Young Professionals in the Channel: A Survival Guide

The channel is what I would consider to be a niche industry, while it also serves a critical component of the overall market ecosystem. As with most industries in 2024, you have the three distinct levels of professionals that are segmented by age/experience. In the channel, I have observed three main categories:

• The Seasoned Veterans: These are people in the 50+ age range that have lived in the channel space throughout most of their career. They are often in executive level positions or leadership roles. They have hundreds to thousands of meaningful and tried connections in the industry. They personally witnessed the evolution of technology and bring a blend of traditional wisdom/tech savviness These are the thought leaders.
• The Millennial/Gen X Innovators: These are people in the 35-45 age range that have a significant amount of experience in the channel. Here you will see a range that varies from upper level management to new founders. I describe them as innovators because they are often at the forefront of new ideas in the channel as early adopters. They are extremely brand conscious and look to disrupt the normal way of doing things.
• ChannelerZ : These are people in the 23-30 age range that have only been in the channel for a handful of years or have recently transplanted into the industry. They are often in entry level positions, but have a knack for advancing quickly within an organization. Some have never worked in an office environment (due to Covid), and they prefer it that way. They have a digital-mindset and value a flexible and meaningful work experience.

For the sake of this article, I will be focusing on the latter, ChannelerZ. This happens to be the grouping that I personally fall into and is the least represented in the channel (by headcount).

To help with this Survival Guide of sorts, I have called on two fellow ChannelerZ that I have had the pleasure to work with. They were asked to provide their top five tips for young professionals in the channel and I have portioned their answers into three categories, while also adding my own insights.

Before I get into the categories, I want to express a huge thank you and provide an introduction for the two contributors. Both of them hold significant roles in their organizations and are establishing a reputation in the space.

Kenyon Hesker Channel Marketing Manager at IntelePeer

Mariah Rockwood Growth Strategist of Channel Partnerships at MarketLogic

1. Using Your Personal Brand to Create Relationships

"It’s not just about the solution you offer to partners; it’s about you. People buy from people. Introduce yourself, create a community, and own your space in the industry."

- Mariah Rockwood

As with any industry, one of the keys to progressing your career in the channel as a young professional is to create meaningful connections. I want to put an emphasis on meaningful connections. Simply connecting with someone on LinkedIn and leaving it there is a good start, but not necessarily enough to leave a mark.

Being well connected in the Channel is extra critical because of the layers of relationships that exist in the space. Depending on your position, you may need to have internal connections, connections with used vendors, connections with partners and connections with end customers. There are many layers to partnerships and the more that you can navigate between them, the more setup you will be for success as your career progresses

As Mariah indicated, people buy from people. To take that a step further, people engage with people that provide value. Value does not always have to be financial. Think about ways that you can provide value to others and nurture the connections you make. One of the best ways to do this is to build your own brand.

How does one do this you may ask. The first step is to participate. Figure out what you like to do and start small by contributing material on an area of the channel familiar to you in your specific position. The channel space is massive, so find your niche and create content based on the things that interest you. You may be surprised how much others relate to you.

When you participate once, find ways to repeat with consistency. Just like meaningful connections, brands are not created with a singular event. Be consistent, be creative and assimilate within a community of professionals that talk about the same things.

You may not go viral with your content today, tomorrow, or even the next five years, but consistently providing relevant insights over a long period of time will get you noticed. This will allow you to become a thought leader within your specialty over time and build not just the volume, but also the value of your connections.

2. Fortune Favors the Bold

"The channel is an extremely competitive landscape, and taking a bold approach can help you differentiate yourself and your work. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and be creative."

- Kenyon Hesker

For this point, I want to focus on being bold within the organization you work for in your specific position. I believe ChannelerZ have more aptitude and opportunity to share their ideas, request more responsibility and elevate their career quicker through promotions.

One of the prerequisites to being bold is having ambition. Having ambition is great and can help to catch the attention of leaders within your organization. Take chances to exhibit the skills you have and be willing to offer your feedback.

Mariah shared, "Trust your instincts and don’t hesitate to challenge conventional strategies and thinking. We think that due to our age and expertise we are at the bottom of the invisible totem pole. In reality, we should speak up if something doesn’t add up or we have value to add to the strategy/discussion."

To this point, one of the key takeaways is to not confuse ambition with being an ass. You may think that your idea is flawless, but there are 10 other factors outside of your POV that would say otherwise. While it is great to offer new ideas and be engaging, you must walk the fine line of not overstepping boundaries within the company.

This can be extremely difficult to navigate, so here's a quick tip. If you find yourself in a situation where an idea you though was productive was shutdown internally, reach out to your immediate supervisor and ask "what am I not seeing here?" When you get lost in one of your own ideas, it can be hard to see the big picture outside of it. Taking a step back and asking others for their feedback is a great way to not only see the flaws in your idea, but also to help refine it into something that may provide value for the organization.

3. Never Stop Trying to Become Qualified for the Job

"SaaS this, MaaS that, ICP, IPP, MDF – the list of tech talk goes on and on, and those are the ones that are considered “easy.” Although some terms in the channel marketing ecosystem are universal, others are unique to each company. Embrace curiosity and ask questions without hesitation."

-Mariah Rockwood

Given that the channel model is ideal for technology companies, a professional that wants to thrive in the space must be open to continued education around technological advances. The technology landscape changes and upgrades on a daily basis, so you must be active in your pursuit of information to be a thought leader.

As Mariah indicated above, acronyms are a huge part of the learning curve for new professionals in the channel. There is an acronym for EVERYTHING, so make sure you know the basics, especially within your chosen discipline. If an acronym comes up in a conversation that you are not aware (this will happen often) of, do not be afraid to ask for clarity on what it stands for.

This was something that troubled me early on in my channel career. To help, I created a document with a list of every channel related acronym that I have come across in alphabetical order. When a new one comes up, I add it to the list.

Outside of acronyms, it is crucial to keep up to date with industry trends. Kenyon shared, "The tech industry is always changing and evolving. Whenever you can, read up on the latest news, emerging products, and market trends within your industry to be proactive in your strategies."

I always like to say that the channel cannot be fully observed by sitting at your desk at home in meetings. One of the best way to fully take in the dynamics of the channel is through trade shows and events. There, you will not only be enveloped in the inner workings of the channel, but you will also have the opportunity to hear presentations from industry experts.

While, not every employee will be able to represent their company at an in person event, there is an abundance of industry specific knowledge flowing constantly through LinkedIn. Sign up for webinars, follow and set alerts for channel influencers that speak to the areas you are involved in. There is no shortage of information out there, so be present and engaged with the free content that can play a huge role in progressing your career.

Lastly, I would be remised to complete this section without highlighting the role of AI in this space. To this point, Mariah provided, "As we delve deeper into the era of AI and automation, embracing these technologies can give you a competitive edge. Explore how Gen-AI powered tools and analytics can enhance your channel marketing strategies and don’t hesitate to acknowledge your use of AI."

Chances are, your organization has already bought into AI in one way or another. Make sure you are up to date on the AI tools that can make your life easier and also work to become an expert in ways that AI is influencing your segment of the channel space.

As more and more ChannelerZ delve into the the channel space and we start to see younger generations filter in, I hope this survival guide can help to lay the foundation for the key components of sparking a successful career. There is no doubt a longer list of insights could be provided, but these core three can establish a path for growth in the space.

In the blink of an eye, we will be the "old heads" of the channel, so it is important that we make the space better than when we found it and have open arms to younger professionals looking to make their mark. It is in this way that organizations will grow to their fullest potential and the channel will continue to evolve and prosper.