145 - From the Vault: The Art of Channel Partnerships with Bobby Napiltonia

Bobby Napiltonia shares his insights and experiences in building channel partnerships. He discusses his time at Salesforce, where he was responsible for building the app exchange and the Salesforce.com practices. Bobby talks about the challenges he faced and the strategies he used to build successful channel programs. He emphasizes the importance of trust, training, and communication in building strong partner relationships. Bobby also shares his thoughts on the future of partnerships and the role of channel programs in SMB and mid-market software companies. Key Takeaways: Building channel partnerships requires trust, training, and communication.Repeatable models and packaged solutions are essential for partner success.Sharing the wealth and making partners famous are key to building strong partner relationships.The quality of leads from partners is often higher and leads to faster close rates.Channel programs are relevant for both enterprise and SMB/mid-market software companies.Quotes: "Everything in this industry is about trust." - Bobby NapiltoniaChapters: 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview 00:39 Introducing the Special Guest and Sponsor 01:33 Building [Salesforce.com](http://salesforce.com/) Practices 05:39 The Genesis of Global SI Ecosystem Partner 07:35 The Role of Training in Partner Success 13:12 The Importance of Repeatable Models in Partner Success 15:34 The Impact of Verticals on Partner Relationships 23:02 Understanding the Importance of Leads 23:39 The Role of Trust in Business Relationships 24:39 The Challenge of Partner Recruitment 25:27 The Struggles of Traditional Partners 28:58 The Role of Services in Business 31:36 The Importance of Internal Communication 32:19 The Power of Making Partners Famous 36:24 Understanding the Difference Between Sourced and Influenced Deals 43:06 The Future of Partnerships