How to Become a 'Cloud Millionaire' in Channel SalesHow to Become a 'Cloud Millionaire' in Channel Sales

If you’re ready to ramp up your earnings and become a "cloud millionaire" from cloud computing sales, Michael Schmidtmann is ready to help.

Schmidtmann, the owner of Trans4mers and a longtime business coach, will guide channel partners through his best practices that can result in achieving “1% status” as a cloud millionaire, in his Channel Partners Conference & Expo session, “Become a Seven-Figure Income Salesperson.”

The event takes place at the Venetian Las Vegas, March 24-27.

In the 30 minutes Schmidtmann will have with attendees, expect to learn about three core areas of top-dollar cloud computing sales:

Schmidtmann contends the time is now for more salespeople to achieve “life-changing” success than they ever have, because the cloud enables that potential. The reasons, he says, are simple. First, there’s virtually no inventory for channel partners to carry, nor are there supply chain or shipping issues. Second, residual income keeps growing. 

With that in mind, he notes, “it is a mystery” as to why 67% of sales reps didn’t expect to meet their quotas in 2024, according to the sixth installment of Salesforce’s “State of Sales” report, released last summer. That staggering statistic came after 84% of respondents said they missed their quotas in 2023. For Schmitdmann, those figures boil down to a call to action.

Related:HPE, Eyeing VMware Exits, Makes VM Essentials Sales Partner-Only

Trans4mers' Mike Schmidtmann

“My session focuses on the practices of high-achieving salespeople, not the ones who are failing,” he says.

In fact, he adds, it’s not that channel partners are missing something unique about selling cloud computing; it's that many are overlooking the hard work required to profit.

“There are very few great ideas about sales success, and not one of them is a secret,” Schmidtmann says. “People looking for a quick fix will never recognize it, even when it’s right in front of their eyes.”

So, Schmidtmann will use his session to “lift the curtain” on what million-dollar salespeople in the channel do, and how they act, to make the most of cloud computing sales. Look for insights, case studies and actionable takeaways, Schmidtmann says.

“There are many, many paths to high-income sales,” he notes, and he’ll highlight the main ones in the short time he has in front of channel partners. He’ll also emphasize that techniques do not lead to high achievement. Rather, he says, “winning strategies do.”

“I’ll often ask an owners/senior executives two questions: 'No. 1, Who is your best salesperson? and No. 2, Who is your top salesperson?' They are almost never the same person,” Schmidtmann says. “That’s because sales skill and sales success don’t always correlate in ways you would expect.”

Related:Best Tech Consultants 2025: The Channel Futures Technology Advisor 101 (A-K)

Schmidtmann’s presentation comes amid a time of flux for cloud computing providers — and, thus, their channel partners. Within the hyperscalers, for instance, the infrastructure needed to support AI demand is putting a strain on cloud earnings. However, revenue still remains in the billions of dollars each quarter and managed service providers, value-added resellers, system integrators and other channel experts have unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on organizations’ need for digital transformation. Schmidtmann’s goal is to help attendees bring that very opportunity to life, just as he has done for scores of other people.

“I am a student of success practices,” he says. “Some of these people I have hired, trained and mentored. Others, I simply observed and admired.”

The key is for salespeople to take Schmidtmann’s advice and implement it.

“I don’t claim the credit,” he says. “If my coaching was that magical, all my clients would earn $1 million a year. Some do; most don’t.”

For those who do persevere, there’s no question that cloud computing can be a cash cow.

Related:Best Tech Consultants 2025: The Channel Futures Technology Advisor 101 (L-Z)

And Schmidtmann agrees.

“Be grateful sales is so hard,” he says. “That’s why it pays so well.”