Armor CEO Mark Woodward talks about his cloud security company’s efforts to flip its sales from direct-led to indirect-led in this edition of The Channel Futures Podcast. Also showcased: CSO Insights managing director Seleste Lunsford, who shares perspectives from a new study recently completed by the research arm of the Miller Heiman Group, “All that Glitters Is Not Gold.”

Armor’s Mark Woodward

We start the podcast with Woodward, who joined the Richardson, Texas-based cloud security company one year ago. Woodward says he found the company, which offers customers and partners alike security as a service, irresistible. As appealing as its technology was – Armor is especially adept at helping customers protect their data while using combinations of cloud technology – Woodward recognized that the company’s direct-led sales strategy needed to be changed.

Last month, the company took its biggest step to date to transform Armor’s go-to-market model when it unveiled a significantly overhauled global partner program. The new program, which provides partners with more incentives, more training and more sales assistance, paves the way for Armor to become a partner-led sales company.

Currently, just 30% or so of the company’s sales are done through partners. But Woodward believes Armor can flip that within the next two years. To do that, the company will need more partners than it has now — MSSPs and MSPs in particular.

In addition to walking listeners through the benefits of the company’s revamped channel program, Woodward also outlines Armor’s core value proposition. In many instances, he says, customers are completely unaware that they need to protect their data scattered over public clouds, let alone clueless as to how to do it.

Woodward also shares his views on why MSPs need a trusted adviser of their own when it comes to working with customers and public clouds, and he makes the case that Armor can be that partner for you.

Lastly, we ask Woodward about his involvement with a charitable organization in the Bay Area known as “All Stars Helping Kids.” Woodward’s been on the board of All Stars Helping Kids since 2014. The organization, headed by former NFL and San Francisco 49er great Ronnie Lott, helps disadvantaged kids chart career and educational options.

From Armor and cloud security, we turn to a subject that we frankly don’t focus on enough: sales and sales best practices, in particular.

CSO Insights is the research arm of the Miller Heiman Group, which is one of the world’s leading sales advisory and consulting companies. The new study, “All That Glitters Is Not Gold,” is based on a survey of more than 1,000 sales leaders. It looks at retention rates, win rates, talent development and other key performance indicators (KPIs) of sales management.

Lunsford, who is the author of two books on sales excellence – “Secrets of Top-Performing Salespeople” and “Strategies that Win Sales” – reveals that some data indicate that many organizations are unprepared for an inevitable economic downturn. In addition to her study, Lunsford also discusses new trends in sales excellence and whether younger workers still find the career path appealing.

As always, we have a lot packed into this episode of the Channel Futures podcast. We hope you enjoy.

If you’d like to be a guest on an upcoming episode or have a comment, drop me a line at [email protected]. (Informa is the publisher of Channel Futures and Channel Partners.)

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