Top Gun 51 Profile: Weyman Jones, Dropsuite Sales Manager
Weyman Jones arrived as the Dropsuite national sales manager in 2018 to build up the cloud software company’s channel partner program. He must be doing something right because already he’s been selected as a Channel Partners/Channel Futures 2020 Top Gun 51 winner.
Dropsuite’s Weyman Jones
The Channel Partners/Channel Futures Top Gun 51 awards recognize channel executives who are driving partner success for their companies. Three criteria were considered for this year’s winners. They are channel advocacy; commitment to partner business success; and dedication to earning the channel’s trust. To come up with the list, we solicited input from those who know channel executives best — distributors, master agents and industry analysts.
Jones has worked in the channel for almost 11 years, including tenures at BitTitan and AppRiver. At BitTitan, he was a senior business development manager from 2015-2018. At AppRiver, he worked as a channel sales representative from 2012-2015. From 1994-2004, he served as a recruiter for the U.S. Navy.
Among its services, Dropsuite provides cloud backup, recovery and archiving for email and Microsoft 365.
The Dropsuite channel sales manager spoke with Channel Futures about what his involvement in the channel means to him in his work.
Channel Futures: What does your job at Dropsuite involve on a daily basis?
Weyman Jones: As director of sales, it involves the sales process, training, sales cycles and more. We have global channel involvement. The channel comes through me and we deal with distributors, partners and others. I was brought in to build our channel up.
CF: What else can you tell us about your work history with the channel?
WJ: I’ve worked in the channel for almost 11 years. From day one when I got into this, I was always involved in the channel. The first sale I ever made was to an MSP through the channel. It’s where my focus and knowledge base exist every day.
CF: What do you think makes the channel important to the IT industry?
WJ: Becoming a trusted adviser in the channel, you’re not just telling a partner that they need something. It’s also understanding what the channel means to them and coming at it from that end. My work at AppRiver and BitTitan taught me that. Partners come to you for knowledge. They want you to help them understand the whole channel process, the product life cycle and what it looks like.
CF: What most interests you about this channel work as Dropsuite’s sales manager?
WJ: I’m a naturally curious person. We’re not just trying to sell you something. We want to ask what you need, and then develop those long-term relationships. I had partner relationships when I worked at other companies, and those partners work with me and rely on me.
CF: How is Dropsuite’s nascent partner program going so far?
WJ: Dropsuite is a forward-thinking company. The presentation I would have given you about Dropsuite six months ago is not the same one I’d give now. We are very innovative. We show partners our road map under NDA to show them where we are going
CF: What is Dropsuite’s position on diversity today?
WJ: Dropsuite is historically a diverse company because we are global. We were already there when it comes to diversity. I think it naturally happened because our executive team is diverse in their backgrounds.
CF: Have you had notable mentors who helped teach you the skills you needed to learn about the channel?
WJ: In the channel; you have to have multiple mentors. I’m extremely lucky to have been at world-class companies in my career. My bosses in those companies showed empathy in understanding partners and being naturally curious. That’s something I’ve tried to replicate myself.
CF: What does this Top Gun 51 award mean to you as Dropsuite channel sales manager?
WJ: It is truly an honor to be recognized. Dropsuite and I are punching above our weight.
