Don’t rush to move up the chain of command  

A common mistake that advisors make when speaking with customers is to aim to speak to the most senior person they can. You might ask to see the CTO or CMO, which typically means going over the initial contact’s head.  

However, Ryan believes that by doing this in the past, he has potentially burned bridges with great contacts. It doesn’t leave a positive impression with that initial contact, which could affect future business dealings. 

Instead, Ryan now likes to focus on nurturing those relationships with his initial point of contact. The channel is, after all, formed by relationships, not just solutions, and our aim as advisors should be to help and provide valuable advice.

How AI will change the channel   

AI has the potential to disrupt many industries, and the channel is already changing as we know it. Does this mean that the advisor role will become obsolete? Ashley doesn’t think so. She believes that as long as solutions exist and businesses need to find the right one, there will always be a need for knowledgeable technology consultants.  

With AI all the rage right now, it’s tempting to get customers on board with AI tools. However, Ryan says we need to balance what’s popular with what’s useful. Instead of getting swept up in the shiny new object syndrome, advisors need to ask: 

• Does this solve anything?
• Does it make the user experience better? 
• Will it save people time? 
• Will it allow people to produce better work? 

An AI tool might be the right solution, but first, ask those questions before testing out new solutions with customers. 

Collaboration is much needed in the channel 

There’s a lot of talk about how the channel needs a centralized portal for vendors. But Ashley believes what the channel really needs is a centralized communication system.  

With vendors spending so much time having individual conversations about their products, all of that information could be useful to others – both to advisors and customers who want to learn more about the solution.  

Greater collaboration and openness will help the end customer get a solution that fits their needs and brings true value – which is a win-win for everyone in the channel.  

For more insights from Ashley and Ryan, listen to the full episode today.