Jez Haisman
Name: Jez Haisman
Role: Senior sales manager, regional channel sales, Adobe EMEA
Spirit animal: Dog
Walk-on song: A Town Called Malice (The Jam)
How would you summarise Adobe's channel philosophy?
Adobe prides itself on partner and customer experience. We see our resellers and distributors as invaluable members of the Adobe community, an extension of our own team and a critical part of our business. We want partners to have the same knowledge and tools as Adobe employees. We know that with our partners, we can give customers an even better experience and grow our respective businesses together.
I once ran across the Sahara Desert! 157 gruelling miles in very hot weather. I completed one marathon every day for over five days
Tell us about Adobe's partner programme in 100 words or fewer…
The Adobe Partner Connection (APC) Program is designed to recognise and reward resellers for their sales and technical expertise, level of engagement with Adobe, and commitment to promoting Adobe technologies and solutions to customers. Five levels of membership allow partners to engage with Adobe at a level representing the organisation's resources, areas of specialty, and commitment to the Adobe relationship. Obligations and benefits increase at higher levels.
How many partners do you work with in the UK?
1,400
Are you looking either to expand or reduce that? If so, what partner profile does this apply to?
We're actively recruiting new partnerships in the UK and EMEA wide.
Have you made any major changes to your partner programme recently, or are you about to?
We're always looking for ways to improve our partner programme and build stronger relationships with partners. In the last year we've invested in overlay programmes to help support partners and the structure of incentives and rebates. Our team are working closer than ever with partners to develop long-term business plans, ensuring we grow our mutual businesses.
Describe your perfect partner?
The perfect partner should be customer centric and deliver excellent solutions that deliver true value. They must be knowledgeable, have good vendor engagement and constantly evolve with the market.
In which areas would you most like to see your partners invest over the next 12 months?
Without a doubt [the area we'd like partners to invest in] has to be cloud marketplace
Without a doubt it has to be cloud marketplace. We've seen a high rise in digital buying, and this is the way customers expect to be able to purchase. They want clear access to information and a frictionless buying experience. This is a huge opportunity for partners too. Autorenewals help to streamline the renewal process and creating new subscriptions is more far more efficient. This gives partners more time to spend building relationships with high-value customers. Now is the time to focus on technical development and make a move. Vendors are offering financial benefits and there's plenty of support for implementation.
What are your priorities for the next 12 months?
My focus is our partners, getting to know them, listening to their needs, and enabling them with the skills and tools they need to evolve smoothly. It's all about creating a strong partnership and good communication.
Do you feel Adobe is doing enough to cater for non-resale partners, including those that sell technology as a managed service, ISVs or agents?
There's always room for improvement but right now, Adobe has several levels of partnership in the business, and we serve a multitude of partners.
Is direct-channel conflict ever an issue in your partner ecosystem, and if so how do you mitigate that?
Partner conflict is inevitable, but creating fair rules and processes offer clean resolutions and prevent partner conflicts from turning ugly. A solid deal registration process provides visibility that can level the playing field when you have several competing partners.
Our channel account managers are often the "face" of the business within channel relationships. It's our role to have open and honest communication with our partners. Cohesive communication and tangible investments in your partnerships make them stronger and help when there are any issues.
How do you feel Adobe's margin proposition stacks up against your peers?
Adobe appears to be in line with other vendors. We use vendor reports and invite partners to take part in an annual survey so we can monitor this.
What's the most challenging aspect of being a channel leader?
With the pace of change there's a lot to keep up with. Partners are working with a number of vendors, and we need to stay top of mind. It's important that we continue investing in enablement and incentive programs to keep them engaged.
Tell us something about yourself most people won't know
I once ran across the Sahara Desert! 157 gruelling miles in very hot weather. I completed one marathon every day for over five days.
What is your spirit animal?
Dog. I've got four dogs and love them. They're adventurous, always excited, and incredibly loyal.