Why 51% of vendors don’t succeed….51%!! (according to Forrester)

What a great article from Stephanie Sissler from Forrester!

In it, she shared some research (from Forrester) about a critical difference between vendors that succeed and vendors that don’t. And what is that critical difference….PAMs. Specifically, well-trained PAMs.

She goes on to explain, that PAMs are not the same as sales people - but for channel. The way they operate is different and the skills they need are different.

Stephanie mentions 3 skills that I really like and that resonate with the work we do at Archer.

Strategic partner assessment. PAMs have to identify which partners will move the needle and therefore which partners to focus on. Understanding the make up of your partner base is crucial and providing marketing and tools for different segments will ensure that none feel neglected, but also that the most valuable partners feel loved.

Joint growth planning that delivers. Partner marketing is not just about filling your partner portal full of content. Instead, especially with strategic partners, it’s about sitting together and create bespoke plans. This helps develop a shared vision, commitment and results. She calls out QBRs to really drive new opportunities and course correct if needed.

Co-marketing that drives the needle. Again, I would argue that this links back to the first and second point – creating bespoke plans with key strategic partners. When done well, Stephanie says this can allow you to focus on ‘measuring real business impact rather than vanity metrics such as total leads or email open rates’.

You can read the rest of her blog here. Let me know what you think!