In a previous article, I discussed how many technology companies don’t really understand that partners are the key to selling into the SMB customer space. Some companies seem to get this, and are taking a “partner first” sales strategy. However, just allowing partners to sell your product and/or receive referral fees is missing a key aspect of the channel: it’s really all about services. Margins on subscription products aren’t typically enough to keep the lights on for many partners, let alone pay for a retirement shack on a sleepy Caribbean island. Again, attachedapps gets this. They are building their apps and partner program to enable partners to build a robust services business in addition to receiving generous margins on sales of the apps.
attachedapps are built to help address the #1 pain point for SMBs: retaining, managing and growing their customers. The apps are built to seamlessly integrate with Office 365 and Outlook, making it very easy for partners to “attach” them to every Office 365 installation. That means that partners can add even more value to Office 365 customers, resulting in increased loyalty and satisfaction, and reduced churn. They are also making it easy for partners to build even more services around their products in a variety of ways. First, a robust API enables partners to do things like integrate the apps with other products and provide customization. Second, partners can act as their customers’ administrator for the apps, meaning that MSPs can plug the apps right into their existing business model. And these are just the start.
I’ll delve into the apps and how partners can build services around them in even more detail in future columns and webinars, but you should go ahead and check them out now. The island shack is waiting.
Visit www.attachedapps.com/partners, or call (425)615-7008.
