One of the greatest challenges channel marketing groups face is how to generate measurable demand and sales results through and with their channel partners.

For channel marketing, enabling partners to gain access to vendor marketing tools and resources is generally a first step. However, today’s channel partners need more than access to standardized marketing resources to get results. So the question is if you build it, will they come?  

I read an interesting article about Comcast ramping up to enter the SMB services space. We all know Comcast (or Xfinity – whatever) delivers cable and internet, but now they will be rolling out IT services, including tech support, network configuration, cloud-based backup solutions and a slew of other things. I’m sure this is NOT a great prospect for traditional VARs and MSPs already struggling in the tepid economy.

Outsourcing is an age-old concept. If you hire someone to clean your home or repair your car, you are outsourcing tasks that take too much valuable time or that you aren’t qualified to handle. Outsourcing in business works the same way. Outsourcing specialty services such as accounting, staffing, or tax preparation is more cost-effective and allows you to hire the most skilled talent available. So why don’t more organizations consider sales outsourcing?

From Leonardo DiVinci to Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, there is a sweet spot at the intersection of Science and Art where incredible impact occurs. Each of us will define that magical moment in somewhat different terms depending on the challenges and opportunities we're confronting. When we are able to consider both the quantifiable and definable, with the potential of an artist's unfiltered creativity, we find solutions to even our most precarious challenges.

Research shows that only about 10 to 20 percent of the leads in sales funnels are actually ready to be engaged by sales, and most of the leads that are currently not ready will purchase eventually – from someone else.

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