#65 Chris Webber IDC: Here’s What’s Trending in Alliance Management

We interviewed Chris Webber for our #AllianceAces Podcast, and he listed off 8 emerging trends for alliances.

(These are fastballs, so get ready!)

1) Old Business Models Don’t Fit

This is obvious, but it’s a necessary starting point. The old models simply don't fit anymore. You see this all the way from the larger disruptive entities like Uber and Airbnb all the way down to the individual titles of employee positions.

This marketplace disruption is deeply affecting alliances and ecosystems, and here’s how:

2) Back to the Basics

Shakeup happening in the marketplace is requiring everyone to trim back down to the basics. We’re all coming back to:

What do customers want?

This question ultimately cascades into why alliances are forming, how we create our business requirements, and how we are satisfying those requirements.

This customer-centricity was, for a time, forgotten. Companies rushed to market to beat competitors. Customers who may have originally purchased, are now realizing that the quality and value is not always as high as promised

3) Ecosystems Are the Competitive Advantage

Ecosystems will be one of the main competitive advantages a seller is bringing to their buyers. With the speed of innovation today, your ability to rapidly create high-quality solutions rests on your ecosystem.

The businesses that will be the most desirable will be those who can aggregate a large ecosystem in a cost-effective, usable way. Buyers will increasingly purchase from that business who can leverage their network and wield their partners’ unique strengths to create stellar solutions.

4) Customers Are Driving Alliance Creation

We started to hint at this in above in trend 3, but it deserves it’s own exclamation mark:

Customers are now asking sellers who their partners are.

Buyers know they will either now or later need increased functionality, and they want to be able to scale their offerings. So, when they enter into a purchase agreement, they are “purchasing” your relationships, and they are conscious of this fact and seeking out those businesses with the best networks.

5) Bigger Alliances

We say this all the time, so we’ll keep it short: Now, even a 2-sided relationship may not be satisfactory to answer all customer demands. The complexity and the number of partners within an alliance are growing.

6) Cloud Is Increasing the Criticality of Trust

Everything has moved to the cloud, and with that transportation, the trust factor has increased exponentially.

When your mechanic adjusts the brakes on your family van, it requires X amount of trust. When that same mechanic adjusts the brakes before a trip through Yosemite with winding roads surrounded by cliffs, that trust goes up 10X.

That winding road with cliffs is called the cloud.

7) Increased Competition From Within Ecosystems

You must differentiate yourself in every alliance. As companies are enlarging their ecosystems, they are increasingly considering the value of those partnerships.

If you enter into an alliance with an organization who has other partners with the same capabilities, how are you going to differentiate yourself?

8) The Power of Generalization

Chris sees it this way:

You actually need to be a generalist for alliance management. Successful alliance managers will increasingly have the ability to wield the sum total of their skillset (finance skills, technical chops, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, strategic thinking, etc.).

Those who can deploy a wide variety of skills and experiences will be the most sought-after alliance managers.

Listen to the podcast here.

To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe to the Alliance Aces Podcast, or visit our dedicated Alliance Aces page.

Chris Webber, Director, Strategic Alliances with IDC | Alliance Aces Podcast • Video

WorkSpan Community

To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by:

• Email: chip@workspan.com
• Twitter: @chiprodgers
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers