Name: Jemma Byrne
Role: VP UKI alliances, Salesforce
Spirit animal: Horse
Walk-on song: Happy (Pharrell Williams)
How would you summarise your company's channel philosophy?
Our partner philosophy is rooted in customer-centricity, collaboration, and trust. We believe that when you work in partnership, the sum of the two parts can become bigger, better, and stronger. Our partners extend the power of Salesforce and are crucially helping customers move faster and achieve success in this new all-digital, work-from-anywhere world.
Our partner ecosystem is growing faster than Salesforce itself. IDC research forecasts the partner ecosystem will be six times larger than Salesforce by 2026, and there will be a 35 per cent growth rate for industries in that same time frame. This means more specialization, wider global reach, and more successful customers.
IDC research forecasts the partner ecosystem will be six times larger than Salesforce by 2026, and there will be a 35 per cent growth rate for industries in that same time frame
Tell us about your company's partner programme in 100 words or fewer…
The Salesforce Partner Program enables partners to build successful businesses and trusted relationships with their customers, while delivering customer success. The program helps partners grow their Salesforce practice with tangible benchmarks for success. Our tiers (Base, Ridge, Crest, and Summit) are determined by each partner's Trailblazer Score, which is a 1,000 total-point aggregated score that measures a partner's contribution against Salesforce-set targets across four categories: Customer Success, Innovation, Growth, and Lead.
How many partners do you work with in the UK?
In the UK we work with 130 consulting partners and hundreds of ISVs.
Are you looking either to expand or reduce that? If so, what partner profile does this apply to?
The same IDC study found that Salesforce is driving immense growth for its partner ecosystem, which will make $6.19 for every $1 Salesforce makes by 2026. This includes partner types from ISVs to consultants, as well as indirect resellers.
We are expanding in a measured way. We have a quality-first approach that enables us to scale and grow a balanced portfolio of partners - across all sizes, industries, and technologies. As our customer needs develop, our partners change, and as we grow as a business, we are strategically expanding our partner network in tandem. Our alliances growth team is having conversations with prospect partners every day, on-boarding new partners and making sure they are set up for success.
Have you made any major changes to your partner programme recently, or are you about to?
We are continuously evolving our partner programme based on partner feedback and our customer needs.
We have recently introduced partner trailblazer scorecards to measure partner contribution more effectively against Salesforce-set targets across customer success, innovation, growth and lead categories. We have worked on improving our partner benefit program too. Through the partner programme, partners have access to an expanded range of benefits across the following categories by designation: design and develop, sell and market, and service and support.
Describe your perfect partner?
In our Salesforce culture of trust, we inspire each other and the industry through our core values: trust, customer success, innovation, equality, and sustainability. We live and breathe these values in everything we do, and we look for the same in our partners. A perfect partner puts customer first, takes actions towards sustainability goals, gives back to the community, encourages the culture of trust and innovation in their own business and their entire ecosystem. We also encourage partners to sign up to our Talent Alliance Program, which supports our partners to build a diverse workforce that is not only highly skilled, but that reflects society around the globe.
In which areas would you most like to see your partners invest over the next 12 months?
There is a huge opportunity to support and accelerate customers' path to net zero, empowering organisations to track and reduce their carbon emissions and become a sustainable business. The road is complex, and partners can add real value to the journey.
How do you see vendor channel programmes and channel engagement models evolving over the next few years?
It's impossible to be definitive as we are always evolving channel strategies in line with customer needs. We are always reviewing different options, from new partnership models to marketplaces and managed services. This allows us to be true to our value of Innovation
Do you feel your company is doing enough to cater for non-resale partners, including those that sell technology as a managed service, ISVs or agents?
t's not a coincidence that more than 86 per cent of Salesforce customers use at least one of the 7,000 partner apps and solutions from the Salesforce AppExchange, and 70 per cent of Salesforce implementations are led by our 150,000+ Salesforce credentialed experts (i.e. consultants). We proactively bring partners into all major deals globally. Nine out of ten Salesforce customers rely on partner apps and experts, and 100 per cent of the Fortune 100 have installed a Salesforce partner solution. Salesforce values it's partners and creates growth opportunities for everyone in the ecosystem.
Is direct-channel conflict ever an issue in your partner ecosystem, and if so how do you mitigate that?
Over the last year, the acceleration of digital transformation has further heightened our customers' need for the most trusted and innovative CRM platform, along with a trusted and success-oriented ecosystem.
Salesforce professional services exists to drive the adoption of Customer 360. We bring our partner experts and Salesforce professional services together to elevate the customer experience and help accelerate speed to value. Together, we demonstrate our shared commitment to our customer's success.
The benefit of being a global company is that we have different channel models in different countries, giving us a wealth of insights and learnings. The hybrid model is hugely successful, especially when it's underpinned by having a joint focus on the customer, and complete transparency and trust between us and our partners.
Name one trait you prize highly in partners, and one you deplore?
I really believe in the Salesforce values. They are the guiding principles that enable us to strive to bring out the best in one another, deliver success to our customers, and inspire the entire industry through our actions. Having partners that align with this is trait I prize most highly.
How do you feel your company's margin proposition stacks up against your peers?
At Salesforce we are aligned to delivering value and outcomes.
If you could wave a magic wand and change one aspect of your channel performance or strategy overnight, what would it be?
The IDC study predicted Salesforce and its ecosystem will create 9.3 million new jobs and $1.6tn in new business revenues worldwide by 2026. However, we need to fix how we find this talent. The channel does prefer to hire people who are immediately billable, which means that it can be hard for people to get a foot in the door via an entry level position. We need to remove these barriers, as well as ensure that we are attracting and retaining candidates from diverse talent pools.
I love anything equestrian, and I spend my free time doing as much horse riding as possible
What's the most challenging aspect of being a channel leader?
There's so much opportunity, but only so many hours in the day. My biggest challenge is also my biggest motivator - ensuring that our teams feel valued, and have purpose, as I believe that's what brings out the best in all of us.
Tell us something about yourself most people won't know
I have a real aversion to wooden cutlery - it's so bad that I always carry a reusable knife and fork in my bag just in case!
What is your spirit animal?
It would have to be a horse - I love anything equestrian, and I spend my free time doing as much horse riding as possible.
What would be your walk-on song, and why?
It would have to be Happy by Pharrell Williams; I am a very positive person and I genuinely believe the world feels like a better place when your glass is half full!
