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In this episode, Mitchell Levy and his co-host for the month of April, Chris Kenton, interview #ThoughtLeader Mike McDermott, SVP of Sales & Business Development at Primitive Logic, a business consulting and technology solutions firm focused on achieving superior business results for their clients. The session starts with Mitchell sharing his observations on the dramatic changes brought about with new technologies and their influence. He observes that what he learned in business school on the concept on the customer’s right that businesses make the customer happy is not happening in the real world, that there has been a complete transformation. In this session, we learn from Mike’s professional perspective in the line of sales and business development what his observations are on the transformations of the channel and how the business works nowadays. He has worked with traditional larger companies, and saw the transition of how they view their partners now, which is very different than the old traditional model. The nature of the channel is changing, and so has the partner relationship and the overall business direction. Coming from a consulting firm where the core business is mostly on referrals and the relationships they have adjusting to customers and not outbound marketing, they’re now facing a big transition.

The past two years have been a big transition for them, as they have to accept quotas from their clients to try to create ease marketing activities, and they’re asked to do outbound marketing to hunt and find new clients for their new partners.There are circumstances in which it’s a struggle for their firm, because they must have a big investment to build a system to show those campaigns and manage those leads and activities on time.

Mike shares the best practices of enablement that they’ve implemented to help them with the transitions.There are a couple of things that they look into as a partner: they look at the vendor that should have the answers to what the solutions are, what the markets are, and who the target individuals and the organizations are that they should be going after. There should be scripts, call to actions, programs, and solution evaluations to quickly be customized and able to go to market and a plan with multiple touch points to consider. Mike says with that kind of approach, some have packaged it and are more successful with it than others. With all of the transitions that have been going on in the business world, the use of MDF hasn’t been that beneficial. Mike and his whole organization had been using it until all these transitions three years ago, when the use of MDF started not being as successful as it used to be. It is worth service to your clients if they can rely on your competency on how you do your work, rather than rely on the use of the MDF.

The transition phase that the business world is experiencing will keep on evolving.The challenge of it is on how to survive and thrive in the changing market, to be able to still stay in the game.There are many strategies and tactics, but the important thing to keep in mind is knowing how to value one’s money.

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of aha moments from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life”eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com/.

• What counts most for being reliable to your clients is your competency on how you do work. @MikeMcDermott48 #TLL
• Some say that partners don’t want to do a lot of work, they want things to be completely turnkey. @ckenton #TLL
• Life is changing dramatically, particularly withtechnology and its influence. @happyabout #TLL
• Don’t hesitate to share to your channel partner what’s working for you and for them to leverage it for you. @MikeMcDermott48

About Mitchell Levy

Global Credibility Expert Mitchell Levy (https://aha.pub/MitchellLevy) is a TEDx speaker and international bestselling author of over 60 books. A general theme heard from the clients he's ghostwritten books for and the hundreds of thought leaders he's created credreels for is that he's "unconsciously competent at clarifying your message". https://firpodcastnetwork.com/team_member/mitchell-levy/