In
this issue:
 Unquestionably, channel-based organizations reap many benefits from the broader market reach their resellers enable. But, even under good economic conditions, they also face numerous challenges related to serving their markets via a decentralized sales structure. One key to success for such organizations is to maintain a two-way exchange of relevant and timely information with value-added resellers (VARs).As markets continue to soften, VARs that survive and even prosper will find ways of helping customers re-plan to change with the times. They’ll offer products and solutions that provide a much faster return on investment, especially those that can quickly improve efficiencies and processes as well as remove hard costs. If yours is a channel-based organization, explore how you can better help your partners succeed with your products in the market. Click below for a few suggestions: 
 Most of us have either witnessed first hand or heard about some of the classic struggles between sales and marketing. Sales people say the leads that marketing turns over aren’t qualified or warm enough. They wonder why the sales support materials don’t meet their needs. They don’t always understand what’s behind some of marketing’s branding efforts. Conversely, marketing professionals say that some sales people don’t adhere to the strategic messaging, or don’t take the time to learn new markets and applications the organization is targeting, or don’t follow up on leads quickly enough.
These frustrations are common in organizations that neglect to strategically align sales and marketing. While each department typically develops a strategic plan, they are rarely connected to one another. However, with leadership’s commitment and facilitation, cross-functional collaboration can produce impressive bottom-line results. Click below to learn more about how to create an effective alignment between sales & marketing.
If you missed our October briefing, survey highlights and a demonstration of the online tool will again be presented at a webinar on December 16th from 1-2 p.m. To register for this event, please click here. | 
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