How to Build the Ultimate Partner Success Program with Jason Beal

Channel Journeys Podcast

If you’re a SaaS vendor, partner success is the most important factor in your company’s growth. And your partners’ success in driving customer success is the biggest lever you have in driving more partner originated business. When partners are doing the services work, they’re gaining real life experience. They have stories of solving business problems that they share with their sales reps and their other customers. That leads to more new customers and account expansion for you.

How can you make sure this is happening? You need to change your partner program to one that drives partner success. And how do you do that? That’s what you’ll find out in today’s episode with Jason Beal, VP Worldwide Partner Ecosystems at Barracuda. Jason shares the insights and strategies behind Barracuda’s new partner success program that is built upon a foundation of deep partner empathy, comprehensive enablement, and strategic, data-driven support. By fostering quality partnerships and accommodating local market needs, Barracuda is creating a robust ecosystem of partners are well-equipped to deliver customer success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Here are the top 10 lessons I learned from Jason about building an effective Partner Success Program:

1. Partner-Centric Approach:
   Barracuda’s program emphasizes a deep understanding of partner needs and business models. The core principle of “partner empathy” underscores the importance of viewing challenges and opportunities from the partner’s perspective. This approach ensures that the program is mutually beneficial and aligns with partners’ goals and operational realities.

2. Global Scale with Local Adaptation:
   The program’s global nature requires it to be versatile yet adaptable to local markets. Barracuda builds frameworks that achieve around 80% standardization but empowers local teams to make necessary adjustments. This balance allows for broad scalability while respecting the unique needs of different regions.

3. Quality Over Quantity:
   Rather than amassing a large number of partners, Barracuda focuses on the quality of its partnerships. This involves nurturing fewer, more productive partners, which ultimately leads to more meaningful and higher-value relationships.

4. Comprehensive Partner Recognition:
   The program acknowledges all aspects of a partner’s business, including resell, renewal, managed services, and marketplace engagements. This comprehensive recognition incentivizes partners across various business models and engagements, reflecting a true measure of their contribution.

5. LAER Model Framework:
   The program is structured around TSIA’s “LAER” model: Land, Adopt, Expand, and Renew. This model ensures that partners are supported and rewarded throughout the entire customer lifecycle, fostering long-term collaboration and success.

6. Enablement Over Incentives:
   While financial incentives like discounts and rebates are a part of the program, Barracuda places significant emphasis on partner enablement. This includes access to training, telemetry, and the facilitation of more project opportunities. The focus on capability building helps partners achieve greater success through increased competence and market opportunities.

7. Facilitation of Partner Collaboration:
   Recognizing diversified partner business models, the program supports and encourages collaboration between different types of partners. While the formal influencer fees might not be in place, the program ensures partners can easily find and engage with each other, enhancing overall service delivery.

8. Telemetry and Data Utilization:
   Sharing telemetry data with partners is crucial for enhancing customer adoption and success. Barracuda emphasizes the importance of providing partners with insights into product usage and customer satisfaction. This data-driven approach helps partners to provide better support and foster deeper customer engagement.

9. Strategic and Transparent Evolution:
   Since its launch, the program has seen enhancements and iterative improvements based on partner feedback. Introductions such as premier partner rebates and increased enablement initiatives demonstrate Barracuda’s commitment to evolving the program to better meet partner needs.

10. Multipliers Over Margins:
    Research into service multipliers has shown that, on average, Barracuda partners achieve a 3:1 service revenue to product revenue ratio, with top performers achieving even higher. This insight drives the focus on enabling partners to achieve high multipliers, reinforcing the notion that overall service revenue potential is more critical than product margins.

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Connect with Jason on LinkedIn
• Read more about TSIA’s LAER: The Roadmap for Revenue Growth
• Hear Hope Galley on How to Leverage Partners to Drive Customer Success
• Try Impartner Partner Management

The post How to Build the Ultimate Partner Success Program with Jason Beal first appeared on Channel Journeys.