Personalized PX in Partner Enablement + Solving Channel Conflict + Partner Performance Visibility for Magaya

Introduction: Magaya’s Partner Program

Magaya is a global leader in the cargo transport management software industry. 

Their go-to-market strategy consists of a hybrid approach with both direct sales and indirect sales.

In an effort to broaden their customer base and tap into unserved market segments, Magaya prioritizes product enhancements, acquiring organizations, enhancing solution capabilities, and strategically increasing focus on their partner program. 

Magaya’s partner program currently consists of  partner types such as: 

1. Value-Added Resellers (VARs) / “Full Service Partners” some text
   • They help market, sell, and implement their solutions as well as provide support to the customers. 
2. Referral partners
3. Technology partners: some text
   • These partners consist of integrated solutions or third-party solutions Magaya resells to provide additional features and functions to customers.
   • These partners help Magaya enhance their offerings and appeal to broader markets. 

Magaya’s partner program initiative serves as a cornerstone to Magaya's ambitious growth strategy. Although Magaya's partner program had its early beginnings in 2021, in early 2023 Jayson Peterson, Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances, joined the organization to fully establish the program and to lead its growth and development. 

Since then, he has been instrumental in setting up a formidable foundation to Magaya's existing partner program. When he came on board, the program had just a couple of partners – Jayson transformed it from there into the thriving partner program it is today.

Jayson’s expertise has been invaluable in multiple ways as he transformed the company's approach to partner program management and systematized previously adhoc and manual processes, as well as recruited partners in key regions for Magaya. 

The Challenge

As the partner program experienced steady growth under Jayson’s leadership, the operational requirements and administrative work soon piled up and it was no longer feasible for Magaya to continue managing it across multiple systems. 

The amount of partner management work was beginning to impact Magaya’s partner program growth and it became critical they solve their challenges with a partner portal as soon as possible.

When Jayson realized this, he set out to search for a partner relationship management (PRM) software in order to consolidate and automate as much of their partnership processes and operations into one system. 

Jayson on the general significance of the portal: “The very first thing I did was find a world class partner management solution and for us that was Magentrix. The PRM is the cornerstone of a world-class program, you're providing the best experience possible for your partners. You're giving them all the collateral, all the training, all of their data and all of their pipeline management in a single location. Uniforming the process and the message and you're making it easy. It's literally one link to do everything you want to do. Before that, there was nothing. Partners had to navigate through various things such as the website, links, emails, and calls to gather information. Now with the portal, our partners have a platform dedicated to their growth and success.”

The Discovery

Jayson, an experienced channel chief of 15+ years, was already quite knowledgeable about partner management software options as he had already used several of them in previous roles throughout his career. 

Critical elements required in a PRM:

• Elements core functionality: some text
  • Good SF integration for pipeline management
  • Collateral management
  • Partner training 
  • Partner communications (information hub)
• Inexpensive and scalable pricing
• Support implementation process because they have a small team

Jayson’s assessment of the options, based on prior experience and new research, was as follows:

“I've worked with several PRM systems over the years. One was good and had the features we needed initially, but as our partner ecosystem grew, it became clear that managing that growth would be challenging. Their CRM integration was fine, but not as seamless as what Magentrix offers.

Another solution worked well as a standalone, but it struggled when it came to integrating with other systems. The CRM integration involved too much manual data entry and importing.

I also tried a platform that had way more features than we needed, and it was quite expensive. While their CRM integration was okay, it didn’t compare to the ease of use with Magentrix.

When I found Magentrix, I was impressed by its bi-directional Salesforce integration, which significantly reduced my admin workload—a real game-changer for our partner operations. Plus, the platform's flexibility and unrestricted integration options give us peace of mind as we plan for future growth in our partner ecosystem.”

👉 Once Jayson learned about all the ways Magentrix would solve for his partner management challenges, the decision became clear.

The Results

Smooth & Personalized Partner Experience (PX) + Simple Partner Management + Increased Engagement as a Result of Streamlined Partner Operations & Partner Self-Serve Options

Simple Partner Management & Data Visibility via Salesforce CRM Integration for Streamlining Processes & Partner Operations

Before: 

• Initially, Magaya’s partnerships were being managed on an adhoc-basis, with no formalized system. 
• Partners would be granted access to Magaya’s CRM in Salesforce. some text
  • Essentially, this setup made them function as an internal Magaya salesperson would within the CRM – which made for a very confusing partner experience and caused issues with the partners and for Magaya.
  • Magaya needed to ​​segregate information as to not violate data-sharing and compliance regulationssome text
    • Partners would have had access to everything, and it would have been challenging to establish boundaries and restrictions on their visibility. 
    • This involved extensive adjustments and role customization, which added even further complexity to manage.

After:

• Jayson Peterson on Magentrix’s Salesforce CRM integration: “The visibility in communication and the level of capability to Salesforce is unparalleled. PRM to CRM integrations can be a nightmare. With Magentrix, it was literally a couple of clicks. That was the thing that surprised me the most was how much we can get out of that integration to Salesforce and how much data we can get to our partners … A partner will email me asking if a customer was invoiced. They have no visibility into something that would be incredibly important to them.  So we're creating an automated process and showing the partner in the portal, via some CRM fields, when that customer will be invoiced. So that would be the biggest surprise for me was how easy the integration is, how good it is and how much value it could actually bring.”
• ✅ Magentrix enabled Jayson to automate processes and eliminate as many administrative tasks as possible to leave him with more time to focus on the partners.
  

On the Salesforce integration, Deal Management & visibility:

“We needed a robust deal management system that integrates fluently with Salesforce, especially given our complex Salesforce environment. The integration had to be perfect – matching field to field – working through our reporting functions, and integrating into our existing processes. When one of our salespeople updates the pipeline, the information flows into the same reports and spreadsheets, reaching the board without a hitch. 

Being able to tell our partners, 'This is how you forecast, manage deals, and handle your pipeline,' streamlines our weekly status update calls. With the pipeline already updated, I can focus on strategy rather than minutiae like sales stages or close dates. 
‍
So not only did we find this perfect integration to SF in your PRM, but we did it far quicker than expected. The process was straightforward: a few calls, testing, and we were done. This ease of implementation is highly underrated – especially compared to other PRMs we’ve used before. This seamless SF integration is a game-changer."

Deal Transparency + Channel Conflict Solution via Deal Management for Streamlining Processes & Partner Operations

“The portal provided us with the functionality and tools to establish a streamlined workflow and process, empowering us to eliminate channel conflict."

Before: 

• There was no formalized deal registration process for partners before. 
• Magaya lacked visibility into the partner pipeline. some text
  • This led to situations where their direct team, and various partners who may have had influence over the deal were unaware of each other's involvement. 
  • This sometimes resulted in internal competition and confusion. 
• Requests for updates on deals were often exchanged via email or phone calls, resulting in delays and untimely responses.
• With the updates then being manually entered into Salesforce based on the information provided.
• This process was time-consuming and made it a challenge to maintain transparency in the partnership

After: 

• ✅ Accurate & timely forecasts: Communications are in real-time so there are no delays in pipeline updates (status, price, stage, next steps, etc.)
• ✅ Increased pipeline visibility: Bilateral visibility with Deal Management in Magentrix has made it possible for Magaya to have real actionable, accurate forecasts and accurate partner pipeline.
• ✅ Improved internal transparency on partner efforts: some text
  • “The partner has full visibility into what they're doing and they can update it on their own. And we give them the training and the capability to do that so that our executives then have full visibility into the opportunities and they don't have to wonder what's going on day to day.”
  • “Then we have a process – let's say a partner has implemented a different system for the customer but they're already talking to us and we're going down a sales cycle, it's good to identify that and then we bring the partner in as an influencer and we pay them for a referral to give them. Basically, they join us and pat the customer on the back and say, ‘yeah, you should really look at Magaya.’” 
• ✅ Channel conflict resolution & improved PX:some text
  • “We have a hybrid sales model, and we sell direct around the world. We also have resellers in key regions. So there's a lot of overlap. So deal management and deal registration and visibility in the deal registration is critical. ”
  • Eliminated duplicate entries: some text
    • “There were a lot of issues where, for example, there was a deal that started with one partner thinking they owned it, meanwhile another salesperson thought it was his and they were both communicating with the same account – but they had no idea that they were both talking to the same prospect.” 
  • Visibility for Magaya when having multiple partners on deals: some text
    • “We eliminated the sales conflict, which has a huge positive impact on the sales process. 
    • “Now we're able to identify who's doing what:”some text
      • Whether it’s having multiple ecosystem partners on deals or multiple people on deals where we have both our direct team we might have a partner implementing we might have a partner influencing and now we're able to visit to see all that through visibility because we had no real view into what they were working on before. They wouldn't know until it was too late. 
      • Using Magentrix Deal Management, Jayson implemented a new deal registration process for Magaya partners that gives Magaya the visibility they need when there are deals involving multiple ecosystem partners or team members. 
      • With the new registration process through their portal, Magaya’s team can clearly see who is involved in each deal and what their roles are, ensuring better coordination and preventing conflicts before they arise.
    • “We might even be competing against each other and we wouldn't know. So now we have a registration process through the portal to identify who knows who and who does what.”
    • Through the portal, Jayson created a “stage gates process” – a workflow to eliminate this type of channel conflict. 
  • ✅ Tracking which partners have the most influence on certain opportunities: “We have every partner submit deal registration for any qualified lead and all of their customers – anybody that they're going after. Then we're able to see that through. When that lead gets created, I can click a link that says ‘open in Salesforce’ and when I go into Salesforce, it tells me ‘This lead has already been created by this person.’ So then I can sync up all the parties and we can create a success plan before we even get into the deal.”

Increased Partner Awareness via Training (LMS) for Partner Enablement

Before:

In the past, there was no formalized training for partners at Magaya.

• Magaya provided partners with the same training sessions offered to new hires. 
• For implementation, partners were instructed to call specific individuals for guidance and shadow them to learn. 
• The centralization of the resources was limited – with partners primarily accessing materials from the website, filling out forms, and getting collateral that way. 

After:

• With the implementation of the Magentrix partner portal, partners were given a built-in learning management system (LMS) where all the training materials they needed became accessible by logging into one system (rather than several systems)
• Tailored sales and marketing training sessions were introduced for partners.
• Jayson focuses on providing partners with a curated experience by grouping training modules based on partner type. 
• ✅ Personalized PX: This approach ensures that partners receive relevant training that aligns with their specific needs and roles within the program. 
• ✅ Efficient process & simple PX: Partners are only required to complete modules that are relevant to their partner type, allowing for a more streamlined and efficient training process and a simpler partner experience.
• ✅ Increased partner education (which led to increased deal size & closed-won opportunities): Furthermore, Magaya offers education on maximizing revenue and profit opportunities by conducting thorough discovery and introducing new products into the sales cycle.
• ✅ This approach helps partners learn the value of Magaya and not only results in closing more partner deals but also expands the scope of deals by incorporating Magaya’s add-on products.

Partner Awareness as a Result of Streamlining Communications & Content Management

Increased Partner Awareness via Partner News (Articles) for Partner Communications

Before:

• They had no push content 
• It was just an email from Magaya updating partners on what’s new.
• When numerous updates occurred within a short timeframe, sending partners multiple emails made for a less-than-ideal experience. 
• And the overwhelming volume of emails made it challenging for partners to keep track of important information, resulting in difficulty locating and piecing together the details they required.
• Due to the inefficiency of this method, the partners weren’t regularly kept up-to-date with news or recent developments.

After:

• Jayson now communicates Magaya’s latest news to partners via the blog-style Articles module and partners get instant notifications in their portal’s home newsfeed (social media style-feed) as well as in their email inbox
• ✅ Faster Communications: The capability to post communications to a central partner hub has made dissemination of news much faster and easier for Magaya.
• ✅ Improved PX: The capability to find all the news in one place has improved the experience for partners as well.

Increased Partner Awareness via Partner Content Library & Resource Management for Partner Enablement

Before:

Magaya lacked a centralized hub for: 

• Accessing collateral
• Distributing information
• Sustaining partner engagement 

Everything was managed through emails and spreadsheets, which led to a scattered experience for partners, lacking cohesion and convenience.

After:

• Magaya has an abundance of partner resources and diverse materials available.some text
  • Through Magentrix’s partner training (LMS) feature, Jayson has curated the best ways to utilize this collateral based on the partner’s position, role in the company, and partner type. 
• ✅ Easier PX: Magentrix makes it easy to access various materials like brochures, case studies, co-brandable blogs, data sheets, social content, white papers, battle cards, sales enablement tools, and webinars. 
• ✅ Increased partner engagement: This organized approach has led to increased engagement from our partners and has empowered them to compete more effectively in sales cycles. 
• Increased Deal Sizes: The simpler PX when consuming resources has led to Magaya’s partners becoming more comfortable positioning add-on solutions and other products that increase the revenue per deal. 

Visibility into Partner Evaluation via Reports, Analytics & Dashboards for Streamlining Processes & Partner Operations

Before:

• Previously, Magaya did not have an effective method to track partner metrics (they used spreadsheets).  

After:

• Jayson utilizes Magentrix Reports & Analytics to keep track of volume metrics, such as:some text
  • The number of partners who have leads generated
  • How many leads were generated
  • Who submitted the leads 
  • Average deal size
  • Days in pipeline
  • Success rates
• ✅Improved day-to-day management: “I have a weekly call with our resellers and I use the dashboards to guide my discussions with the partners.” 
• ✅ Analysis of reactionary macro trends: Jayson also analyzes trends, such as, some text
  • Which partners are logging in and which aren’t 
  • Using the data log from Engagement Pages, they track: some text
    • What each partner is looking at
    • What collateral the partners are downloading 
    • Which partners have gone through training and which haven’t
• ✅ Easier partner evaluations & more comprehensive QBRs: Additionally, these insights help Jayson in preparing their internal-facing quarterly partner scorecards. some text
  • The executive team receives insights on engagement trends, which allows for comprehensive partner evaluations across various criteria. 
  • These evaluations inform the discussions to be had in quarterly business reviews and aids in individualized success plans for each partner.

Magaya Continues to Scale Partner Program with Magentrix

Magaya initially started managing their partner program with Magentrix’s Incubator Tier (now deprecated) but approximately a year later, they upgraded to the Advanced Tier as their partner program experienced rapid growth under Jayson’s leadership. 

This expansion prompted the need for additional capabilities in their platform, such as: 

• Enhanced visibility for partners (Hierarchal Visibility): Needed to provide partners with access to customer account information for improved planning of financials (e.g. renewals, etc.).
• MDF management: Required advanced tools to streamline Market Development Funds operations.
• Business Planning: As they increasingly focused on nurturing their partnerships, they required the capability to track partner goals, foster accountability, and measure progress towards those goals.
• Scaling partner program: As the partner program expanded, they generally required additional partner management features to support growth.