Challenging market climates require a different approach to partnering

Skylight, the latest generation of network and application performance management (NAPM) and cybersecurity threat detection, is what you need to take your MSP business to the next level

Regardless of where you work or what news network you watch, we can all agree on something: we are in one of the most challenging business environments ever. The pressures from family and work are pushing us to our breaking point. We are trying to drive efficiencies in all areas, but it is certainly challenging. There is rarely time to take on more. And yet, with all of this going on, we are asking our sales teams to find more deals, drive higher revenues, and create stronger relationships with their customers.

We know it’s just not easy. In fact, a recent survey by Gartner said that only 6% of CSO’s felt confident about their team’s ability to meet or exceed revenue goals.

What is the main cause of this? Buyer preferences have changed driven by the current environment we are facing. And that’s not to mention digital fatigue.

Smart leaders understand that the last 12 months have changed the way enterprises buy. This is an important factor to keep in mind no matter whether you are a Service Provider, a Managed Service Provider, a VAR, an Integrator, or a Consultant.

A partner program evolution is certainly needed to be successful in the “new normal”

So, what is this new environment, the “new normal”? If the past 12 months have taught us anything, it is that the majority of work can be done without being in an office. Applications no longer need to be tethered to in-house data centers, and this shift into a truly dispersed networked environment requires product managers to update their offers, and sales teams to sell differently.  

Why is this important for partner programs to know? Well, continuing to position partner programs in traditional ways means you expect buyers to buy the way they always did, sellers to sell the way they always have, and tech to buy the way tech always bought.

If you look closely at the partner community, you can see the majority of programs are still focused on those programmatic tangible benefits that are directly tied to sales of solutions – discounts, training, leads, etc… They do NOT help the partner with new service introduction. Yet, this is single-handedly the largest and most impactful area that partners, especially MSP and MSSPs, have challenges with when looking at offering a sell-through product.

Sales teams need better solutions to take to market

That line said it all. And not just solutions, but services. This is why we at Accedian are changing and enhancing the way we work with our partners. (Read more about it in our recent press release)

Our new holistic approach starts with service identification and ends with measurement tracking.

Our aim is to provide a more comprehensive offering to our partners, so you can, in turn, offer a much more competitive offering to your market. We are moving from “explainers” to “consultants”, as The Technology & Services Industry Association (TSIA) would call it. See the table on the right for more on salesperson profiles.

What is the Skylight 4X’s MSP Advantage?

In addition to 5-star program benefits, as we were recently awarded by CRN in its 2021 Partner Program Guide, our Skylight 4X MSP Advantage addresses the major problem that MSPs today are facing – the new service introduction process. Our approach includes all phases of this process; project commit, project launch, controlled availability, and general availability deliverables. By providing additional key investments and consulting expertise that many partners are missing, Accedian significantly enhances our 4X Partners’ ability to launch new services.

The rigor and delivery structure are critical, and it allows partners to expand into new markets where revenue potential is at its highest. We talk with multiple stakeholders including:

• Product teams: on launching new and enhanced offers
• Sales teams: encouraging them to talk to their customers about new and exciting solutions that meet the needs of their ever-changing requirements
• Sales leadership: increasing sales leadership’s confidence in hitting their revenue targets
• Marketing: about the speed to launch, and getting the messaging to hit the mark

The new Skylight 4X consulting methodology is aimed at increasing both the number of opportunities and win rates by enabling MSP/MSSP partners to develop and expand new lines of business with value-based offerings that drive subscription revenues and deepen customer relationships. The consulting methodology is organized into several key areas:

• Service identification and strategy: including market and vertical consulting, solution development, competitive analysis, and KPI tracking consultation
• Service creation: including identification and creation of operational integration requirements, pricing and packaging commercial consulting, and SLA creation consulting
• Service enablement: including operational assessment and implementation guidance and sales and operations training
• Service execution: with go-to-market consulting

This consultative approach changes the way we do business and engagement. With a service that can be easily embedded with our partners’ technology and employing a rigorous and consistent process, we are able to accelerate the introduction of new, successful offers. Over the next 4 months, we will share key insights into how MSPs & MSSPs can create new offers by leveraging deep insights and a structured approach. Stay tuned, Skylight fans!

To learn more about how Accedian can accelerate your business, learn more here or contact us directly at [email protected].