https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Services Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Information Center
    • 2021 MSP 501 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Top Gun 51
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Services Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Information Center
    • 2021 MSP 501 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Top Gun 51
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

Distribution


SaaS

5 Ways to Get Your SaaS Offering Channel-Ready

The channel is invaluable when it comes to selling your SaaS offer. Learn how to do it right.
Pax8's Ryan Walsh

Ryan Walsh

By Ryan Walsh

As a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product company, the idea of just selling direct to customers can seem alluring. You put up an online store and customers will come, right? Hey, your product sells itself anyway, and this touchless selling experience means more money in your pocket. If you think that this is a good idea, think again.

While selling direct seems logical, it may not yield the results you want. Why? Customers may be leaning on a trusted IT adviser to help them make the decision.

Selling direct might seem like a no-brainer, but there are some downsides to this approach. Let’s look at them:

  • Reach — Building up an impressive client list is no easy task. Think about how many sales reps will you need to get the reach you want. With tens of thousands channel partners serving the same customers you want to buy your product, leveraging the channel can help you accomplish this goal faster.
  • Support — Providing your own support reps will take time and money to train. If your product has substantial potential, and you don’t build an adequate support team, it just might become a bottleneck to your success. Selling your SaaS solution through the IT channel gives you access to more support that’s ready to act. Top cloud distributors deliver their managed service provider (MSP) client’s valuable sales, marketing and leadership content.
  • Brand Awareness — Half of the success in any space relies on product awareness. Building your own brand awareness might be muted if customers ultimately check a source other than your company website to learn more about your product and brand. Think about the power of reviews. This is where the channel lives. Customers will ask channel partners about the products and brands they come across. If your ideal customers’ advisers don’t know your solution exists, sales are likely to suffer.

It’s also critical that you prepare for rapid growth as organizations shift from traditional technologies to their cloud-based counterparts. According to recent research from Techaisle, 80 percent of small-to-medium-size businesses (SMBs) view cloud computing as a driver for business growth.

And remember, you have to give a channel partnership a fair shake. That means making a commitment to selling cloud services through the channel for a minimum of 18 months. Also, take care to craft a positive sales compensation plan, channel-oriented marketing collateral, and a consistent channel presence and message. MSPs can be powerful allies if they trust you are in it for the long haul and you have their back. If you don’t, they’ll know.

Once these foundational elements are in place, here are the next five things to have in place prior to taking your SaaS offering to the channel:

    • Partner Management Console — Build it and they will come. Being easy to work with is a big part of whether your solution will receive favor from the channel. Imagine a partner having 50-100 customers on average. Accessing each of these accounts individually through separate logins would be a hassle. Having a central management platform in place that makes access and management easy is a must-have.
    • Billing — Think monthly, not annually. Most organizations struggle with commitment. To overcome long-term contract phobias, consider offering …
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
Tags: Agents Business Models Cloud Distribution

Most Recent


  • Q&A
    Ingram Micro Talks AWS Partnership Success, CloudBlue, MSPs, Cybersecurity, More
    “AWS and Ingram are doing all the right things to develop partners’ competency," said Ingram Micro's executive director, cloud services.
  • leverage your MSP's people power
    Leverage Your MSP's People Power
    The foundation of any company's success is, and always will be, its people power.
  • Enterprise Resource Planning
    Unit4 Driving Shift from Service Delivery to Sales-Driven Partners
    A top partner says it has “backed the horse it wants to win the race” as the ERP vendor seeks to move away from the co-sell model.
  • Eight, 8
    8 Takeaways You Need to Know from AWS’ Public Sector Summit
    Get the scoop from Jeffrey Kratz, who now leads the vendor’s public sector partner program.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Woman with questions
    Should We Just Call Master Agents Distributors?
  • CIO
    ScanSource Hires New CIO to Lead Global IT Strategy
  • Woman lifts lid on box
    Nuvias CEO Lifts Lid on Cloud Distribution Acquisition
  • Do Master Agents Need a New Name?

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Europe

June 14, 2022 - June 15, 2022

MSP Summit

September 13, 2022 - September 16, 2022

Galleries

View all

Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report: Employee Cybersecurity Training Still Lagging as Stolen Credentials Rise

May 24, 2022

8 Takeaways You Need to Know from AWS’ Public Sector Summit

May 24, 2022

Top 5 Cloud, Data Announcements from Informatica World

May 24, 2022

Industry Perspectives

View all

Leverage Your MSP’s People Power

May 24, 2022

How SD-WAN Helps Secure the Expanding Network Perimeter

May 19, 2022

A Sneak Peek at the 2022 BrightCloud Threat Report

May 17, 2022

Webinars

View all

Simplifying SaaS Security for MSPs

April 27, 2022

How to Supercharge The Network to Support Your IT Superhero Moves

May 3, 2022

The 2022 MSP Challenge: Scale Service Delivery Despite the Talent Gap

April 21, 2022

White Papers

View all

The New Bottom Line: How MSPs Can Meet the Healthcare Crisis While Evolving Their Businesses

April 19, 2022

How to build a Security Operations Center (on a budget)

April 4, 2022

The AT&T Cybersecurity Incident Response Toolkit

April 4, 2022

Channel Futures TV

View all

AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco, ThreatLocker on Unlocking Partner Potential

Agents Share ‘Secrets,’ Industry Opportunity

May 11, 2022

Vonage Addresses Potential Partner Opportunity via Acquisition by Ericsson

May 5, 2022

Lumen Technologies ‘Built for Growth and Scale’

May 4, 2022

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@IngramMicroInc's John Dusett talks @ThisIsCloudBlue, MSPs, cybersecurity, AWS and more. dlvr.it/SR0Cw1 https://t.co/OpcZRj9fdb

May 24, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@VZDBIR dove deep into the latest #databreach trends. @TheMediaTrust @saryunayyar @Gurucul @olsontmt… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 24, 2022
ChannelFutures

Using people power to drive #profitability and capitalize on emerging #tech @Sherweb #MSPs dlvr.it/SQzrrl https://t.co/XwLfY492B0

May 24, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@Unit4Global @embridgeconsult talk the shift away from service delivery to sales #ERP. dlvr.it/SQzmPV https://t.co/dKLAPIKfzS

May 24, 2022
ChannelFutures

This Thursday, join us online for this incredible discussion, hosted by @chachelly of @figfirm, and featuring the i… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 24, 2022
ChannelFutures

Check out the news coming from @Informatica today regarding cloud, data, #AI. #InformaticaWorld… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 24, 2022
ChannelFutures

What are traits of a valuable vendor/partner relationship? We asked our roundtable partner participants to weigh in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 23, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@Microsoft pres. @BradSmi on how the co. supports #Ukraine with $100M of free tech to fight #cyberattacks.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 23, 2022

MSSP Insider

Business advice for MSSPs and news from the broader security channel.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X