Partnering isn’t the buzzword of the week! Establishing channel partners and strategic alliances is a critical element of many organizations’ business strategies and is viewed as essential to their growth and profitability. A successful partnership can produce results that neither partner could have accomplished on their own.
Collaborating and partnering isn’t a luxury anymore – it is a necessity for those who want to innovate, grow and profit.
The potential of gaining marketplace advantage and increasing sales growth by teaming up with another company whose products or services fit well with yours is very real, making strategic alliances not only seductive but critical to your company’s growth over time. But since 70% of partnerships and alliances fail, and 23% of companies do not recover their investment in their partnering efforts, knowing why and how they work is of crucial importance to increase your probability of success.
Organizations may establish partnerships with customers, reseller/channel organizations, strategic marketing partnerships, co-development relationships, or acquire other companies. Partnerships and alliances are difficult to manage, but when they work, they produce tremendous results for each partner. Partnerships foster mutual benefits, but the alliances exist only, and as long as, they are advantageous to both parties. The fact is that creating a productive strategic alliance requires much more than identifying a clear objective/common vision, conducting cultural and capabilities due diligence, negotiating a contract, and establishing an operating structure. But interestingly enough, many companies are expecting their employees and partners to know how-to partner effectively and profitably, without being given the appropriate framework, tools and support on the front end.
THIS IS WHERE I COME IN
With 20 years of experience as award-winning sales and alliance executive, I have been at the center of more than $250 million worth of business solutions and strategic alliances worldwide.
I have a deliberate and systematic approach to relationship building and channel and alliance management. First I gain an understanding of how the partnership fits with your company’s strategies and initiatives, and then I become the catalyst for ensuring that the partner is contributing to your corporate objectives. In this capacity, I am tireless — always doing whatever it takes to strengthen and optimize the value of the alliance.
A veteran at building and fostering profitable client and partner relationships working for global software, hardware and global systems integrators, my expertise lies in helping companies, like yours, develop, optimize, monetize and commercialize your strategic alliance and channel portfolio, and in aligning your direct and indirect go-to-market strategies and routes-to-market for incremental revenue growth (whether the business model is resell, co-sell, influence or referral). I have developed and managed high-value relationships and partnerships with world-class enterprises, technology leaders and systems integrators such as: SAP, IBM, Experian Marketing Services, Adobe (formerly Omniture), Google, SAP, Oracle, Cisco, Cordys, Citrix, NetApp, RWD, Autonomy, Accenture, Price Waterhouse, Deloitte, DMR, CGI, Bearing Point, EDS, American Express, US Bank and Bank of America; and with local & regional partners in Canada and United States.
SERVICES PORTFOLIO INCLUDE:
I invite you to contact me at: AllaireFrancine@gmail.com to receive additional information, and to discuss how we can tailor a set of services to meet your unique needs, goals and circumstances.
PARTNERSHIP AND ALLIANCE HEALTH CHECK
In my experience and research, I have found that most organizations do not have the means for formally assessing the partnership. They understand that the partnership is not yielding the desired results but they do not understand where there might be problem areas, how to go about identifying and bringing the gaps, and how to get the partnership back on track as quickly and as cost effectively as possible.
The objective of the Partnership and Alliance Health Check is to identify the factors that are impacting the performance of the partnership. The assessment includes the following elements:
– Perform a gap analysis around key areas using “points of view and perspectives” and a proprietary alliance check-list.
- Planning/Operations
- Development/Readiness/Enablement
- Engagement/Execution
- Management, Governance, Innovation
– Interviews with the key stakeholders – using tailored questions that are unique to the goals and objectives of the partnership. Stakeholders will vary based on the type of alliance and may include: Alliance teams, alliance sponsors, sales executives, management and others.
– Provide recommendations and establish priorities based on the greatest infliction point(s) and your company ability to execute.
Deliverable: Presentation or report outlining the gaps and issues, recommended approach and steps to address them, and in what sequence, in order to yield your company the greatest and fastest results.
ALLIANCE PERFORMANCE
The objective of the Alliance Performance is to assist your organization in improving sales traction, generating key wins for your strategic alliance and increasing the team’s experience and understanding in developing profitable channel sales relationships. Engagement may include:
– Audit to ensure that the appropriate sales enablement processes, tools and training are in place
– Develop & Roll out a Comprehensive Sales Engagement & Execution Process to increase the number of sales opportunities & improve closing ratio
– Develop & Establish Shared Processes to increase sales traction and improve joint collaboration: Yearly Operational Plan, Quarterly Business Reviews, Rules of Engagement, Compensation Model, Pricing Strategy, Lead Tracking & Management, Joint Opportunity Plan, Opportunity Registration, Win/Loss Review, Pipeline Management etc.
– Implement Organization/Alliance Readiness, Capabilities & Repeatable Processes
Deliverables: All of the above (or a subset based on your specific needs)
ASK ME ABOUT OTHER CONSULTING OFFERINGS SUCH AS:
** Roll out a New Partnership with Your Sales Organization
** Develop a Partner Capability Matrix to Invest your Resources (time, money, expertise, marketing) with the Right Partners
** Engage, Energize and Empower Your Partner Community – (help your partners succeed so you can succeed)
** Develop the Ideal Partner Profile
** Recruit the Ideal Partner
** Partnering with Global Systems Integrators
I’m only a phone call or an email away. Drop me a line at 949-375-3494 or send me an email at: AllaireFrancine@gmail.com to explore how I can assist you. I look forward to connecting with you.
For a client list, endorsements and results, please click here: https://www.francineallaire.com/results/