Q & A
EDITOR ’ S
MOHAN MADHURAKAVI , DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION EVANGELIST , KISSFLOW
At Kissflow , we have shattered the restrictive structure of traditional partner programmes . While other vendors tie rewards and benefits to rigid tiering systems that require partners to make significant investments of time and capital , we instead tailor our programme
benefits to the unique needs and ambitions of each of our partners .
Digital transformation is an ongoing journey with the role of the channel having changed from technology provider to trusted advisor . Players cannot simply compete on box-moving and low-margin business , and must rather focus on value addition .
Vendor partner programmes have had to adapt enabling partners to gain the benefit no matter what their go-to-market model may be . The need for flexibility is great than ever as partner themselves must adapt their business model to the preferences of customers .
The key is to understand how exactly the software product and its associated services are used . Now this varies depending on the customer and use cases . Taken to its extreme , all sales including product sales can be seen as services sale .
With the cloud paradigm , there has been a gradual shift towards pay-per-use . The market has therefore been moving in the direction of having a set of loosely coupled white labelled components with some basic packages , and the option for customers to choose addons dynamically .
Players cannot simply compete on box-moving and low-margin business , and must rather focus on value addition .
In the case of services however , it is a cost plus model . This has remained stable as the man hour rate with decreasing timelines for implementation . Incentives to sales people have become a 3 year or 5 year TCV due to pay per use models .
BARB HUELSKAMP , SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT , GLOBAL CHANNELS AND ALLIANCES , QUALYS
The digital world has dramatically changed partner programmes , how we collaborate and co-sell , and sales processes , driving efficiencies , improved accuracy , and better results . With more sophisticated digital tools , we can better scale our partner network and programmes with streamlined services such as comprehensive MSSP portals , or dashboards to better manage our joint business .
As importantly , digital technologies have allowed us to consolidate numerous products into a single platforms . The integration of multiple functions , allowing seamless interaction and data share between different modules or components , reduces customer cost and complexity while improving efficiency , accuracy and desired results .
There are many good lessons to be learned from partnership models in the hardware space , including rewarding and recognising growth with partners . This can be done on the front end via discounts , or the back end with rebates .
It is important to review the partner ’ s performance , particularly in terms of joint value and impact on the customer . At Qualys , we want to recognise the investments that a partner may be making in our joint business and their growth in driving new and crosssell business across the entire platform .
Today ’ s technology cycles are moving faster than ever , and partner programmes need to keep the pace in a similar fashion . It is very important that all these changes are done in close consultation with partners and that any and all changes are clearly communicated , well in advance of them taking effect , so that partners can build these into their own business calculus and have better predictability in managing their business .
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