Blog
(page 4)
2022
May
Zift Solutions wins 2022 Globee Award
Zift Solutions received recognition at the 2022 Globee Awards in the Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and Operations category.
Product update: social media administration
Improved social media post scheduler, calendar view, and analytics dashboard for through-partner social media in ZiftONE.
Gwyn Edwards from Zift Solutions named on CRN's 2022 Women of the Channel list
CRN's 2022 Women of the Channel list celebrates outstanding female leaders driving channel innovation.
Connecting with partners on social media
How channel leaders can use social media groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other networks to build relationships with partners.
April
Through-channel marketing automation fundamentals
Eight fundamentals of through-channel marketing automation from channel experts covering ease of use, attribution, content, and reporting.
Product update: to-partner emails and pop-ups
New drag-and-drop editor for building partner-facing emails and portal pop-ups with filtering and reporting.
Product update: co-brandable video
Partners can now add their logo to supplier videos with adjustable position and opacity in ZiftONE.
Product update: favorite and filter analytics dashboards
Users can now favorite reports and select a default dashboard to show on login in ZiftONE.
Zift Solutions to sponsor Alliance of Channel Women
Zift sponsors the Alliance of Channel Women networking event at Channel Partners Conference & Expo 2022.
Six best practices for through-partner communications
Six best practices for through-partner communications from industry experts including customization, automation, and data integration.
Zift Solutions named number 1 in G2 through-channel marketing spring reports
Zift Solutions earns top rankings in G2’s Spring 2022 reports for Partner Management and Through-Channel Marketing, reflecting outstanding user satisfaction and ROI.
March
Sales enablement starts with asking questions
Why salespeople should ask questions before launching into their pitch, and using "buy" words instead of "sell" words in partner sales.
Nine best practices for to-partner communications
Nine best practices for to-partner communications from industry experts including relevancy, brevity, timing, and measurement.
Zift Solutions celebrates its sixteenth anniversary
An interview with Zift CTO Lionel Farr on the company's sixteenth anniversary.
Resources to support Ukraine
Zift's statement on Ukraine and donation organizations including UNICEF, Americares, Mercy Corps, World Vision, and International Medical Corps.
Channel events and conferences in 2022
A list of 2022 channel industry events including Channel Partners Conference, SaaS Connect, B2B Summit, and virtual conferences.
How to boost channel partner enablement
The difference between sales training and sales enablement, and how to support partners from onboarding through ongoing collaboration.
Building productive partner relationships
Balancing partner independence with relationship nurturing, including the value of joint customer calls and ongoing engagement.
February
7 reasons your channel partner program needs QBRs
Seven reasons QBRs matter for channel programs including relationship building, commitment signals, feedback, and data-driven discussions.
Partner experience with Glenn Robertson, Purechannels
Interview with Glenn Robertson on partner experience, its importance, and how vendors can optimize it.
Optimizing quarterly business reviews
How to optimize quarterly business reviews by setting clear agendas, aligning metrics with partner goals, and using data-driven insights.
January
Spending time with channel partners at conferences
How to evaluate channel conferences, what to get out of attending, and setting goals for relationship building.
Virtual events with ZiftONE
ZiftONE's Virtual Event Campaigns capability for webinar promotion and partner-hosted events.
Zift Solutions' virtual event campaigns integrate the webinar experience
ZiftONE's Virtual Event Campaign allows customers to promote webinars through partners with registration attribution and lead tracking.
Channel partner program predictions for 2022
Six expert predictions on partner incentives, distributors, tiering, through-channel marketing, and training for 2022.
Building your 2022 sales forecast
How to build a sales forecast by asking customers about their strategic plans and consolidating channel partner forecasts in your PRM.
2021
December
Selling value, not features
Help partners sell outcomes and ROI rather than speeds and feeds, with lessons from 40 years of value-added reselling.
Zift opens Stockholm data center
Zift expands AWS presence to Stockholm, Sweden to serve customers requiring EU data residency.
Planning questions for partner success
Questions to review with partners during annual planning including goal assessment, marketing effectiveness, and partnership health.
November
Success planning in the channel
Five reasons to formalize success planning with partners: alignment, holistic management, better data, revenue acceleration, and transparency.
Joint business planning with partners
Expert perspectives on joint success planning with partners, setting mutual objectives, and aligning goals with KPIs.
Zift announces Success Plans feature
ZiftONE Success Plans enable supplier-partner collaboration on business plans with training, marketing, and metrics goals.
October
7 ways the best channel programs budget for the year ahead
Seven budgeting tips from eleven channel experts covering ROI metrics, segmentation, sales alignment, and quarterly reviews.
Co-selling strategies for partner programs
History and best practices for co-selling with channel partners, from buddy calls to formalized programs like Microsoft's and Pax8's Wingman.
Planning your channel marketing strategy
How to plan channel marketing campaigns including targeting, messaging, referral strategies, and supplier support for partners.
Choosing data tools as a channel chief
Why channel chiefs should stay involved in technology decisions and how connecting tools creates better visibility into channel performance.
Channel ROI dashboard tips
Six tips for channel ROI dashboards from experts covering measurement philosophy, distributor tracking, and partner-level indicators.
September
ZiftONE platform overview (video)
A video introduction to ZiftONE, the all-in-one channel management platform.
Different types of PRM software
Comparing pure play and all-in-one PRM solutions including considerations for integration, costs, and program maturity.
Understanding your channel partner pipeline
How pipeline math works including closing ratios, funnel velocity, and quota calculations for channel account managers.
Leading indicators of channel ROI
Four leading indicators of channel ROI from engaged partners including new leads, qualified opportunities, pipeline value, and MDF usage.
August
Building a channel partner reporting framework
Seven steps to build a partner reporting framework covering stakeholder mapping, technology selection, CRM integration, and dashboard design.
Channel partner reporting best practices
Ten best practices for channel partner reporting covering data centralization, dashboards, executive reporting, and partner relationship building.
Five partner program metrics for pipeline
Five metrics to monitor: net new leads, qualified opportunities, active pipeline value, closed won, and funnel velocity.
Finding vertical markets in partner data
How to identify vertical markets hidden in partner customer data and develop reusable engagement models for targeted selling.
July
Creating a 30/60/90 day partner engagement plan
A timeline for partner engagement with expert advice on goal setting, sales collaboration, QBRs, and long-term relationship building.
Partner engagement best practices
Seven best practices from channel experts on engaging new partners, refreshing long-term relationships, and re-engaging inactive partners.
Improving channel partner engagement strategy
Reviewing KPIs, optimizing through incentives and coaching, and focusing on clear partner communication.
5 levels of channel partner engagement
How to improve partner engagement through partner selection, buddy calls, engagement managers, marketing knowledge, and ongoing relationship building.
10 steps to achieve B2B channel marketing and sales alignment
Ten steps for achieving sales and marketing alignment from interviews with channel leaders, covering communication, goals, and measurement.