Sell A Total Solution, Not A "Cloud" Solution
Dave Maffei, VP Global Channel Sales at Carbonite, predicts changes driven by customer demand for the right solutions that solve their specific problems — not necessarily for cloud solutions.
BSM: Can you share your insights on what is set to occur in the channel over the next several months with regard to selling services?
Maffei: I believe that the next few months in the channel are going to continue to drive this consistent theme I have seen for the last six months. Channel partners are trying to understand how they make the transition from selling a box or a service to selling an overall solution. But that isn’t necessarily what the market thinks channel partners are struggling with. The market thinks that the channel is struggling with going from selling “the old way” with physical products to selling the “new way” with selling cloud. The reality is that argument is antiquated. The problem isn’t the delivery of the product — the problem is the logical grouping of x number of products into an overall solution that drives a comprehensive strategy for an end user.
The question needs to be “what are the overall pieces that need to fit into a technology ecosystem for my customer to be successful — and who are the vendors that I need to partner with to make all those different pieces come together in a logical, integrated, and streamlined way?” This means that the partner who is creating their value proposition as “born in the cloud” isn’t actually getting the pull from that proposition the way they think they are. Customers don’t care if their partners were born in the cloud or born in the Bronx. They need a solution that allows them to focus on their business.
BSM: What is driving this change — and why now? What will this mean for VARs and MSPs? Should they be paying particular attention to specific issues or changes?
Maffei: Buyers (customers) are more educated, more adaptable, more willing to trust — however, more willing to switch. What that means is that they are willing to give a partner the slack in the rope to create and implement for them the right solutions that solves their actual problems — and problems holistically and not in a silo. For a partner who can’t make that transition, what I am seeing is the extended slack is long, but not unlimited — and if these partners can’t create solutions that allow their customers to focus on their business, those customers will cut those ties and find someone who will.
BSM: How will this affect vendor-channel partner relationships and the way they do business together?
Maffei: Essentially, and plainly, those vendors who can promote a message to their channel partners around an overall solution and driving a business process that will put the power in the hands of the end user to not worry about all the erroneous fluff that surrounds their world will be successful. Those who can’t simply won’t. The market isn’t consolidating as much as the analyst community may be predicting from a “business/vendor” perspective. It is, however, shrinking from the vantage point of vendors who “get it” and those who “don’t.” Our partners are going to move the needle by creating a profitable, margin enhancing solution that delivers mission critical applications in an organized and effective fashion for their customers.