TechAisle has released its channel partner trends research. Let’s pull from the release.
Each year, TechAisle asks decision-makers in the channel to identify their top business issues and develops a ‘top 10’ ranking based on this information. This list serves as the industry standard for understanding the business issues that define actions, interests, and investments for the coming year.
The latest findings show that “managing uncertainty” is the top business issue cited by 45% of channel partners, up from 34% a year ago. “Driving growth,” identified by 43% of channel decision-makers as an essential priority for the next 12 months, is the #2 concern of channel executives – it was the top concern in 2022, 2021, and 2020.
Scanning the balance of the list, we see a central theme as per the survey of 2115 channel partners – issues relating to efficiency and control are becoming more important, while those relating to expansion are declining. Nearly half of the partners plan to focus on cross-selling/upselling to their existing customers over chasing new customer logos. Marketing is focusing on the “land” part of the sales process, and sales are increasing its focus on the “expand” part of “land and expand.”
Why do we care?
There’s comfort in the refocus on business stability, and as uncertainty approaches, operators are shifting to keeping customers happy, expanding their businesses, and keeping the lights on. It’s a warning sign, too, although I want to focus on the positive.