As Seen In… 2005 Archives
Here you’ll find a collection of articles published during 2005.
SandHill
Microsoft, Are They Crazy Like a Fox?
December 5, 2005
A look at the moves of the largest software vendors and what they mean for the future of the market overall.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Deliver
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SoftLetter
Channel Optimization: Are You Giving the Channel too Much? Part 2 of 2
October 15, 2005
Not making money selling a product is a problem for the channel, and one that you should care about as it results in less mindshare for your company. Unless the channel is providing valuable fulfillment benefits, a direct sales model always makes the most sense. Funding channel switchin is throwing money away. The big win is not from simply figuring out how to pay the channel more, but making sure the intended margins and payments reinforce desired behaviors in the channel. Increasing MDF payments for a product that will not benefit from additional advertising will only help to subsidize other products. Offering rebates without the appropriate strings turns them into handouts.
Practice: Optimize
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SoftLetter
Channel Optimization: Are You Giving the Channel too Much? Part 1 of 2
September 30, 2005
Given the squeeze-play on end-user prices, increased channel competition, and investor demands for steady — if not increasing — earnings, it is hard to believe that many companies have an untapped source of additional profits on current business.
In a recent worldwide channel economics study, Rubicon analyzed industry giants such as Microsoft, Symantec, Apple and Macromedia, as well as their top channel partners, and discovered that each, in their own way, was leaving money — profits — on the table. Neither the channel nor the vendor was using their channel investments optimally to bring products to market. The Rubicon study found that the investments many companies make in the channel fail to reverse loss of mindshare or improve returns. Most importantly, the study exposed that channel economics are changing in ways that challenge conventional wisdom.
Practice: Optimize
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