McBain shares his insights with ZINFI CEO Sugata Sanyal on the crucial role of collaboration in new channel management strategies
ZINFI Technologies, Inc., a company leading the definition and creation of Unified Channel Management solutions that include affiliate marketing management (AMM), partner relationship management (PRM), partner marketing management (PMM) and partner incentives management (PIM), along with special guest Jay McBain, Chief Analyst at Canalys, today announced the release of their latest “Feet on the Street” educational video podcast series focused on innovative channel management strategies for collaboration across partner ecosystems.
The seven-chapter video podcast series – which is now available on demand from the ZINFI website – commences with a conversation regarding new types of partners and how to best collaborate with them to drive profitability.
McBain points out that every prospect has seven trusted partners, many of whom play a key role in the implementation of a product while not actually involved with the transaction, which can be completed digitally and through marketplaces.
Sanyal and McBain go on to discuss the role of technology platforms, such as channel management software, in this new type of collaboration. They also discuss the importance of automation in effective partner relationship management strategies. McBain points out that a prospect will engage in an average of 28 “moments” before making a selection, so collaborating with partners across the entire engagement process through automation is critical to achieve scale.
Read More: Medius Appoints Henrik Rosén As Chief Technology Officer
To deliver an automated experience that successfully engages prospects, hyper-personalized collaboration needs to be a cornerstone of these new channel management strategies. McBain poses the question: “Six questions will be asked that need collaboration assistance. How will you address them?”
McBain also emphasizes the essential role mobility plays in partner collaboration, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He notes there are more than 30 different ways for partners to communicate and learn by leveraging channel management software. “Twelve percent love podcasts and webinars, 33% prefer email – others prefer WhatsApp and other communication tools,” he says. Both channel leaders conclude by agreeing that mobility makes channel management an anywhere-anytime activity that requires hyper-personalized experiences to engage users.
Read More: SalesTechStar Interview with Ang McManamon, VP of Sales at Crunchbase
The podcast series concludes with a vibrant discussion on the role of artificial intelligence in new channel management strategies and the potential for tracking partner behavior and performance to build predictive models. Will partners become the new subject matter experts and content providers for their own ecosystems? How will they compete and secure that position of expertise? Listen in to hear the full story.