Field notes on partner programs
23 articles on partner programs, channel conflict, partner marketing and AI in the channel, written by John McCabe.
Latest, July 9, 2026
AI Is Accelerating the Shift from Transactional to Transformational Partnerships
A look at AWS survey findings on why partners now have to sell outcomes, the three pillars of modern partnerships, and how to update your partner plan.
All field notes
July 2, 2026
Why AI Will Change the Way You Build Your Partner Marketing Strategy
Six changes AI brings to partner marketing, from tailored partner journeys and smarter MDF spend to less channel conflict and a changing CAM role.
June 30, 2026
10 Reasons Your Channel Manager Sales Are Stalling (And How to Fix It)
Ten common reasons partner pipeline stalls, from acting like your partners' rep to weak enablement and skipped reviews, with a clear fix for each one.
June 25, 2026
Channel Management on the Go: Why Young Channel Managers Need a Mobile Tool
Why desk bound tools slow partner work down, and what mobile access changes for deal approvals, event days, and the dead time between meetings.
June 23, 2026
The Blueprint for Success: A Day in the Life of a Modern Channel Manager
A daily routine for channel managers, from a focused morning block to midday partner work, afternoon cleanup, and habits that keep the pace going.
June 19, 2026
Beyond the Booth: Why Channel Managers Must Prep Now for Summer Conferences
A prep plan for big summer conferences. Tier your partners, book meetings weeks early, run better onsite talks, and follow up within 48 hours.
June 16, 2026
The 2026 Channel Mix: Why Your Cold Outreach is Failing and How to Fix It
Cold outreach is losing steam. See the new pipeline mix for 2026, why each source needs its own target, and how to move budget to warm channels.
June 11, 2026
The Hidden Struggle: Why Finding Your Next Channel Manager Role is Still Tough
Why the channel job hunt got harder, including shifting job titles, ghost postings, and higher hiring bars, plus three ways to get noticed anyway.
June 9, 2026
Navigating Salary Reductions in Channel Management: A Strategy for Success
Channel pay is flattening in 2026. Learn how to audit the revenue you drive, use that proof in salary talks, and make yourself harder to replace.
February 6, 2026
AI Sales Agents: Why Channel Teams Are Trading Pitch Decks for Autonomous Deals
How AI sales agents now run whole deal workflows, which parts of the job people still own, and practical first steps for channel teams to keep up.
January 30, 2026
Amazon’s Recent Layoffs: It’s About Culture and Growth, Not AI Replacing People
Why Amazon's 16,000 job cuts trace back to cutting management layers and pushing ownership, not to AI, and what that means for how you adapt.
January 9, 2026
The Channel Manager’s Guide to Building Stronger Partner Teams in 5 Steps
Five steps to a partner program that performs: self serve onboarding, enablement that scales, clear goals, smarter resource use, better measures.
December 17, 2025
Are You Making These Common Channel Account Management Mistakes?
Common mistakes new channel managers make, like skipping a partner playbook, living in spreadsheets, and treating every partner the same, plus fixes.
December 11, 2025
The Partner Business Plan That Actually Gets Results: A Channel Account Management Blueprint
Why most partner business plans get ignored, a four step way to build one that does not, pitfalls to avoid, and how to run reviews that matter.
December 10, 2025
AI Secrets Revealed: What Channel Partner Program Experts Don’t Want You to Know
Six ways experienced channel pros quietly use AI, covering partner research, profiling, predictive analytics, and tools most managers never try.
December 9, 2025
Channel Manager Sales vs. Traditional Sales: Which Approach Wins More Deals?
How channel sales and direct sales compare on reach, cost, and speed to market, with examples of when each one wins and why blending both works.
December 3, 2025
Partner Marketing Vs Partner Enablement: Which Drives Better Channel Operations?
Partner enablement and partner marketing compared side by side, with signs that tell you which one to fund first and how to run the two together.
November 24, 2025
The Channel Manager Sales Guide to Eliminating Channel Conflict
What channel conflict costs, where it starts, and four ways to prevent it using rules of engagement, deal registration, communication, and incentives.
November 19, 2025
Are Face-to-Face Partner Events Dead? Here’s What Actually Drives ROI
In person partner events are still growing. See what drives real return, how to plan weeks before you go, and the follow up most teams forget.
November 18, 2025
Boost Your Channel Operations Instantly with These 5 AI-Powered Partner Business Plan Hacks
Five ways to put AI to work in channel operations: partner profiling, competitive research, revenue forecasts, training picks, performance tracking.
November 17, 2025
New to Channel Management? Here’s How to Get Ahead (Without Feeling Overwhelmed)
A starter guide for new channel managers. What the job really covers, why it feels like too much at first, and the daily habits and tools that help.
November 13, 2025
How to Create a Partner Marketing Strategy That Drives Real Results in 5 Steps (2026 Guide)
Five steps to a partner marketing plan: set goals and metrics, pick high fit partners, agree on shared value, run joint campaigns, and measure it.
November 11, 2025
Channel Conflict Getting Out of Hand? 7 Deal Registration Software Tricks That Actually Work
Seven deal registration rules that cut channel conflict, from first to register protection and hard expiration dates to faster forms and CRM syncing.
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