The Alliance Alchemy blog from PLM Alliances shares news, best practices and lessons learned in building PLM partnerships, PLM alliances, PLM channels and PLM communities across the many different market segments which comprise the global PLM solution software ecosystem.
Introducing The PLM Ecosystem Atlas - Introducing The PLM Ecosystem Atlas The most frequent questions I hear about the recently announced Product Lifecycle Management Ecosystem Atlas – “The PLM Atlas” – are what exactly is it, what prompted its creation as a project of PLM Alliances, and what are the real-world uses for it. The PLM Atlas was created to provide... Continue Reading →
What Happened to the PLM VAR Channel? - What Happened to the PLM VAR Channel? It’s no secret that performing as a channel partner or Valued-Added Reseller (VAR) in PLM software solution markets (e.g. PDM, CAD, CAE, CAM, MBSE, CM, DMfg, etc.) is challenging enough during the best economic conditions. It’s even more difficult during a recession, if not nearly impossible in a... Continue Reading →
PLM Green Global Alliance is Launched - January 15, 2020 (Netherlands, Norway, United States) – The launch of and participation in a new international collaboration, the PLM Green Global Alliance (“PGGA”), has been announced by Richard McFall from PLM Alliances, Jos Voskuil from TacIT, Oleg Shilovitsky from Beyond PLM, and Bjorn Fidjeland from plmPartner. The coalition was founded with the mission to... Continue Reading →- PLM Green Announcement - Announcing the PLM Green Alliance The mission of the new PLM Green Alliance is to create global connection, communication, and community between professionals who use, develop, market, or support Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) related technologies and software solutions that have value in addressing the causes and consequences of climate change due to human-generated greenhouse gas... Continue Reading →
Global Engineering Software Marketing & Sales Part 3 - While speaking with international providers across different software market segments of PLM (e.g. PDM, CAE, CM, AM, CAM, Viz, DM, etc.) I am often asked how engineering software marketing and sales differs around the world, as well as how it has changed over the years in the United States. In Part 1 of this PLM... Continue Reading →- Engineering Software Sales & Marketing in the U.S. Part 2 - In the last Alliance Alchemy post on how engineering software sales and marketing differs around the world, I mentioned that I often speak with international providers across different solution software market segments of PLM (e.g. PDM, CAE, CM, EIM, AM, CAM, Viz, DM, etc.). A frequent discussion topic is how different is selling technical software... Continue Reading →
- Engineering Software Sales & Marketing in the U.S. Part 1 - I often speak with international solution providers across different engineering software market segments of PLM (e.g. PDM, CAE, CM, EIM, AM, CAM, Viz, DM, etc.). Over my career I’ve also lived abroad as well as worked for foreign-based providers here in North America. A frequent question I hear is how different is marketing and selling... Continue Reading →
State of PLM Partnerships 2019 - As the new business year begins, are partnerships, alliances, and channels in engineering software markets (e.g. PLM, CAD, CAE, PDM, CM, PPM, CAM, AM, DMfg, EDA, etc.) becoming more important, less important, the same importance, or difficult to really know? Tell us what you think in this anonymous one-question PLM Alliances State of Partnerships 2019... Continue Reading →
Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 107 - Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 107: Independent PLM software providers expecting that selling through an indirect reseller channel will take less time, skill, or investment than with a direct sales strategy. Over the years I have spoken with a variety of managers at new and old, small and large software providers across the many solution market... Continue Reading →
State of PLM Partnerships, Alliances & Channels 2018 - State of PLM Channels, Alliances & Partnerships “Are PLM channels healthy and growing, or are they challenged and failing?” “Are PLM partnerships and alliances becoming more common and valuable, or are they increasingly an energy-sapping distraction that rarely produces as promised?” “Should resellers and consulting service providers seek more partnerships with different solution providers, or... Continue Reading →
First they ignore you - Over my career I have had the privilege of working with many independent software & service providers across numerous market segments within the $40B PLM ecosystem. I’ve come to greatly admire the passion and perseverance of the founding management teams who often started out with only an idea and their own sweat equity. Many have... Continue Reading →
Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 106 - Myth-Stakes of Partner & Alliance Building 106: PLM channel partners not grasping that industrial users don’t want to be “sold to” and that solution providers no longer need someone else to “do their selling” for them. Instead, as solution software and their underlying technologies have become more complex to learn about and apply in practice,... Continue Reading →
Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 105 - Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 105: (a) PLM VAR channel partners thinking that traditional forms of “value added” will protect their business model from being disrupted, then disintermediated, and finally obsoleted. (b) Software solution providers believing that channel partners can successfully add all the value needed if their partners act just like a smaller cloned version... Continue Reading →
Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 104 - Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 104: Expecting that channel partners will be eager to invest in a new PLM market segment, a new technology, or a new product introduction from a new ISV, even when it would improve the partner’s own business viability as traditional channel models are being disrupted if not failing. It is no... Continue Reading →
Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 103 - Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 103: PLM channel partners won’t invest in a relationship, or even invest in their own performance as a partner, if they don’t have something in which they can take ownership. In this series of PLM Alliance Alchemy posts we are examining the more common myths and mistakes in partner, alliance, and... Continue Reading →
Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 102 - Myth-Stake of Partner Building 102: Collaborating as PLM partners does not mean suspending reality or believing in the fantasy that each partner does not have their own special self-interests which will always be far more important than those of the partnership. In this series of Alliance Alchemy© posts on the myth-stakes of partner building, we... Continue Reading →- Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 101 - PLM Alliances Myth-Stakes of Partner Building 101 The most successful partnerships do not revolve around technology and products, nor sales capacity and marketing might. Neither are they based initially on shallow respect and trust which must be earned over the long-term. Instead, partnerships are best formed from an aligned, shared vision of market trends and emerging opportunities.... Continue Reading →
The Alchemy of Alliance Making - The Alchemy of Alliance Making All those who have spent their career creating partnerships, alliances, and channel communities within the many market segments of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) know that our profession is much more of a wily situational craft – what I call Alliance Alchemy – than an exact, repeatable management science. As evidence,... Continue Reading →
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