.

Get yours today!

 

Package includes:

• Award-winning sales professional in Atlanta with over 30 years of experience - including over 25 years of success in the information technology industry. 
• Channel Management Professional Certification
• MEDDPICC Masterclass Certification
• Customer Success Manager (CCSM) Level 1 Certification

See what others are saying!

Yours exclusively by calling (404) 482-2068 or by emailing joegaeta@joegaeta.com!

Artwork by Tina Christina. On display through April 28th, 2025.

Now through April 28th: My sister, Christina Gaeta, will have her artwork exhibited at the Ventulett Gallery at Holy Innocents Episcopal Church from March 4 - April 28. FYI.