Performance Incentives Solutions
Dear Friends,
I wanted to share with you my favorite Christmas song… and quite possibly my favorite song of any season. I hope it brings you a smile to your face and kicks off a wonderful holiday weekend with those you care about most. You can fast forward to the 1:30 mark for the start of the song.
Merry Christmas!
Move the Channel,
Travis
I loved this story. Take a look at this must-watch holiday video about gift-giving that Westjet put together. They absolutely earn loyal customers for life.
When Santa asked people what they wanted for Christmas, what did they say? Big-screen TVs, cameras, toys, underwear!
Why didn’t they say cash? Because when Santa asks, it’s magic, and if there is magic involved, why not ask for something you normally couldn’t afford or wouldn’t splurge on? You’re not spending your own family’s money—apparently this is goodwill currency & equity you’ve built up all year from being “good”. You and your family have earned it. Live it up!
Can you imagine Santa giving out cash? Where is the joy, the fun in that? What type of experience would the receiver of the cash have had while everyone else was opening their gifts?
The other element of this successful incentive promotion is the gift were unexpected. Many channel incentive program become entitlement programs. How can you keep the element of surprise to maximize appreciation?
When rewarding your channel partners for being “good” all year, make sure you don’t flop by giving them cash. Give them something that builds loyalty and goodwill toward your brand.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Channel-Movers!
Move the Channel,
Travis
PS Thanks for sharing this video with me Anthony
Top Channel Executives Address Today’s Program Challenges and Priorities
By Allison Watters
Day 2: The Women of the Channel Winter Conference is in session in New York City this week and there is much to report. There are many Move the Channel Members presenting and attending this exciting sold out event. For the Move the Channelfolks unable to attend…. Reporting from the conference is Allison Watters, a valued member and contributor to Move the Channel. Allison is alsoRelayware’s director of global communications and has been in technology communications for nearly 15 years serving companies of all sizes that work with the channel.
Allison Writes: On the second day of the Women of the Channel winter workshop, five top channel executives got on stage to discuss the challenges and priorities for today’s channel, providing the audience with insight as well as comfort that everyone is facing the same issues.
Panelists:
Right out of the gate moderator Lisa MacKenzie from The Channel Company asked the panelists about the biggest issues they are facing in the channel today. A common thread was the change of pace in the industry, which is faster today than it ever has been. These executives understand that many of their channel partners are small- and medium-sized businesses and cannot waste resources abruptly rerouting their strategy. These executives say they are working to help partners plan quarter by quarter as one way they are working to address the balance between the face past of the technology industry and the steady strategy partners need.
These executives also acknowledged that there are significant difference between their big partners and smaller partners, and it is challenging to keep the entire community afloat taking into account the varied needs. They are always considering the most effective segmentations as well as different motivating factors for partners.
When asked by an audience member specifically about the impact cloud services is having on how technology vendors are addressing their partner programs, the panelists cited Gartner Vice President and Distinguished Analyst Tiffani Bova.
Bova has segmented partners into those that are product-heavy, those that sell some cloud services with application programming interfaces and development work, and those that are “born in the cloud.”
Philpot said that vendors must be able to work with partners in all three of these groups. Atchison also reiterated the point stating that VARs will not be left behind in this evolution.
When asked where these executives look for information, they said they highly value the information and insight that comes from data, and they reach out directly from their partners, including surveys and conversations. They also keep pace with information through industry trade outlets as well as talking to analysts.
Next, MacKenzie asked the women what aspects they would include if they had to build a partner program from scratch and what they would eliminate.
Symantec’s Atchison astutely said, “Complexity is not your friend. Partners do not like complexity.” She also recommended figuring out the balance of investment in different partners and working to get that right. As with all of their answers, she once again reiterated the importance of going back to the partner community to get their feedback.
Gil from CA also echoed partner collaboration and making sure that everyone in the chain is focused on serving the best interests of the customer every day with every action.
Philpot with Oracle said that the best partner programs are built taking specialization into account, and Johansen agreed. She went on to say “One size does not fit all.”
Additionally, BMC’s Johansen reminded the audience that the most productive partner programs have leadership support with the appropriate resources. “If you don’t have support, it’s not worth building the program. Also, it takes a lot of money. If you don’t have the money, then don’t do it (build a partner program).”
This was only one of the many sessions at the Women of the Channel winter workshop that offered attendees valuable perspectives. If you weren’t able to attend, The Channel Company is planning Women of the Channel West conference in 2015.
About Allison:
Allison Watters (@aawatters), Relayware’s director of global communications, has been in technology communications for nearly 15 years serving companies of all sizes that work with the channel. As a marketer, she pays close attention to industry trends and the business realities, and this is the lens through which she consumes and processes information.
Topic: Survey of Channel Managers & Non-Managers
By Allison Watters
The Women of the Channel Winter Conference is in session in New York City this week and there is much to report. There are many Move the Channel Members presenting and attending this exciting sold out event. For the Move the Channel folks unable to attend…. Reporting from the conference is Allison Watters, a valued member and contributor to Move the Channel. Allison is also Relayware’s director of global communications and has been in technology communications for nearly 15 years serving companies of all sizes that work with the channel.
Allison writes:
During the open remarks of the Women of the Channel Winter workshop the positive energy was palpable, and there were so many attendees that it was hard to find a seat. It’s an incredible way to kick off an exciting event. (despite the weather)
Lisa MacKenzie, SVP of Events and an owner of The Channel Company, opened the session (despite having lost her voice) reviewing interesting findings from a recent survey of managers and non-managers. Also on stage was Brooke Cunningham, a member of the Women of the Channel conference advisory board. She talked about what it’s like to be a woman in the channel and shared how other women had helped her with her career moves along the way.
First up, 70 percent of managers report that they are a mentor. However, 56 percent of non-managers say they are mentored, though 92 percent report they would like a mentor. It’s an interesting difference of perspective. Potentially, it just happens to be who was surveyed. Alternatively, do some in manager positions see their guidance differently than those reporting up to them? When non-managers who say they want a mentor were asked why they do not have a mentor, they mainly reported that are not sure where to go for mentorship. There’s an opportunity here for organizations to have internal mentor programs or seek external programs. Many organizations have mentoring programs, such as Women in the Channel.
Next up, the survey asked respondents about their goals for the year ahead. Over half of manager and non-managers said health was a primary concern. This goal is underscored by research that says “Exercise has also been show to elevate mood, which has serious implications for workplace performance,” as reported by the Harvard Business Review.
Also highlighted in the survey – today’s workplace challenges. Managers say that their greatest challenge is not enough staff. This means that these professionals are trying to do more with fewer people. Additionally, they are not finding the talent they are looking for. So, when asked what the top skills they want non-managers to develop, the top three answers were communication, financial and negotiation skills.
When managers and non were asked about their current career, the majority of both reported that they are pretty happy. And interestingly, only 20 percent of non-managers responded that they want to move into the management position. Managers should consider the career path for these non-managers as well as ensuring that a fear of losing work-life balance isn’t throttling ambition.
The Women of the Channel Winter workshop 2014 makes attendees think about the year ahead, and these survey results provide a solid springboard for employee needs in the year ahead.
About Allison:
Allison Watters (@aawatters), Relayware’s director of global communications, has been in technology communications for nearly 15 years serving companies of all sizes that work with the channel. As a marketer, she pays close attention to industry trends and the business realities, and this is the lens through which she consumes and processes information.