CMCtv Episode 17: The Impact of the Shifting Channel on Vendor and Partner Roles

Welcome back to another episode of Channel Maven TV (#CMCtv)! In this short video, Channel Maven Consulting CEO, Heather K. Margolis is joined by Bruce Sherman, Sr Manager of Channel Alliances at Insight, to discuss how the evolving Channel is impacting Vendor and Partner roles.

5-10 years ago, everyone was talking about how the Channel was making a “shift to the Cloud” and how this shift was going to change Partners’ businesses. It has, of course, and what we once referred to as "born-in- the-Cloud" Partners are simply just Partners. The Channel is once again transforming Vendor-Partner relationship and in light of changes, Heather K Margolis and Bruce Sherman explore:

• How Vendor and Distributor roles will evolve
• Whether or not the multi-tier market is here to stay
• What the top tier Distributors will look like in 5 - 10 years
• How the supply chain will adapt to these changing roles
• What this mean for the VAR community as a whole

Growth is no longer as simple as keeping the doors open. In this maturing market, many Partners still need help from Vendors to better promote and grow their business. As the Channel continues to shift, both Vendors and Partners need to stay on their feet and keep their thumb on evolving market roles in order to stay successful.

To do so, it’s important to consider questions such as:

• How can Vendors and OEMs shift to better align with their Partners?
• How can Partners pick the safest and most reliable Vendors to work with? 
• What are the best tools to monetize your resources?
• What does the ideal Partner look like for OEMs?
• How can OEMs and Partners adapt their strategies to find the best revenue sources?

Interested in learning more? Bruce Sherman takes a deeper dive with added insights (pun intended) in this LinkedIn article: Channel Changes, Bring us to Tiers. Interested in contributing to this and other CMCtv discussions? Please let us know!