The SMAs and Pax8 - meet the contenders

We speak to distributor Pax8 about their achievements in the last year and what it means to be nominated at SMAs 2023

Only over a week until the Sales and Marketing Awards 2023 and as we prepare find out the winners of at this year's ceremony on Thursday 29 June at Leonardo Royal Hotel, Tower Bridge, we met some of the contenders.

Today we speak to Jonathan Griffiths, EMEA VP of marketing at Pax8. He has over 17 years' experience in the marketing industry, and prior to Pax8, he ran the marketing teams at Sports Travel and Hospitality (STH), a leading provider of corporate hospitality.

Pax8 are nominated for the award of Best Marketing Campaign at this year's SMAs.

Why do you think awards like the SMAs matter? What would winning an award mean to your company?

Sales and marketing awards like the CRN SMAs hold significant importance as they acknowledge the collective efforts and achievements of the entire team.

These awards foster a sense of pride and serve as validation for the hard work and dedication invested in developing and executing successful marketing strategies.

Winning the award for ‘Most Effective Marketing Campaign' would carry immense significance for our team, particularly considering our growth from a team of only four individuals in January 2022 to 25 people across the EMEA region.

The award would validate our team's relentless pursuit of excellence and demonstrate recognition not only from our partners, who effectively leveraged the insights from the campaign to build their Microsoft Azure practice, but also from the broader industry.

Furthermore, awards offer a valuable opportunity to step away from daily operations and learn from the exceptional work delivered by other organisations, including both partners and competitors, within the industry.

What is your company's proudest achievement over the last year?

One of our company's proudest achievements over the past year has been the recognition of Pax8 as a US Best Managed Company.

This prestigious accolade is a testament to our dedication to running a highly successful and impactful organisation. Competing against hundreds of companies from around the world, we were evaluated based on various criteria, including our operational efficiency, achievements, contributions to the industry, and most importantly, the incredible individuals who drive our success.

Being named a US Best Managed Company validates the hard work and collective efforts of our entire team. It reaffirms our commitment to delivering exceptional cloud-based solutions, fostering a culture of innovation, and consistently exceeding the expectations of our partners.

What have been the biggest challenges of 2023 so far and how have you overcome them? How have your people helped with that?

As we continue to expand our business across EMEA, one of the primary challenges has been ensuring that our company's value proposition meets the needs of the local partner network and is communicated clearly to audiences in those new markets.

To achieve this, Pax8 has adopted innovative marketing approaches and made strategic adaptations to our go-to-market offering.

Crucially, the company has relied on its people and their in depth understanding of local markets, to navigate these challenges.

With a diverse team, consisting of individuals with expertise and cultural insights from various geographic areas of EMEA, we have effectively developed localised marketing strategies and tailored messaging.

The team's deep understanding of the target markets has played a pivotal role in crafting compelling value propositions that resonate with non-English accepting markets.

The ability to leverage the linguistic skills and ‘native' insights of our team members, who collectively speak over 30 languages across 11 offices, has further facilitated this process.

Our adaptability to localise and commitment to growth have been showcased by the recent successful launch in the DACH region.

This achievement serves as a testament to the team's collective strength and their ability to drive Pax8's expansion while ensuring that the value proposition effectively reaches and engages with the diverse markets in the EMEA region.

How do you think the channel has changed over the last year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?

The channel has undergone significant changes in the past year, driven by the increasing popularity of cloud computing.

We anticipate further innovation and development in the cloud marketplace industry. Key areas of expected development include enhanced integration with other business systems, more advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, and greater automation of procurement and management processes.

While the growth of AI may help to streamline operations for channel partners, at Pax8 we believe that establishing strong human-to-human relationships is crucial for the future of cloud marketplaces.

At Pax8 we offer additional value to our MSPs through networking opportunities and educational masterclasses, becoming integral to our partners' growth in a highly competitive environment.

What do you see as the main opportunities for the channel in the coming year? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?

In the coming year, the main opportunities for the channel lie in the continued adoption of cloud-based computing and the growing appeal of cloud marketplaces for MSPs.

At Pax8, we strongly believe that cloud marketplaces will become an integral part of the cloud computing ecosystem and potentially even the industry standard for cloud service procurement and management.

To capitalise on these opportunities, distributors need to adapt to change and find innovative ways to meet evolving customer demands.Consolidated billing and dedicated account managers are just the initial steps towards modernising the traditional method of purchasing products and services.

At Pax8, we want to deliver maximum value to partners, though not only the procurement of cloud technology solution stacks, but through education and services that help grow their business, reduce risk, and maximise efficiencies.

For the partners who embrace that approach, the opportunities for growth are huge.