Lumen Channel Leaders: Activation Incentives 'Resonating' with Partner Community

Lumen Technologies partner leaders say they are expanding headcount and resources to drive more channel-integrated deals.

Lumen has posted job openings in 24 areas it has identified as high-growth areas for its channel. For example, the company has built a team focused on helping partners sell complex solutions to large enterprise accounts.

Lumen’s Dave Young

“The partners are beginning to move up-market. They’re beginning to have more and more relationships at the Fortune 500 level,” said Dave Young, who recently started in a new role as senior vice president of midmarkets and indirect channel.

Lumen’s Sara Seegers

Young said his role reflects a growing focus of the service provider on the midmarket. Lumen has evolved its midmarkets direct team into a national sales team and brought it closer to Lumen’s channel team, driven in part by the vision of newly appointed C-suite members.

Sara Seegers, regional vice president of indirect channel sales and opportunity management, said the company is emphasizing customer opportunities that weave together both IP and SASE offerings. She also said Lumen’s recently implemented agent activator incentive has is opening doors with partners.

“Our partners are realizing the multiplier on the dollar in the conversation with their clients,” Seegers told Channel Futures.

Seegers and Young also said Lumen has built more APIs that enable information sharing with their tech services distributor partners. Moreover, they said Lumen is developing a digital marketplace that caters to customers, Lumen sellers and channel partners.

Seegers and Young shared updates on the Lumen channel partner program in an interview with Channel Futures. Scroll through the 11 slides above to read an edited transcript of the conversation.