Heather K. Margolis

CRM for Everyone… Even Me

• April 5, 2010

Having worked at several enterprise companies and a 60 person start-up I’ve had plenty of experience with CRM systems.

Simplified Marketing for VARs?

• December 9, 2009

As a channel and marketing professional I’ve worked with a bunch of different software tools for (1) marketing automation or (2) content syndication OR (3) social media monitoring.  But I’ve never seen a single tool that does all three things really well. Until now. Here’s the story. I was recently introduced to Marketing Advocate. Until now, […]

Channel Pros: 4 Ways to Escape Your Bubble

• December 1, 2009

As Channel Professionals we have a lot of responsibility.  It seems as if the work will never been done and partners will never have everything they need.  For that reason, we tend to fall into a way of doing things that can be detrimental to our channel program and more importantly, our partners. Here’s how […]

Channel Marketing vs. Corporate Marketing: Who Gets the Budget?

• November 23, 2009

Has anyone formed a Channel Support Group yet?  We all know that The Channel has always been seen as secondary to corporate activities and marketing.

Social Media Disconnect: Vendors Need to Step Up

• October 28, 2009

I was involved in a  recent survey of 200 VAR’s and systems integrators — and the results showed less than stellar usage of Social Media platforms. Under 60% use LinkedIn and approximately 38% are using Twitter. Okay, not horrible…but how many of them are using it correctly? Let’s just assume that their profiles are up-to-date, […]

Four Ways VARs Can Build Their Brands

• October 21, 2009

Those of us who have worked for large companies know that “branding” comes with a 462 page document called The Branding Guidelines.  If you read the document cover to cover you would find out how much space needs to be open around a logo in a document or presentation, how the company’s name can and cannot be written, and how each and every product needs to be referenced.

Six Ways Channel Organizations Can Remain Innovative

• September 29, 2009

September was a whirlwind for me: several exciting client projects, bride’s maid (or matron, a term which I hate) in my friend’s wedding, moving my house, and several trips. All good things but just the same, when you’re wrapped up in what’s currently going on, you are not focused on building that pipeline or nurturing relationships or innovating around your current programs.

Nearly 80 Percent of Cisco VARs Are Hiring

• September 21, 2009

Sure, the Federal Reserve Chairman recently said the recession is likely over.  But is the channel feeling the rebound?  How has the recession impacted channel hiring? Here are some clues from Cisco Systems.

Are You a Cow, Dog, Star or Problem Child?

• August 25, 2009

We all know the BCG matrix with Cash Cow, Dogs, Stars, and Problem Children — but how does that play out in reality?  How should vendors cater their partner programs to each of these product groups?

Here’s a look…

Cash Cows

Windows 7: Will VARs Say Yes On Aug. 16?

• July 30, 2009

When I first used Vista I was, well, beyond frustrated.  Not being a technical person myself the only person more frustrated then me was my IT guy.  “Steve, it’s doing the thing again!” “Steve I lost the file I was just working on!” “Steve why can’t I find anything?”  You get the idea. The big question: Will VARs give Microsoft and Windows 7 a fresh look on August 16? Here’s the scoop.

Differentiate Your Partner Program: Start with the End in Mind

• July 23, 2009

Many of my posts have some information on how to design a program to attract a certain type of partner, but to truly differentiate your program you need to start with the end in mind.

Cloud Partners: A New Breed of VAR

• July 8, 2009

When asked recently what’s the hottest topic in IT impacting the channel I didn’t have to think twice…the Cloud.  I wrote ‘What Does Cloud Computing mean for the Channel?’ a couple of months ago — talking about the ability for just about anyone to write an application in the cloud and market it.  Google, Force.com, […]

Are You Really A VAR?

• July 1, 2009

Somehow in the last few years the term “Reseller” has become an insult.  It’s not enough anymore to just sell a product, now to be a true Value Added Reseller (VAR) partners must provide services.  None of this is news but many partners are promoting themselves as a VAR when they may still be just a, dare I say it, Reseller.

Should You Join Yet Another Partner Program?

• June 17, 2009

Last week I covered channel recruitment from a vendor’s perspective. Now let’s  look at it from a partner’s perspective. While the vendors are looking to recruit new partners, the partners are analyzing the cost/benefit of taking on a new vendor’s product.

The Channel Partner Recruitment Dilemma

• June 11, 2009

When a vendor channel is in the early stages of development, their requirements for channel partners are usually only that they have a pulse. Fast forward 12 to 18 months, and a fledgling channel program involves 5% of partners who are actively engaged and 95% who sold once on a customer’s request and then disengaged. […]

Channel Tools: Portals, Syndication and Demand Generation

• June 1, 2009

A ton of partner relationship management (PRM) tools  and other technologies claim they can make your life easier and bring you closer to your partners. But are the tools intuitive and do they work? I’ve spoken to several companies about their offerings, and here’s a sampling of my findings.

Social Media In the Channel: Fad or Here to Stay?

• May 14, 2009

Last week I wrote a post about vendor activities in social media that praised the vendors who do it well and criticized those that coul

Which Channel Vendors Have Mastered Social Media?

• May 7, 2009

By now, you know all about the social media hype: Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

Are You Tuned-In to Your Channel Partners?

• April 27, 2009

Some vendors pride themselves on the number of partners they recruit. Congratulations, are partners supposed to be excited about that? Welcome to our partner program! You now have more competition for your business then you did before you joined.