Masergy's New VP Eyes Expanding Partner Base

**Editor’s Note: Click here to see which channel people were on the move in December.**

Masergy has promoted Bill Madison to vice president of global channel development, responsible for the overall growth and development of the company’s global partner program.

Masergy’s Bill Madison

Madison previously was vice president of the strategic partner program. Masergy says it is the largest independent managed services provider globally, serving 1,400 enterprise clients in more than 85 countries.

“Throughout his tenure with Masergy … Bill has implemented key strategic channel initiatives that have consistently delivered outstanding results,” said Keith Hatley, Masergy’s senior vice president of global channel sales. “His data-driven approach to channel management and vision for the next phase of our global partner program will further accelerate growth for Masergy and our partners. We congratulate him on his success and look forward to his ongoing contributions.”

Masergy launched its channel program more than 10 years ago. Based on industry feedback and data analytics, the company has implemented new strategic plans to sustain and expand growth.

New and ongoing initiatives include: joint business development and lead-generation programs; increased channel team resources, including additional global channel account managers, support staff and a strategic VAR program director; expanded training and certification programs; and targeted SPIFFs.

Last month, Masergy unveiled several enhancements to its managed SD-WAN offering.

In a Q&A with Channel Partners, Madison talks about his plans for helping partners and growing the partner program.

Channel Partners: How will your responsibilities expand in your new role?

Bill Madison: In short, I will concentrate on using data to produce better business results for Masergy and our partners. We are expanding [our] focus beyond broader strategy to help with tactical execution in our channel and will measure their effectiveness to adjust processes as needed. We’re getting granular on a global scale to establish a baseline to evaluate our success on channel development and relationship-building.

Masergy’s Andy Ramos

CP: What is your take on Masergy’s current channel strategy? Are changes needed?

BM: While we’ve been successful and don’t want to fix what’s not broken, we are constantly in improvement mode. Our goal is to expand our targets to MSPs, VARs and other consultants to broaden the program. To lead this charge, we’ve added a seasoned pro, Andy Ramos, as director of alternate channels, so we can pursue these new opportunities in a concentrated manner.

CP: How do you plan to grow and further develop Masergy’s partner program?

BM: Masergy is very focused on using metrics gathered within tools such as …

… Salesforce to “health check” each stage of the sales cycle that we can refine process to drive channel development. We’re also using outside research to flesh out each element of the channel development process to create a streamlined and successful partner experience.

In addition, for partners in a more protected state within our channel, we are adding further value by building specific business development plans, including lead sharing to help grow their business. Additional channel resources, including channel managers in each region, are also helping [to] grow the program.

CP: What are the biggest challenges facing Masergy and its partners, and what will be your role in addressing them?

BM: In a hyper-competitive environment, partners and customers have the power to choose. To respond, we apply aggressive marketing and research to help define our value proposition so there is a clear differentiation for our brand in the market.

CP: What sort of feedback are you receiving from partners? How do you plan to make use of that partner feedback?

BM: We are committed to listening, and are fortunate to have a group of engaged and successful partners. We regularly put forth detailed surveys on what they want and need, and have tailored our processes accordingly for mutual benefit.

CP: What do you plan to accomplish in your first year in this new position?

BM: In the short term, we think our new processes will help expand the partner target base by 20 percent, which will lead to broader goal fulfillment in the long term. Ultimately, our goal is to create an atmosphere of success to increase participation rates in our program and sustainable revenue for years to come.