What makes ISVs successful in the channel? Are there any patterns that suggest whether or not an ISV has the potential to succeed in developing channel partners?
I will drop some thoughts in this and coming posts from my experience working with some of the most recognized ISVs in the channel who are killing it and delivering massive value to all parties involved. While I'm not talking about cloud marketplaces, which, in my personal opinion, is a must for any ISV if they want to succeed in the channel, my example will be given with the assumption that ISVs are already part of one or multiple cloud marketplaces and/or distribution programs.
Understanding and addressing your audience is key to your success as an ISV in the channel.
I've seen a lot of ISVs that thought and most likely still think if they manage to get to any cloud marketplace, they suddenly will see tons of sales and revenue flowing their way, and all of the parties involved will focus just on that ISV to drive sales. That is not the case. Every ISV has to think about addressing its audience in the channel and defining a clear value proposition for everyone involved. And usually, the value proposition is different depending on who ISV addresses. Many cloud marketplaces, especially those part of distribution programs, have an additional layer to which ISVs must deliver a clear value prop. That is the internal sales force of the distributor ISV is engaged with. While every ISV knows how to address their end-users and channel partners, they must also focus on enabling an internal sales force that owns relationships with channel partners. ISV often comes with the same value prop they have for channel partners or end-customers, and in 9 out of 10 cases, it is simply not applicable to the distributor's internal sales force.
As an ISV, consider this: If a relationship owner has multiple competitors in the portfolio, why should they choose your solution over others with feature parity? The most successful ISVs I've worked with focus on delivering unique value to ALL parties, especially those with relationships with the channel partners, and this is what sets them apart.
There are many different ways to deliver value to all the layers, yet the majority of ISVs ignore the most important one.
If you are an ISV and are part of a distribution program or just looking to start one, consider the audiences to whom you will have to sell your product or solution. It is more than just end-customer.
Buda Kluvak, Global Alliance Lead, Acronis, a cyber protection leader for data, applications, and systems through award-winning technologies.
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