Goals

CF: Are there any goals that you’ve set for the growth of channel at Cato? 

FR: One thing I’ve gained from both the recruiting and interview process and over the last 48-72 hours is that the goals will be congruent. You’re not going to have this separate channel goal and this separate corporate goal. The channel goal will be built in. Obviously there have to be attribution metrics. Obviously we want to be to focus on channel-led, in terms of how we can leverage the channel to create demand. But I think it’s going to be extremely collaborative. Like I said, the technology is compelling. The solution is compelling. It’s one of the best bets on the board. 

I had an opportunity to be able to talk to one of the people who was running a large service provider channel … I said, “When you lose, who do you lose to?” And the first word out of their mouth was, “Cato.” At that point, I’m [thinking], “OK, if this individual’s talking about Cato, then that’s something to really consider.” My point in saying that is, I think the opportunity is ubiquitous. I think we’re going to take advantage of that opportunity. 

The goals are going to be the corporate goals. What I will do is layer the attribution into those goals. So when you see that growth chart, you’re going to see the channel contributing to that, and it’s going to be very clear. But it’s not going to be in a way where we pit the direct sales force against the channel, where we pit the agents against the resellers and the managed service providers. It’s going to be collaborative.