BACKGROUND

International Business Machines, or IBM, nicknamed “Big Blue”, is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM’s first experiments with computers in the 1940s and 1950s were modest advances on the card-based system.

The evolution of the technology marketing calls for more sophisticated and pinpointed solutions to be brought to market. The complexity of such matters require an evolution in the vendors route to market considerations.

This case study illustrates a very successful example of P2P Ecosystems, achieved through collaborative relationships between a vendor’s partner, ISVs, Sls, Consultants and other synergistic partners, The systematic and programmatic creation of such ecosystems can be managed to create dramatic incremental revenue for both vendor and partners.

“Partner to partner co-selling teams achieve a 76% higher close rate than partners closing deals alone. When selling to CIOs” – VAR EXECUTIVE   

CHALLENGES

IBM felt there was an opportunity in expanding its greenfield business, targeting net new revenue accounts. IBM also knew that in many markets the outcome of a deal could be influenced by trusted advisors, Sls or the ISVs.

Therefore having the visibility of which partners outside of IBM PartnerWorld would be the instrumental ones for each vertical/sub-vertical market segment, and finding a structured process to drive these sales relationships, was an important challenge to overcome.

SOLUTION

Advanced Alchemy, a Gorilla Corporation company, was hired to develop a strategy around P2P Ecosystems, and to subsequently implement a pilot program within its Emerging Technology business.

A methodology and partner matching algorithm was developed and refined multiple times until the desired effectiveness was reached.