
Most everyone loves Thanksgiving turkeys. But IT industry turkeys? Not so much. We look at 10 examples of 'turkeys' that have disappointed the tech industry this year.
| Channel Chief Name | W.B. (Bill) Lipsin |
| Channel Chief Title | Senior VP & General Manager, Global Channel Sales |
| Company and Division | CA |
| Markets Served: |
Software |
| Company's overall 2007 revenue: | $3.772 billion |
| Percentage of revenue from solution providers: | 9.30% |
| Number of years with the company: | 3 |
| Number of years involved with indirect sales: | 20+ |
| Number of employees in channel organization: | ~ 600 |
| To whom do you report in your organization? | Michael Christenson, Chief Operating Officer of CA, Inc. |
| Does that individual report to your CEO/president? | Yes |
| Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: | Overall, Bill's strategic vision and execution has enabled CA to actively and constructively engage with partners building a strong footing from which to maximize partner opportunities with CA technologies. Evangelized the Channel: Increasing the channel partner profile within CA was one of the corporate-wide priorities in 2007. Starting internally, Bill Lipsin educated CA employees worldwide about the positive impact that channels could have on CA's business. Significant progress has been made in changing a traditional direct sales model to one in which channel partners play a more dominant role at CA. Bill's advocacy of the channel was demonstrated through the creation of an internal training series for all CA employees worldwide to convey the importance of partnerships and the role each employee plays in supporting the channel further testament to CA's corporate-wide commitment to the channel. Minimized Channel Conflict: One of Bill's many accomplished goals included the minimization of channel conflict. CA identified a number of 'named' accounts for CA's direct sales force focus, as other segments of the market were designated as channel domain. Even in the identified 'named' accounts, the CA direct sales force often teams with partners to best serve customers. Additionally, Bill introduced a channel neutral compensation plan that further minimized channel conflict between CA's direct sales team and channel partners. Maximized Partner Opportunity: Bill has built on the strengths of the indirect channels structure to evolve the CA organization to maximize partner opportunities and find new customers. CA has identified significant opportunities to help our partners be more successful. The CA Mid-Market Business Unit was formed in April 2007 to deliver CA solutions exclusively through CA's reseller channel. In the past year, entire countries and regions were converted to an exclusively partner-led approach, e.g. China. Significantly Enhanced Partner Program: Under Bill's direction, CA significantly increased its channel programs to provide partners with: Enhanced financial incentives and the opportunity to earn greater margins. Over 100 new or improved training courses designed to enhance partners' expertise and afford them with additional skill sets, further enabling them to earn more CA product and service revenue. Increased investments in lead generation infrastructure and activity to accelerate partners' pipelines. More extensive sales tools to support all routes to market. Strong Portfolio of CA Solutions: CA offers one of the most robust and scalable IT management software portfolios in the industry from enterprise products to modular and packaged solutions designed for small and medium enterprises. Bill's strategy to further empower CA channel partners to deliver the benefits of CA solutions by providing the right solution, at the right price, with the right mix of services enabled partners to better capitalize on market opportunities and more effectively grow their businesses. |
| List up to 10 of your top products sold through the channel: | CA ARCserve, CA Anti-Virus and CA Anti-Spyware, CA eHealth, CA SPECTRUM, CA XOsoft, CA Identity & Access Management, CA ERwin, CA Clarity, CA Unicenter, Service Desk, CA Wily |
| Describe how your partner community has grown over the past year: | On average, CA partners,' business has grown 11-15% over the most recent 1-year period that CA has measured. |
| Name the one individual who has had the most profound impact on your life: | Bill Etherington, a former IBM worldwide sales leader who is currently the chairman of CIBC. |
| Please name the single most innovative initiative for which you were responsible for the past year? | This past year, Bill Lipsin unveiled an innovative approach to adapting a traditional direct sales model to one in which the channel plays a more dominant role at CA. |
| What were the key channel partner investments you made in the past year? | At CA, we understand that our partners' time is valuable and focused on sales and servicing their customers. With that said, Bill Lipsin's objective for the channel is to ensure that conducting business with CA is easier than ever before. In 2007, CA aligned the CA Partner Program and partner resources with the way our partners conduct their business. Partners have been provided with the tools needed to deliver customized, value-added solutions to help differentiate and grow their business. Here are just a few of the many ways in which CA has enhanced partner support: New cutting-edge partner training resources the same as are available to CA sales and technical staff. Launch of the Opportunity Management System to provide partners with quick and easy access to CA sales opportunities and the valuable resources that partners need to effectively close deals. Launch of the Marketing Resource Center. This Web-based application enables partners to develop successful, cost-effective demand generation programs for CA products. The creation of an enhanced, flexible and global partner program including various program, infrastructure and system investments. |
| How are you attracting the next generation of solution providers? | CA offers an unmatched portfolio of IT management solutions. As a result, partners are able to meet their customers' IT needs through a broad portfolio of CA solutions addressing business continuity, security, storage and data management and regulatory compliance. CA has consistently been recognized by independent observers as offering one of the software industry's most practical and effective set of channel programs. The enhanced CA Partner Program extends competitive differentiation with a combination of training, support and segmentation initiatives directly driven by the needs of our partners and customers alike. |
| What is the greatest challenge you overcame in the past year? | Changing the perception of the value that the channel provides CA and moving from a traditional direct sales model to a partner-lead model in key market segment and geographic regions. |