The Channel Zone Podcast

The Channel Zone Podcast - #2-013 with Stuart Brinicombe of Couchbase

In the latest episode kicking off season two of the podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Stuart Brinicombe, a seasoned veteran in the tech industry. With an impressive career spanning companies like Novell, PCT, and Oracle, Stuart shared his unique perspective on the evolving landscape of tech sales.
We delved into the significant changes brought about by the global pandemic and lockdowns, exploring how the tech sales process has adapted to the new remote and digital-first environment. Stuart provided valuable insights on the growing influence and adoption of AI technologies, and how they are shaping the way sales professionals approach their work.
A key theme that emerged from our conversation was the continued importance of "curiosity" for successful sellers in the tech industry. Stuart emphasized that even as AI and automation become more prevalent, the ability to ask thoughtful questions, understand customer needs, and continuously learn remains essential for sales professionals to thrive.
With his wealth of experience and industry knowledge, Stuart offered a compelling perspective on the current state of the tech sector and the skills and mindset required for sales teams to excel in this dynamic landscape. This episode provides listeners with a unique and insightful look into the evolving world of tech sales.

The Channel Zone Podcast #1-012 with Lena Weber-Reed of Getronics

Social Media? Social Selling? Are they the same? Does one contribute or conflict with the other?
In this series finale we get to spend some time with Lena Weber-Reed, a social media strategist, and a firm believer in the potential for social media to help generate demand and leads in a B2B environment.
Right now, social media and social selling are hot topics in the IT eco-system, with most end-to-end resellers and MSPs feeling that they are not quite where they should be on this point. I feel like telling them that they're not alone. Indeed, it's likely that we all feel that we could be doing more, or doing better with our social media efforts. Or is it just me...?
Anyway, in this conversation, Lena sheds some light on how social media in general, and LinkedIn in particular, can be effectively used to build brand, establish credibility in your market, and drive revenues. One or two useful ideas or recommendations is sometimes all we need to transform our results - and hopefully, you'll find some in this podcast.

The Channel Zone Podcast - #1-011 with Neill Murphy of Oktopost

I first came across Neill Murphy on LinkedIn - where else you might ask... His LinkedIn posts just jumped off the page (sorry.... screen) and captured his knowledge and his enthusiasm for social selling.
Neill has over a decade of experience working in the world of on-line marketing and demand generation, and in this conversation we get some insights into how social selling in general, and LinkedIn in particular can be used to raise awareness, establish business capability, personal credibility, and generate demand.
As the world of work has shifted on-line and changed so dramatically since lockdown, many customers and prospects are now even harder to access and influence than ever before. As such, the use of LinkedIn as a social media marketing and communication platform is now key to many sellers and their organizations.
In this episode, Neill shines a light on some of the changes that have taken place - and presents some solutions for those in search of social selling success.

The Channel Zone Podcast - #1-010 with Colin Brown of Advania

Shortly after the announcement of Advania's acquisition of Servium, we were joined by Colin Brown (Board Member for Advania Group). In our conversation, Colin tells of the background to the deal itself, and paints a picture of the potential for for newly enlarged Advania UK company. Additionally, Colin gives some sage advice on people entering the IT eco-system as of 2024.

The Channel Zone Podcast - #1-009 with Dan O'Shaughanessy of Allbound

Dan O'Shaughnessy helps us to explore the ways in which partner relationships can be enhanced by using the right tools: specifically, Allbound's Partner Relationship platform. I originally came across Dan's profile on LinkedIn (as you do...) and I was struck by his candour around the mistakes he had made when developing a partner programme. Here is his post...
"We made a mistake when we first started building a partner program at Allbound. It was a simple one, but one that we realise now was a little naive.
We thought by simply creating a referral program and offering people a revenue share, we were suddenly going to have an overflowing pipeline of partner leads.
Firstly, partners need care and attention, they need nurturing to even get to the stage of referring their first deal over.
Secondly, I am starting to realize that not every partner is the same. Each has their own wants and needs. For some this is a referral commission. For others this is the opportunity to co-market with us, Some just want to be able to recommend the best solution for their clients.
Building a partner program is not signing an agreement, and agreeing to a kick back, its understanding your partner's needs, and putting effort into ensuring that they are getting as much from the relationship as you are.
We are starting to figure things out here at Allbound, but for everyone looking to build out their very first partner program, it's a good lesson to learn that every partner is very different."

The Channel Zone Podcast - #1-008, with Jay Janes, CEO of Xpandly

A terrific guest, Jay Janes explains his thoughts on the various approaches and tools that can help MSPs to grow their social presence on the likes of LinkedIn, X, Meta et al...
If you are interested in developing your own social presence you will certainly glean some insight on your next steps by listening to this podcast episode. 

The Channel Zone Podcast - #1-007 with Jordan Travers, MD of Prianto

Jordan Travers, Managing Director of Prinato Distribution UK & I, opens up and gives us insight into the inner workings of an IT distributor. This is a terrific conversation that will serve the interests of those who would like to know how the various parts of the IT eco-system work for, and with one another.

The Channel Zone Podcast - #1-006 with Mark Devonshire of CrowdStrike

Channel Management 'Legend' Mark Devonshire shines a light on the relationships between vendors, distis and channel partners. Mark has recently joined CrowdStrike as National Alliances Manager and has over twenty five years experience of partner management. A terrific guest for the show.

The Channel Zone Podcast - #1-005 with Andrew Vize, CMO at Digital Space

A terrific contribution to the podcast from Andrew Vize. Our 30 plus minute conversation touches on the advances in SD-WAN (and how our lives will be changed by it), the changes in world of work, and also how marketing has changed to meet the new buyer's journey in the 2020s.

The Channel Zone Podcast - #1-004 with Bill Hopkinson CRO of Intercity

A terrific contribution to the podcast from Bill Hopkinson. Our 30 plus minute conversation touches on the evolution of Intercity, MSPs, their role and responsibilities, marketing, data driven sales analysis, continuous improvement, AI and cyber security.