Excellent article - I really think the channel concept is
partially an issue of maturity in the given SaaS product.
Certainly SaaS offerings can be sold entirely online - or at
least without local face to face - but also consider that the
channel can also value-add entirely online. The Salesforce
AppExchange operates both as a channel to Salesforce and
a value-add. How many vendors in that channel have
regional offices? Not many.
There are many opportunities for the channel to leverage a
vertical focus through customization and integration. In
the SMB space, there are certainly ways to package
offerings for verticals that solve problems for their
audience. What I don't see (enough) is these ideas
considered upfront - when the platform could really
embrace the channel from the start. It is something that
should be considered in every marketing plan....
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