We sat down with Andrew Davis, Vice President of Partner Experience, to learn more about his role and how it contributes to RapidScale’s unique approach to the partner experience.
Andrew moved to San Francisco following college at the University of Arizona. He began his career as an outside sales representative with a Carrier. Andrew built early success in various areas of strategic sales, management and director roles throughout his career, worked his way through sales in voice, data and Internet communications, and then progressed into infrastructure and the managed services space.
“I have always been a part of direct sales and found myself working in the Channel because I enjoyed and succeeded in building relationships, ” said Andrew. “I also had a knack for really driving a complex sales process, pulling in the right resources, and taking advantage of team selling. It was just a natural fit for me to move into the Channel, to be an individual contributor and ultimately a leader in the Channel.”
What does the Vice President of Partner Experience role entail?
Since RapidScale is 100% Channel focused, we have some very strategic partnerships. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity with our Master Agents today, and one in particular is Intelysis. My primary role is to constantly evaluate the current state of affairs and take a holistic approach to manage this strategic partnership with Intelysis. My goal is to own this entire relationship across the board and have predictable business month after month and year after year. It’s not just from a sales or quote standpoint – we’re really dialing this back and looking at the big picture by enhancing the process all the way from initial partner recruitment through a fully on-boarded partner that is closing consistent RapidScale business. We want to make sure we are engaged with the right partners who are successful in the compute space.
Our goal as a team is to be efficient and work with forward-thinking partners in the Intelysis portfolio, assist and educate them as their business evolves, and add value on both sides throughout the process. This will be accomplished by leveraging my long-term relationships with the Intelisys team and their partners, and applying a disciplined methodology that is proven in a technology distribution environment. We need to really understand our partners’ businesses and align closely with them so we drive the right activity to achieve our collective goals. Intelisys has an incredibly loyal base of top producing partners. It is critical to our success at RapidScale that we are working with and constantly recruiting new like-minded partners. My commitment is provide a superior partner experience when working with our team at RapidScale
Why is your role important in today’s market?
There are a lot of tech companies out there today. This role is important because we are 100% Channel focused. When we engage with a partner we have to have our best foot forward and do everything we can to help them understand our technology better and ultimately close more business. To be at the front of our partners’ minds, we have to really be on our game and provide the best support possible in this industry. We want our partners to have the best experience before the sale even begins, which means adding value early in the process. With such a competitive space, it’s imperative we deliver the best experience. Fortunately, we have set ourselves apart through our work ethic, follow ups, turnaround time, and focus on being present with each partner.
I want to make sure our partners trust us to help them sell, and trust us with their clients. This relationship is really critical because by working with RapidScale, partners are endorsing us to their clients. They need to understand our team, our products, and our values before getting us in front of opportunities. It’s paramount that I ensure the best Partner Experience from the initial engagement through the turn-up of the customer.
Define success in your role.
I’ve succeeded when we have engaged partners across the country who see value in partnering with RapidScale. We’ve accomplished this in some regions, however there are untapped markets that will be a focus of ours as we build and grow our Channel network.
Intelisys, without a doubt, is a partner we want to have a laser focus on. I was hired specifically to manage this relationship, maximize every resource, and grow our collective business exponentially. I really aim to have at least 10 active Intelisys partners in every major region with whom we are top of mind. Of course, I’d love to be the top cloud provider in the Intelisys portfolio, but the key is to have substantial mind share with Intelisys and its sales partners. Success, of course, can also be measured by a healthy pipeline with predictable business. Supporting my team and adding value to their business is a critical component of my role. Our Partner Experience Managers look to me to assist them in their markets by leveraging relationships, resources and programs to reach the right partners. My team seeing value in my role is a key to my success at RapidScale.
