The Channel Hack, Episode 1 - Channel Forward Approach with Tom Henderson

Hunters and Unicorns

The Importance of Channel Sales and Leveraging Partnerships Tom Henderson, VP of Worldwide Channel at Wiz, delves into the world of channel sales and provides valuable insights on how to implement a successful channel go-to-market strategy. As someone who has spent years working in the channel sales ecosystem, Tom shares his personal experiences and expertise, highlighting the misconceptions and strategies that companies often overlook. According to Tom, many playbook companies struggle to effectively leverage the channel due to a lack of understanding of how to build a channel sales motion. He attributes this to a focus on direct sales and neglecting the importance of building relationships with partners. Tom emphasizes the need for a channel-forward approach, where companies prioritize building trust and relationships with partners to generate revenue. Tom highlights the numerous benefits of leveraging the channel, including reduced rep ramp time, bigger deal sizes, and faster deal cycles. He also mentions the importance of pipeline generation and marrying it with channel sales. Tom suggests that companies should focus on understanding what their partners do well and building champions, as this is key to successful deal-making. The podcast stresses the importance of building trust and relationships with partners to generate revenue. Tom emphasizes the need for executives to provide sponsorship and support, as well as for companies to spend time with partners and build trust. This trust is essential for partners to generate revenue and for companies to achieve their goals. Tom emphasizes the importance of executive sponsorship and building champions at the executive level to help reps become more productive. He suggests that having a business partner mindset is essential for success, and that companies like Pure Storage have demonstrated this by making their channel person a business partner of the second-line manager. The podcast also discusses the importance of having a playbook and structure to make the most of the channel's potential. Tom has developed a playbook that has evolved through his different jobs and companies, and emphasizes the importance of getting reps productive and having good RD enablement. Tom speaks about building a team with a mix of experienced sales reps and people who have run their own companies. He emphasizes the importance of molding each person's growth and development, and suggests that it's not necessary to hire people with 10,000 hours of experience, but rather those who are curious and have good DNA. Tom's playbook is quite prescribed, but he emphasizes that it can be adjusted to fit the channel by moving a few parts. He suggests that having a business partner mindset and a clear structure is essential for success in the channel.