This document discusses building a channel/partner customer success program. It defines channel customer success as training, certifying, and enabling partners who resell, deliver, and expand a company's products and services. An effective program includes toolkits for partners with products, training, support and offline events. Channel programs are important because partners can help drive significant company growth and revenue when properly enabled and aligned. The foundations for an effective program include defining priorities, segmenting the partner portfolio, establishing a technology stack, ensuring leadership alignment, and providing onboarding programs for partners.

1. Building a Channel/Partner
Customer Success
Program
Emilia D'Anzica
Partner, Customer Success & Account Management
Winning By Design

2. Emilia D’Anzica, MBA, PMPExecutive Strategy Consultant„:
Customer Experience & Growth, Winning By Design

3. Agenda
1. What is a Channel Partner Customer
Success (CS) Program?
2. Why Channel CS Programs Matter
3. Channel Enablement: The Foundations
4. Key TakeAways
5. Resources

4. What is a Channel Partner Customer
Success (CS) Program?

5. What is Channel Customer Success?
A way to train, certify & enable
partners who resell, deliver &
EXPAND your product &
services.
❖ ISVs: Independent Software Vendors ❖ VARs: Value-Added Resellers

6. Customer
Success
=
Partner
Success
=
Your
Success
What does a Channel CS Program Include?
Toolkit
➔ Solutions (services, software, hardware).
◆ Example: Cisco, Salesforce, Oracle, WalkMe Products.
➔ Training & Support
◆ Example: certification programs, latest updates on product,
strategies.
➔ Offline Events
◆ Example: Dreamforce & Oracle Open World - they bring
partners, customers & vendors together to motivate, drive
product adoption, & to unveil new products.

7. Why Do CS Channel Programs
Matter?

8. Channel Programs
...help your company grow
with Speed & Loyalty

9. GROWTH LOOP
ONBOARD
Yes! Delivered on
time and works
as promised.
AWARENESS
Argh! I have an
issue impacting
our business.
EDUCATION
Aha! There is a
solution to this
problem.
SELECTION
Wow! This will
really help us.
IMPACT
Yeah! Expected
impact is being
achieved.
GROW
OMG! Where
else can we
create impact?
WIN
LIVE
Solution.
Consultative.
Provocative.
Inside Selling.
THE SALES AS A SCIENCE SALES METHODOLOGY
How Much Growth Comes after a customer commits?

10. reasons from a parTNer Perspective
Source: WalkMe

11. Channel Enablement
Source: CSO Insights
63.5% of
companies say
channel partners
contributed to
their annual
revenue.
Channel partners
take over a year
to become fully
productive.
Channel
enablement
technology is
only present at
46% of
companies - You
need a Tech
Stack!

12. Creating a Customer Channel
Program: Foundations

13. Define Priorities
CustomerEcosystem:
Alignment
Transparency
Advocacy
Risk &
Accountability
Partner
Vendor

14. Alignment Framework: V2MOM Example
Get Aligned. Get Inspired. Get Talking.
● Vision
● Values
● Methods
● Obstacles
● Measurements
Source:How to write a V2MOM

15. Segment Your Portfolio
$$: Lifetime Value (LTV), Revenue,
& Potential
Fit: Product, Revenue, Cultural
Brand: Authority
Relationships: Established &
Future
Segmentation applies to all customers. Not just your partners.

16. Technology Stack
Partner Relationship
Management (PRM)
(Allbound)
Communities &
Advocacy Platforms
(Vanilla, Crowdvocate)
Qtrly Newsletters &
Content (Mailchimp,
Wordpress,
Playbooks, Success
Stories)
Customer
Relationship
Management (CRM)
(Salesforce)
Training Platforms
(Litmos, WalkMe,
Mindtouch)
Video (Vimeo,
YouTube)
Multi-language, Personas, 24/7

17. Leadership & Team Alignment

18. Customer Success as Enablement
● Shadowing - 2 ways
● Boot camps
● Webinars
● Strategic Partners
● Enable Continuous Learning
● Identify Risk

19. Case Study: Cisco
85% of total revenue
60,000+ Partners

20. Cisco Continued - How can it apply to you?
● Long Term Success Plans: Enable this thinking
● Expansion Opportunities: Your Focus & Theirs
● Strategic Consulting: Vendor responsibility.
● Playbooks & Content: Make it easy to access
& engaging, constantly update it.

21. Example Onboarding Program
Example from Allbound

22. Key TakeAways/Next Steps

23. Your
Tool
kit“Channel partners boost
sales, decrease time to
market, and provide
access to competitive
markets. So get started
on building channel
partnerships today.”
-Salesforce

24. How can a CS Partner Program help your Company grow?

25. Resources

26. Additional Questions for discussion
● Do you have a partner program?
● How are you currently managing partners?
● What are your biggest challenges with your partner success
program?
● Who is leading your partner program?
● Are your CSMs aligned with partners? Are they incentivized?
● Can you commit to a V2MOM for a partner program?

27. Resources
● Salesforce Partner Programs
● Brainshark
● Allbound Customer Success for Channel
● Cisco Partner Programs
● WalkMe Partner Programs
● Gainsight Channel Partners

28. THANK YOU.
@emiliadanzica