Thought Leaders Wanted
"I Direct You to Go Indirect!"
Building an indirect channel is not as easy as executive management makes it sound with the "we're going indirect" mantra.
It's a little harder than just saying it—actually, much harder!
Like selling your house, there are more challenges to channel development than just "cleaning out your garage."
First and foremost, you need traffic.
To get that traffic, you need some way to make yourself visible.
An IT Version of the MLS
For house sellers, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) provides mass exposure to get your house in front of prospective buyers. Not to say that people buy houses site unseen (at least there's no "e-Bay homes" just yet), but it is next to impossible to sell a house without having it on MLS. We're not suggesting forming partnerships on a whim; however, you do need a way to get yourself out there.
Sure, in good times, homeowners can put the generic FSBO (For Sale by Owner) sign in the front yard. But, when times get tough, like they are now, homeowners need a compelling property and exposure online to successfully engage buyers.
Facts are, the "FSBO approach" doesn't work for channel development in IT—and, for too long, that has been the only option.
Hoping the right partner "drives by" and/or promoting your partner program by word of mouth at trade shows delivers only nominal results. But, for many, it is about the only option, considering that big-brand promotion is big-time expensive, as is buying a list of contacts.
Does a PLS Make Sense?
When selling a piano, car, or excess clothing, there's www.ebay.com and/or www.craigslist.com.
Need Employees?
You can check out www.linkedin.com and www.facebook.com or go straight to www.careerbuilder.com to find prospects. But, when it comes to finding prospective IT partners, it's not as easy as setting up a "group" in Facebook.
Finding direct sales prospects, there's www.hoovers.com, www.spoke.com, and plenty of other prospect-matching services.
Where's the Beef?
But when it comes to finding partners in IT, where are the services?
Where's the PLS (Partner Listing Service) to put VARs and vendors in touch, one with the other?
Sure, there are directories like www.capterra.com—the Sourcebook from www.verticalsystemsreseller.com—or the vendor program directories from www.crn.com.
But, directories are kind of like electronic phone book. Is an alternative directory, you can buy lists, but those start at a few thousand dollars.
Yes, there are great channel consulting firms, if you have the $50K plus to cover their retainer fees. But where do you find a low-cost, true PLS system that is web2.0-ified and suitable for those small-to-midsize business that can't afford the steep consulting fees? To find partners in other industries, there's www.partnerup.com, www.xing.com, www.partnerpoint.com, and a few others.
What we need is a www.match.com for Business Development Managers—some way to let companies promote themselves and meet prospective partners—an MLS for the IT community.
"Last century" event organizers were busily promoting the one-to-one "speed dating" events. They were nice (vacations), but too costly and too time-consuming.
Where's the Web 2.0 solution?
Where's the PLS (Partner Listing Service)?
Does anyone know?
In the Works!
We're developing a PLS right now, and we're inviting a select group of respondents to participate in the private Alpha Test. Sign up and you'll receive early access to the tools, ideas, and systems that are being launched as the PLS for our industry.
Register for the Alpha
To be included in the initial alpha best, send an e-mail to: mailto:info@partnerspring.com
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