Proving ROI, using new technologies and leveraging partner marketing were key topics at Red Herring's CMO 2008 conference in San Diego last week.

The conference drew more than 300 senior marketing executives, mostly from b-to-b companies, who shared strategies for competing in today's challenging business environment.

One of the hot topics was partner marketing, with presentations by several executives whose companies use channel marketing models.

Stephen DiFranco, corporate VP-corporate and channels marketing at chip maker AMD, discussed how the company has leveraged its partner channel to confront rival Intel Corp. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

CMP Channel 's exclusive research identifies a shift in the Channel marketplace. According to this research, for the first time Vendor/Solution Provider loyalty has moved from the vendor to the customer. It also highlights the characteristics of the Channel's partners and how each is responsible for growth. The research notes that vendors prioritizing their efforts around the top 20-30 percent of partners will not necessarily help them achieve their growth objectives.

Key research findings include:

• Fifty percent of Solution Providers rate current level of vendor relationships as 'less than positive'
• Solution Providers have been proactively changing their vendors at an accelerated pace over the past two years. Fifty percent are targeting new markets and 50 percent are expanding new product lines.
• The top three most important program elements Solution Providers evaluate when considering a vendor for a strategic partnership include: product quality/reliability; technology relevance to customer base; and relative profit potential.
• The top three reasons Solution Providers add products and vendors include: technology offering/customer requirements; aligns with business goals; and offers a clear business opportunity.
• The top three reasons Solution Providers drop or de-emphasize products and vendors include: non competitive pricing; bad service; and adding other vendors.

This document presents only a summary of the available research. Please email Kate Spellman for complete details. Download this document...

This white paper aims to explore best practices for channel sales compensation and partner compensation strategies, analyze how to use compensation elements to drive desired behavior in your channel, and show how to drive partner loyalty, engagement and revenue. The document details how to use compensation elements to drive incremental sales through existing partners, how to grow specific areas of your business, and how to clear out well-entrenched competitors. Download this document…

If you are looking to grow your channel revenue, then you probably agree that it has become
extremely difficult to differentiate yourself from the competition. Especially when your
competition, like you, communicates to partners or solution providers (VARs, integrators,
consultants, etc.) that their products provide the most advanced technology, the highest reliability
and the overall best quality and value in the marketplace. If you are only using your products to
differentiate, then you’re going at it the hard way. Download this document…

Learn the three most important areas of preparation for initial sales calls. Understand how the most successful companies receive call backs more than 50% of the time after reaching out to new prospects. Download this document…

Today a successful partner program takes more than superior products and a “partner friendly program”. Learn how to position your program more attractively to existing and potential partners by focusing on program elements like: service opportunities, performance accelerators, and marketing funds. Download this document…

Understand the three areas of activity that the most successful partner programs focus on. This article can help partner program managers break out of the “flat revenue” cycle and improve year over year results. Download this document…

The vendor and solution provider communities are jointly responsible for creating a strong and viable channel which is mutually beneficial for both parties. Vendors and partners do, however, often have
contrasting view on what they currently derive from the channel and where they would like to see improvements in the future.

In this exclusive whitepaper Monty Cornell, Senior Analyst/Group Director of Channel Group at CMP Technologies and Rod Baptie, Managing Director of Baptie & Company, presents fresh research into vendor and partner attitudes on key channel issues. Download this document…

Discover the Solution Provider market, which drives almost 70% of all technology dollars and determines brand selection two-thirds of the time. View the webcast archive...

The technology solution provider channel and its related ecosystemais growing in reach, influence, and total revenue. Historical comparisons to the growth of previous manufacturing channels reveal that the technology solution provider channel should eventually achieve a even greater mass-market appeal. Overall channel growth is strong. New growth strategies aimed at developing and increasing the spending of customers with comparatively smaller technology procurement budgets are being harnessed by a wider swath of solution providers to lay the groundwork for future revenue. Download this document…

In this comprehensive study of the Technology Channel, CMP examines Solution Provider information consumption including: individual and company demographics, the reasons Solution Providers gather information, and the platforms used based on information requirements. This information is presented to help marketers develop the optimal communications strategy. This document presents only a summary of the available research. Please contact us for complete details. Download this document...