CRN Channel Awards - Finalist Q&A with Jordan Lisle, Technology Channel Director at PEAC Solutions

Jordan Lisle talks being a finalist at this year's CRN Channel Awards

What prompted you to enter the CRN Channel Awards this year without giving anything away of course!

We felt we had a genuinely different story to tell.

Over the past year, we’ve taken PEAC from having relatively little presence in the channel to building a proposition specifically around what partners and customers need.

That isn’t simply about providing finance. It’s about combining technology, finance, sales activation and marketing to help partners sell differently, remove friction from the buying process, and ultimately win more business.

The launch of topi has been a huge part of that journey, making it quicker, simpler and easier for sellers to introduce into everyday customer conversations.

I looked at the progress and thought; we’ve got a story worth telling.

What would winning this award mean to both your people and your customers/partners?

Honestly, it would mean a huge amount.

Internally, it would recognise the hard work that’s gone into building something and challenging some traditional thinking around finance in the channel.

But importantly, it would also recognise our partners. PEAC operates a partner-led model, so the channel is fundamental to us.

Everything we’re building is therefore focused on helping partners succeed

Winning would validate that approach and demonstrate that we’re genuinely investing in the channel.

What would you say is your company's proudest achievement over the past year?

It’s establishing PEAC as a genuine technology partner and starting to change how sellers think about finance.

Launching topi has been a major milestone. But technology itself is only part of the story.

We’ve focused heavily on activation, getting alongside partner sales teams, looking at real opportunities and demonstrating how finance can help them sell.

Our ambition is to change finance from “something we use when the customer asks” to “something we quote every time.”

That behavioral change I’m starting to see is the achievement I’m proudest of, because it can create opportunities for our partners.

What have been the biggest challenges of the current year so far and how have you overcome them? How have your people/partners helped with that?

The biggest challenge has probably been changing behaviour.

Finance has traditionally been relatively reactive and slow. It can enter the conversation late or when a customer specifically asks about finance.

I want to turn that thinking on its head.

Technology alone won’t achieve that, which is why we’ve put so much emphasis on activation.

Our partners have been hugely important. Their feedback and willingness to challenge us has helped us continually refine the approach.

For me, success is when finance stops feeling like an additional process and simply becomes another tool that helps a seller win.

What do you see as the main opportunities for the industry in the coming 12 months? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?

The biggest opportunity isn’t simply competing harder for the finance deals that already exist. It’s about growing the market.

There are huge numbers of technology transactions where finance never enters the conversation, particularly smaller, faster-moving opportunities. That’s where I see a major opportunity for the channel.

To unlock that, we need to keep removing friction and move away from the perception that finance is complicated, slow, or something you only introduce when a customer specifically asks for it.

Our focus is on making finance simpler, faster and repeatable at scale, while continuing to invest in partner activation, so sellers understand not only how to offer finance, but when and why to introduce it.

Ultimately, the opportunity isn’t just to finance more deals. It’s to help our partners create and win opportunities that otherwise might never have happened.

Be part of the celebration that brings the industry’s brightest talent together. Join us at the CRN Channel Awards and experience an unforgettable evening of recognition, networking, and inspiration.

Tables are filling fast – secure yours today and don’t miss the chance to be in the room where excellence is celebrated.