Summary
An enhanced Global Program equips partners to build differentiation, accelerate sales velocity, and further boost revenue retention by leveraging Druva's industry's leading SaaS platform.
Challenge
We set up the global launch roadmap with the following objectives: I didn't face any business challenges as I had executives sponsoring the initiative. 1. Radically simple partner program with regional flexibility for all routes 2. Clear benefits and objectives based on partner contribution and commitment 3. Business transparency deal reg, provisioning, MDF, attainment and partner annual surveys 4. Financial benefits to drive Partner success 5. Centralized Partner Resources: Updated Sales, Marketing collateral tied to key sales plays and focus campaigns. Revamped Druva.com partner program page and partner portal 6. New Partner Academy with sales and technical training, resources and support 7. Governance to optimize program management
Objective
The biggest challenge for a partner program is maintaining engagement, which is one of the most essential and difficult aspects of partnerships. Keeping partners engaged is vital for better working relationships for both us and our partners. Our partner engagement was not as high as we wanted it to be, and we did receive numerous feedback from our partner sellers and our top partners about the limitations of our partner program and partner portal. There were a lot of gray areas and gaps that hindered partner engagement, which had a negative impact on deal registration. Our partner's revenue contribution is huge, and we wanted to make sure they were valued and consistently nurtured to stay engaged. The objective was set by the CEO's office to revamp the program.
Strategy
Created a diamond team representing various functions like: partner sellers, UI/UX experts, content marketing, product marketing, executive sponsors, PR, and partner sales operations. I worked on a weekly progress tracker with an agile project management approach with a go-live date of July 18, 2023. Set up metrics to focus on and see growth happen. 1. Upgrade the entire partner program to include all [six]partner routes to market 2. Started tracking everything that is trackable to optimize partner user experience 3. Built an easy to navigate landing pages to direct users to appropriate locations 4. Provided incentives tied to Deal Registration, including Lead Distribution and MDF 5. Developed easy to complete Deal Registration forms and programs with a low barrier to completion 6. Kick started regular communication to partner on new incentive programs tied to portal behaviors (deal registration and certifications)
Data
provided
Solution
Results
Six months after launching our revamped partner program and partner portal, to assess the business impact of our initiative, we did the following: 1. Portal heatmap analysis 2. Surveyed Partners 3. Analyze the user behavior on the portal. 4. reviewed lead generation by partners. The results were encouraging. 1. Our partner NPS score has jumped to +60 from a previous +36. 2. 4.5/5 stars for portal engagement from a previous 4/5 3. 26% more leads registered via the portal Druva's Partner+ Program is a comprehensive evolution from its previous award-winning Compass Partner Program. With the new Partner+ Program, we have introduced simplified partner tiers, expanded sales and technical certifications, financial benefits aligned to sales stages, and realistic tier attainment requirements that attach higher benefits based on partner commitment.
