SalesTechStar Interview with Ladina Lane, Senior Marketing Specialist at Panasonic Connect

Ladina Lane, Senior Marketing Specialist at Panasonic Connect chats about the latest trends and developments in channels sales in this short catch-up with SalesTechStar:

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Welcome to this SalesTechStar chat Ladina, tell us more about your role at Panasonic…

Thanks for having me! At Panasonic Connect, I serve as the Senior Marketing Specialist for our TOUGHBOOK Partner Program. I have the opportunity to work with an expert team of sales, sales enablement, and channel professionals that are committed to bringing mobility to a variety of industries that are undergoing digital transformation. 

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We’d love to hear your take on the evolution of channel sales and how are current trends shifting in today’s marketplace? 

This is a great question and something we talk about a lot at Panasonic Connect. One of the biggest shifts that we’ve seen take hold is the speed with which organizations are looking for devices, tools and solutions to digitally transform their business and empower their workforce. At the same time, technology is becoming more complex as innovation accelerates, which adds layers of additional challenges. This is a lot for customers to manage as they balance this with other organizational priorities. As a result, customers are looking for one vendor or one company to deal with. Channel partners who can provide those end-to-end solutions are the ones who we see growing and succeeding in the future.

We’d love to hear more about Panasonic recent partner portal: tell us how this benefits resellers while boosting the end user experience too. 

We’re always looking for ways to improve collaboration with sales reps and account managers, and a large part of this equation is continuing to invest in the channel to create more efficient processes. With our latest Partner Portal, the new upgrade empowers sales reps and account managers to truly manage the entirety of a partner relationship as business needs (both from our side and the customer’s side) change. What we see is that this increases collaboration and communication on opportunities, and it helps partners support and maintain customer satisfaction during when the landscape is constantly evolving. One final element that speaks to the user experience element you asked about is that we know how much customers demand high-touch, personalized experiences. With up-to-date information on pricing, inventory, solution information, specifications and more at their fingertips, this partner portal empowers our trusted reseller community, simplifying access and improving efficiency to the critical details.

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For businesses looking at enhancing their channel sales strategies and processes in 2022: what top tips would you share? 

It’s all about connectivity – being connected to the right vendors who, in turn, provide connectivity to the right partner ecosystem. This carries through to the connection that partners have with prospects and customers. The conversation has truly expanded beyond a single device or offering. There are growth opportunities ranging from device management to cloud services. I can’t stress enough the acceleration that has taken place over the past couple of years and how many organizations from public sector to utilities to field service to transport and logistics (and the list goes on) are seeking solutions partners to either solve for urgent needs or to capitalize on growth opportunities.

A few thoughts on the future of channel sales in B2B? 

Over the last two years we’ve learned the importance of evolution. Success moving forward won’t solely rely on the movement of our traditional business but it will rely on our growth in new areas, such as, Android solutions, XaaS, and managed services. The partners that move the quickest in growing segments of the rugged mobility market will be well positioned to differentiate themselves and lock in long-term business that is both sustainable and profitable. 

Some last thoughts, takeaways, digital sales/customer communication tips and best practices before we wrap up! 

As the conversation becomes solution-driven and customers look for added support, from IT to device management, it’s imperative that the organization and its partners are connected in ways that deliver value through collaboration.

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