Value-Based Partnerships: How the New Axcient Partner Program Invests in MSP Growth
The new Axcient Partner Program has been unveiled! Watch our Facebook Live Chat to understand why we went from an “enthusiastically vague” program, to a four tiered, clearly defined one, focused on MSP growth.
Longtime partner and Axcient Partner Council member, Kevin Dunn, Partner and CEO at DataTrends, joins us to shed light on the changes we’ve made. Dan Hawtof, Senior Channel Program and Automation Consultant at AchieveUnite – who worked with Axcient to develop the program – is also here, along with Axcient’s Revenue Programs Manager, Lucy Jones, and moderator and Director of Customer Success, Corey Banner.
What MSPs should expect from Partner Programs?
To be completely honest, Axcient’s previous Partner Program wasn’t good. Kevin describes it as, “unrefined” and “loosey goosey.” So we partnered with AchieveUnite to completely update our program, upgrade our partners, and create a built-in program that enables, encourages, and supports MSP growth.
There are a lot of partner programs out there, everybody has one, and it’s very easy to compare them. Dan explains the difference between a good program and a not so good program, either “This is someone who’s trying to work with me and grow my business. Or, this is somebody who’s just vendor-focused, and trying to get me to do more transactions with them. One is transactional, and one is really driving mutual success.” Dan says the focus of his work with Axcient was, “trying to understand the partners, and have the partners understand Axcient – and then move together to really help each other succeed.”
Elevating Axcient’s Partner Program
Tackling Axcient’s Partner Program was a collaborative effort between internal and external stakeholders. After clearly identifying and understanding Axcient’s differentiators in the market – i.e. channel-only, sales and marketing enablement, comprehensive backup in a single pane platform – we interviewed our partners, executives, and team members who regularly interact with partners and prospects.
Armed with opinions, thoughts, suggestions, and best practices, Axcient and AchieveUnite built a program balancing everything Axcient has to offer with four escalating tiers for partners: Registered, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Dan says, “It wasn’t all about how much you’re spending, but how engaged you are to turn and drive mutual growth. So we built the program on that – going back and forth.” The tradeoff between provider and partner gives partners a positive experience, which drives their success, while at the same time supporting Axcient’s success.
Here are just some of the benefits extended through our brand new Partner Program:
- Axcient Marketing Portal (AMP): Includes already-built marketing campaigns (email, social, and landing pages) and brandable assets.
- MDF, Co-sell, and Lead Sharing Opportunities: Webinars, case studies, and testimonials can be used for lead generation, marketing, and sales strategies.
- Domain Registration: Upload your contacts, run campaigns, send assets and downloads, get engagement reporting, and be able to customize everything within the AMP.
- Marketing Concierge Services: Get dedicated support from an Axcient Partner Success Manager to build and execute marketing campaigns together.
- BCDR Reference Architecture Assessment: Discover how much time and resources you could save, while increasing operational efficiency, with a single Reference Architecture
See all Axcient Benefits by Partner Tier.
A Partner Program delivering results
Since launching the AMP, Axcient Partners have seen great success using the resources. One MSP achieved a 25% attach rate in less than 30 days using just one email campaign from the AMP. The MSP also went from 35 licenses in March, to 650 in April, and added another 350 licenses by mid-May. Lucy adds that partners have gotten 30 to 50 registrants for MDF events done in partnership with Axcient.
Kevin describes how his new internal marketing resource utilized a social media campaign through Axcient’s Partner Program. “They launched the first campaign, and within an hour they had 250 hits. Before the end of the day, they had 1,000 hits. It really was a wake up call for me. Even if it’s not turning into sales immediately, it is turning into a reach, and people are seeing you, and they’re coming in, and signing up to follow our portals, and we’ve added new training events.”
Kevin goes on to say, “This year alone I’ve had more interaction with Axcient then all the years in the past. There’s a lot of engagement now, communication every week with partnership and marketing. The resources are there now for us to use as partners, to help solve the business problems that are coming up today.”
Dan reflects on the results, “Axcient has really come out with a solid, very clear, easy to engage program, that delivers the value of the product Axcient offers, but in a relationship that really focuses on a partnership, not just a transaction.”
If you’re having trouble defining, accessing, or seeing growth through your vendor’s partner benefits, learn more about what’s possible with Axcient. Follow Axcient on Facebook for more Live Chats with MSPs, channel leaders, and experts to stay in-the-know. See you next week!
About the Author:
Liz Mellem // Technical Copywriter, Axcient
Liz Mellem has been a freelance copywriter for over three years in the technology, education, and alternative medicine industries. She produces content, sales collateral, and email marketing campaigns that contribute to digital marketing strategies for sales growth and brand awareness. In her free time, Liz enjoys reading, exploring Austin, and Netflix with her cat, Harlem.