Crimson employs a best practice approach in helping clients maximize their marketing channel strategy, alliance strategy and partner and channel relationships to drive scale and increase ROI. Some key ways that Crimson helps our clients with their channel marketing strategy and alliance management include:
Identifying potential channel and alliance partners with discrete influence over the customer acquisition and the solution definition processes, pinpointing alliance partners that may otherwise have been overlooked
Creating easy-to-use templates and tools to assist our clients with key partner selection criteria, enabling rapid and effective partner prioritization and ensuring our clients select the right alliance and channel partners for their business goals
Employing specific process definitions, tools and information sources for alliance management and communications, increasing the channel partner's ability to effectively advocate our client's business and products
Crimson Thought Leadership on Channel and Alliance Strategy
Crimson collaborated with key executive sponsors from the Product Group, Business Development, and the Partner Sales Organization to define an enterprise solution partner strategy for our client’s emerging technology solutions. This project involved the development of our client’s overarching enterprise partner strategy involving SIs, VARs, ISVs/IHVs and proposed top-level key-performance indicators for partners based upon industry best practices. The outcome of this work was a comprehensive enterprise partner ecosystem framework upon which our client can build partner programs in order to drive immediate and long-term revenues.
Assessed SI Partners Capabilities on a Global Basis
Crimson worked with our client's sales organization to conduct detailed research on their major SI partners. Through direct interviews with SIs and secondary research, Crimson assessed the regional strengths of each SI (by vertical and horizontal) and determined which were most complementary to our client's strategy. The output of this effort supported our client's subsequent strategy development for joint strategic initiatives and marketing programs with those SIs.
Conducted “Voice of Partner” Research
Crimson worked with our client’s SI strategy team driving the analysis and modeling required to support the development of a mid-tier SI partner coverage business case. This work included a “Voice of the Partner” research component which involved our team conducting primary research among mid-tier SI partners to perform a preliminary “reality check” of the strategic direction Sun was considering. Our efforts resulted in executive approval at our client for the SI strategy team to build out the strategic and tactical programs necessary in order to enhance our client’s penetration among these partners.
Conducted Competitive Channel Pricing and Policies Studies
Crimson conducted extensive review of existing research and managed detailed primary research to provide our client with recommendations related to pricing and policies in the channel, especially as it pertained to its chief competitors. In related work, the same Crimson team examined the global pricing policies of these competitors and made recommendations for changes in our client's approach.
Conducted Partner Marketing Workshops
Crimson conducted two workshops aimed at educating our client's Sales and Marketing groups about leveraging partners to maximize marketing effectiveness. We identified the type of partners that our client works with and developed hypotheses as to how partners can round out their solution white spaces and how our client can leverage partners' marketing dollars to maximize marketing effectiveness. We provided our client with reasons why working with partners is important for their success in selling high in an enterprise and supported our conclusions by examples of successful partner marketing engagements
Determined VAR Partner Requirements
Crimson conducted detailed research among the VAR partners likely to incorporate our client's solutions into their offerings to determine their requirements and identify best practices. We also examined the activities of competitors within the VAR channel to ensure our client's program was competitive. This study served as the foundation for enhancing the VAR partner relationship program.
Developed Best Practices in Joint Marketing and Alliance Management
Crimson conducted extensive primary and secondary research in the U.S. and EMEA to gather information for this engagement. We examined competitive practices, best practices and partner requirements (talking to over 50 partners). In addition, we provided a gap analysis comparing our client's current approach with our recommended approach based on this research. While the study was initially focused on only the joint advertising aspect of partnering, we recommended a modified focus to address the more fundamental issues of joint marketing and alliance management.
Identified Potential Japanese Partners
Crimson rapidly identified, catalogued, assessed and ranked top potential Japanese engagement partners in two major categories (content and delivery) for our client's new Web-based commercial offering. We defined the research approach and analysis methodology, developed an overarching framework, conducted research identifying prospective partners by category, and prioritized findings for a presentation to Japanese subsidiary stakeholders.
Profiled and Created Vertical Database of Solution Providers
Crimson profiled and created a database of Solution Providers (specifically systems integrators and value added resellers) in a given subsidiary or vertical area. Our efforts included internal data gathering, ecosystem analysis methodology set up, primary and secondary research, and developing recruitment and coverage recommendations. As a result, our client was able to leverage SI and VAR partner ecosystems to increase the independent software vendor (ISV) value proposition and help drive market share gain through its ISV relationships.
Provided Analysis for ISV Strategy Development
Crimson worked with our clients Strategy Office to assess the company's cross-divisional approach to ISV partner selection and support. In related work, our team conducted an in-depth analysis of the ISV partner strategies of key competitors. This work supported a corporate-wide initiative to develop a strategic, market-driven approach to ISV partner selection.
Recommended Partner Strategy Based on Best Practices
Crimson analyzed competitive partner programs for selling through network equipment providers and developed competitive and best practice benchmarks. We then conducted a gap analysis against our client’s programs, and developed recommendations for improvement. Our analysis covered issues related to managing the direct relationship with the partner, and operational practices required to execute internally and spanned everything from technology partnerships to strategic alliances.