IoT Products | 3 Ways the Channel Will Succeed with IoT (#3 will surprise you) - Guest: Jay McBain

NEED AN EXTRA NUDGE TO JUMP INTO IOT MANAGED SERVICES?

If you’re still waiting to jump into IoT managed services, this episode of IoT Playbook may be the one that finally pushes you into the deep end. In this episode, I interview Jay McBain, the principal analyst at Forrester Research of Channel Partners and Alliances. Jay speaks at over 50 technology events each year and has covered IoT extensively. He claims that IoT products and services present the greatest opportunity in the history of the channel.

Jay has studied dozens of channel partners who are already generating millions of dollars of revenue and he believes we’re just starting the phase of rapid adoption of IoT products and services. There are 35 million niche markets that a channel partner can pursue, so there’s plenty of opportunities to create your own future with very little competition.

Head on over to podcast.iotplaybook.com to check out this episode. And, if you need help launching your IoT managed service, then check out IoT Playbook’s free Offer Builder that will help you find, create, and quickly launch your IoT products or managed services. You can find IoT Playbook’s free Offer Builder at go.iotplaybook.com/offerbuilder

What You Will Learn: Jay’s story and how he became so focused on the channel Why IoT products and services present the greatest opportunity in the history of the channel How channel partners have jumped into the market and driven managed services opportunities (with examples) The transformation from channel partner to vendor (with examples) Current trends in IoT and predictions for 2020

 podcast.IoTplaybook.com/podcasts/iot-products-jay-mcbain/

IoT is Here to Stay

Jay McBain is an analyst who focuses on channels, partnerships, and alliances. He is constantly looking at the future of channels and takes a unique stance on IoT products because they are facilitating major advancements in the channel space. Jay works in twenty-seven different industries, which gives him a broader scope of the nuanced trends and opportunities being driven by IoT. For partners, vendors, and audience members alike, channels are an integral part of doing business and IoT continues to make them better.

The Largest Opportunity for the Channel

Jay thinks that IoT is going to represent the largest opportunity for the channel because unlike AI, IoT products are here NOW. Partners are using IoT to do multi-million dollar deals, and we are starting to see how IoT is being integrated with other industries, what solutions are working, and how the services can be replicated. This is not a matter of speculation or projection; this is happening right now. There are proven results, frameworks, and business models that mitigate the risk and open the door to anyone who is willing to put in the legwork and win business.

Endless Opportunities in IoT

Every company in every industry is taking a tech-centric approach. The subscription culture is dominant, and limitless opportunities for IoT products and services are available to anyone who wants a piece of the nearly $500B industry. The entire future of channels is based on working with partners because the consumer buying journey has changed. Partners are becoming tech companies themselves. So if you can show up as both a service company and a product, you double your chances of being found by the customer. This period of rapid transformation is the perfect time to jump into IoT, so stop waiting and join the movement.

About Jay McBain

Jay leads Forrester’s research and advisory for global channels, alliances, and partnerships. He focuses on B2B marketing in the age of the customer; understanding and navigating the complexity of multiple routes to market; ensuring contextual and relevant content to accelerate the indirect sales process; and describing the technology infrastructure to build and support channel relationships.

His background is in channel leadership, sales, marketing, and operations, with a specific emphasis on indirect sales strategy/execution, covering multiple industries, segments, and underlying technologies. Jay is renowned for his industry thought leadership and expertise in partner recruitment, development, and acceleration through effective partner coverage, enablement, communication, and incentives. He is an expert in building and leveraging channel communities and one of the global leaders in social media, partner marketing automation, and other indirect growth strategies.

Jay provides research, advisory, and consulting to companies ranging from Fortune 100 vendors to startups on the entire scope of their channel and alliance strategies. He is a contributing author and has been cited in numerous channel media publications, including Channel Reseller News (CRN), ChannelPro, ChannelE2E, The VAR Guy, MSPMentor, Channelnomics, Computer Dealer News (CDN), Australia Reseller News (ARN), eChannelNews, Business Solutions Magazine, ChannelLine, ChannelInsider, SearchITChannel, Redmond Channel Magazine, Vertical Systems Reseller, Channel Buzz, and SMB Nation. He also maintains a popular blog on channel trends.

Jay is based in Florida but advises vendors, distributors, and partners around the world.

How to contact Jay McBain: https://go.forrester.com/ @forrester https://www.linkedin.com/company/forrester-research/ More IoT Playbook Resources: Learn How to Get Started With This Free Online Class: www.freeiotclass.com IoT Playbook’s free Offer Builder: myDevice webinar replay