IBM Channel Chief: We’re Making Partner Engagement ‘As Easy As Possible’

What was some of the work required before expanding access? 

It‘s a combination of, yes, looking at what was existing, and what can be leveraged from that, as well as where are the gaps and which gaps do we need to fill.

So we’ve been through a very systematic process to say, ‘OK, here‘s how our product portfolio breaks down, offering by offering. OK, what’s the foundational training? Have we got that? If we haven‘t, we have to create that – or what do we need to adjust? Have we got the technical sales proficiency for that product offering that we need? OK, we need to go and build that.’

So really, going through a systematic way of building out by product offering, by foundational skills, by technical sales proficiency, identifying the gaps, identifying what we have, what we need.

Does this news represent future updates partners will see from the IBM partner program? 

Yes. As I go back to how we, as IBM, have declared that the IBM ecosystem is a priority for IBM up and down and we have to have a growing and thriving ecosystem for IBM, how do we be more essential to our partners and how do we be easier to do business with?

This ladders up to both of those perfectly, because we can‘t be essential unless our partners are skilled in our products and confident in going to their clients with our products and selling them with us and for IBM.

And then how do we actually make that easier to engage in? They go hand in hand. So as we think about continuing to invest in the ecosystem, and being more essential, this is absolutely in line with that strategy.