Spanning three full days, including the Women’s Leadership Council meeting, this year’s Channel Focus North America conference was one to remember – especially for our new Marketing Manager, Katie Rodgers. Completely new to channel, Katie returned home uttering the key phrase, “partner engagement,” in her sleep. Although the industry faces that among other challenges, one thing holds true… it is truly rewarding to navigate. That’s what Katie looks forward to in the coming months at Mindmatrix, and we’re excited to have her on board.
From numerous sessions and participatory workshops, the important takeaways from Channel Focus 2019, according to a newcomer, were:
-Engagement transcends the toolbox
Today, organizations are looking towards out-of-the-box methods to engage and incentivize their partners, such as in-person training days, invitations to industry conferences, and numeric reward systems for utilizing marketing tools and resources.
-This is a people industry
Sure, we have technology going for us – our industry thrives on it. However, as we understand from branding, a connection is still the key differentiator. Events like Channel Focus foster connection and leave our industry ripe for innovation and change.
-Details matter
Driving partner experience means driving customer experience. Therefore, aligning marketing and sales down to the minutiae is critical for brand recognition and revenue growth. We can’t forget that the end goal is a connection (2), so we need to continue to think of non-traditional ways to engage our partners, customers, and industry colleagues (1).
Contributed by: Kathryn Rodgers
Thank you, partners, speakers, and attendees, for a wonderful conference in Carlsbad, CA, and for welcoming Katie to the industry. See you next year!
