INDUSTRY
Telecommunications
SOLUTION
Channel Management
Situation
As a global provider of business collaboration and communication solutions that deliver unified communications, networking, and related services to companies of all sizes worldwide, our client faced challenges driving consistent revenue growth through its 3,800+ small-to-medium enterprise (SME) channel partner network. Revenue through channel partners had eroded.
The client dramatically expanded the scope and scale of its partnership with MarketSource, drawing upon several of MarketSource’s core competencies—including the ability, expertise, and credentials to deliver focus and precision in this category. The decision to leverage channel sales as a service resulted in significant growth with its SME channel business and allowed the client to focus its efforts on other areas, such as enterprise channel and direct sales.
CHALLENGES
Inconsistent revenue growth
Channel partner revenue erosion
KEYS TO SUCCESS
Channel partner management + enablement
Inside + field sales teams
Sales onboarding + training + coaching
MarketSource managed all SME channel partners worldwide for this client. Our managed sales solution included a dynamic combination of inside channel account managers, field channel account managers, trainers, business analysts, and demo specialists. This functional group allowed MarketSource to become a trusted business advisor to the channel partners and help them grow tactically, strategically, and financially. MarketSource’s four-phased approach to client engagements ensured that the client and its partner community would reap maximum benefits.
Phase 1 – Discovery
MarketSource’s proprietary discovery process was a critical first step in this client’s engagement. It ensured we diagnosed all channel sales and marketing opportunities for improvement and identified the appropriate solutions. We conducted critical discovery sessions, analyzed historical performance, and developed essential insights to deliver a root-cause analysis of the current process and identify systemic organizational challenges. Our team identified many sub-optimal partners. We also found that when the client recruited “right-fit” partners,” the client did not provide the type and frequency of onboarding, training, and coaching needed to ensure they could sustain the development of, close, and support net-new opportunities for our client.
Phase 2 – Dedicated Channel Development
MarketSource leveraged its global channel development talent capabilities and sales innovation team to create and operationalize a go-to-market solution with the right people, processes, and technology to meet our client’s channel development goals and expectations.
Phase 3 – Execution and Onboarding
The answer to the client’s challenge involved a combination of our managed sales capabilities. The first crucial step was channel partner recruitment. We collaborated with the client to create an Ideal Partner Profile (IPP) based on the shared characteristics of its most successful partners. Once we identified the IPP, MarketSource developed the partner database and recruited new partners that matched the client’s IPP. We relied on the people, processes, and technology identified in Phase 2 to onboard and activate recruited partners. MarketSource coached and assisted the partners in their first sales transactions, then continuously coached and executed a customer touch strategy that led to quarter-over-quarter growth.
Phase 3 – Optimization
MarketSource embedded a team of experts in the program to monitor and evaluate performance. The team implemented improvements and best practices within the client’s sales organization through customized reporting and dedicated attention. MarketSource worked with all partners to drive sales, maintain accurate forecasting, and maximize the full benefit of marketing campaigns, product introductions, and refreshes.
Results
MarketSource’s work with our client’s SME channel partners resulted in consistent partner engagement that delivered the proper go-to-market, product, and program training, along with self-motivated partners who would achieve the needed certifications to be 100% effective. This enabled us to deliver significant results for our client, including more than $183 million in revenue and a 17% year-over-year improvement
$183M
in revenue
17%
year-over-year improvement