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The partner account manager is your primary connection point to partners.

It is always sad when a relationship doesn’t work out. Both sides have put time and effort into the partnership, and at least one side didn't get the results they wanted.

You may think this is harsh, but we consider the partner account manager (PAM) at fault for every solution provider relationship gone awry. Don’t scream. We know they can’t control every factor of the vendor/solution provider relationship. However, as the designated primary point of connection between the two organizations, they are responsible for communication and collaboration.

... And Why Should You Care?

By Diane Krakora, CEO

In our most recent webcast, “From Programs to Initiatives: Trends in Partner Enablement,” Michelle Hodges, VP Global Strategy and Programs at Riverbed, and I discussed what it takes today to enable partners across types and program tracks. Among many other topics we tackled the core question: “What is enablement, anyway?”

By Diane Krakora, CEO

As a company focused on perfecting partnering between organizations, we’ve been reflecting on our recent partnership with Averetek. In a new partnership, sometimes everything falls into place quickly and other times you must be diligent with checklists, meetings and emails to get everything in order. In fact, we believe there are six key steps to launching a lasting partnership. We've made smooth, steady progress in our new venture with Averetek, and here's a self-check in the mirror to see how it's going.

Partner initiatives are replacing big programs.

10 Trends for a 2020 Vision – Uncover #8

If you haven't had a chance to read the full report yet, take a look at how individualized enablement will become a key priority for the future of the channel. The following is an excerpt from our 2016 State of Partnering report: 10 Trends for a 2020 Vision, using survey responses from over 100 vendors, 200 solution providers and years of industry data. Download the complete report here.

Not all partners need all the elements offered in partner programs

We’ve said this a few times: not all partners are the same. And as the market continues to evolve toward cloud solutions, additional different partners will emerge. In just the last ten years we’ve seen the decline of VARs, Catalogs and DMRs and the emergence of MSPs, cloud brokers, telcos and even digital marketing agencies as channels to end-customers. Increasingly, a larger variety of partners will surface, driven by different customer requirements.