The Channel Buzz

Amiee Keenan
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Business

The Channel Buzz is a podcast exploring the people, partnerships, and ideas shaping modern software ecosystems. Hosted by Amiee Keenan, each episode connects the dots across partnerships, ecosystem visibility, marketing, AI, ERP, CRM, SaaS, and community-driven growth. From ecosystem leaders and software founders to partner teams, marketers, and industry experts, these conversations focus on how companies build recognition, create momentum, and grow through collaboration inside connected ecosystems. Because the future of software growth isn’t happening in silos.

  1. 4d ago

    Your Mindset Might Be Blocking Your Success

    The Channel Buzz at VIBE 2.0 — Episode 2 Guest: Rob Triggs, RTRSeries: The Channel Buzz: Conversations from VIBE 2.0Recorded live: VIBE 2.0Series context: The Channel Buzz joined VIBE 2.0 as a media sponsor, capturing conversations with leaders about the ideas, relationships, and personal lessons shaping the technology and partner ecosystem. You can have the sales training. You can know exactly what you're supposed to do. You can even look confident to everyone around you. And still something keeps you from taking action. Why? Recorded live at VIBE 2.0, where The Channel Buzz joined the event as a media sponsor, Amiee Keenan sits down with Rob Triggs of RTR to explore the role mindset plays in sales, entrepreneurship, and personal performance. Rob shares his own journey from a quiet, shy Xerox service technician to a successful sales leader—and why he believes technical skills alone aren't enough to create sustained success. They explore imposter syndrome, procrastination, visualization, limiting beliefs, and Rob's simple six-word approach: First see it, then do it. Rob also gives listeners a preview of his upcoming book, The Manifested Seller, which combines his own experience with stories and practical techniques designed to help sellers and entrepreneurs change the thinking that may be holding them back. Plus, Amiee and Rob talk about what makes VIBE different—and why the relationships created in an authentic environment may be the most valuable thing attendees take home. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and guest background 01:02 Rob's journey from service technician to sales expert 02:22 Understanding impostor syndrome and its effects 03:15 How childhood beliefs influence adult fears 04:22 Procrastination and the power of belief 05:43 The meaning of 'First see it, then do it' 07:09 Visualization techniques used by athletes and salespeople 08:23 The truth about manifestation and energy vibration 09:43 Rob's upcoming book, The Manifested Seller 11:46 The vibe community and conference takeaways The Manifested Seller 🔗 Connect with Amiee on ⁠LinkedIn⁠  🎧 Listen & follow to get future episodes on marketing, partnerships, and channel growth. Learn more about ⁠The ISV Society⁠

  2. 6d ago

    Why Your Network Should Be Built Before You Need It

    The Channel Buzz at VIBE 2.0 — Episode 1 Guest: Christine Bongard, Founder & CEO, The WIT NetworkSeries: The Channel Buzz: Conversations from VIBE 2.0Series positioning: Recorded live at VIBE 2.0 as part of The Channel Buzz’s media sponsorship, this special series captures conversations with leaders across the technology and partner ecosystem about community, connection, growth, and what’s next. What’s the difference between having hundreds—or thousands—of LinkedIn connections and having a network that will actually show up when you need it? Recorded live at VIBE 2.0, where The Channel Buzz joined the event as a media sponsor, Amiee Keenan sits down with Christine Bongard, Founder and CEO of The WIT Network, to talk about the relationships that shape careers, create opportunities, and build stronger communities. After more than 30 years in the Microsoft and partner ecosystem, Christine says one thing has kept her connected: the people. She shares how serving on Microsoft Partner Advisory Councils expanded her career globally, why meaningful networking requires giving before asking, and how conversations at Microsoft Inspire ultimately helped turn The WIT Network into a global community of 15,000 members across 89 countries. Christine also shares her first impressions of the VIBE community—and why being surrounded by people who are supportive, authentic, engaged, and warm makes events like VIBE much more than another conference. Because the real value of an event isn’t necessarily what’s in your notebook when you leave. It may be who’s in your network. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Christine and her background 02:27 The impact of the Microsoft Partner Advisory Councils on her career 04:18 The importance of having mentors, supporters, and champions in your network 06:10 The community's global reach and impact 07:02 What Christine hopes to take away from Vibe beyond ideas 07:39 Describing the Vibe community in three words Join the WIT Network 🔗 Connect with Amiee on ⁠LinkedIn⁠  🎧 Listen & follow to get future episodes on marketing, partnerships, and channel growth. Learn more about ⁠The ISV Society⁠

  3. Sep 22

    Partner Programs Are Built for Humans, Not Spreadsheets

    A partner program can look perfect on paper. The incentives make sense. The numbers work. The tiers are mapped out. Leadership is happy. Then actual humans start using it. In this episode of The Channel Buzz, Amiee Keenan sits down with Jessica Pidgeon of Acumatica to talk about the part of partner programs that doesn’t always make the launch deck: human behavior. Jessica shares what more than a decade of building and managing partner programs has taught her about balancing company goals with partner economics, using financial modeling to pressure-test program changes, avoiding unnecessary complexity, protecting partner mindshare, managing channel conflict, and knowing when it’s time to pivot. They also dig into a deceptively simple question: Where does channel growth actually come from? Because successful partner programs aren’t “set it and forget it.” They’re living, breathing systems and the best ones keep evolving alongside the partners they’re designed to serve. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Jessica and the importance of partner programs 03:27 Starting point for designing partner programs: human behavior and needs 06:38 Balancing company needs with partner needs in program design 09:19 Common pitfalls: complexity vs simplicity in programs 10:32 Financial modeling for relationship-driven channel items 14:51 Proving the value of the channel and managing expectations 19:58 Key misconceptions about channel growth22:19Closing thoughts and key takeaways 🐝 Buzzworthy Insight: Build for Behavior, Not the Brochure. 🔗 Connect with Amiee on ⁠LinkedIn⁠  🎧 Listen & follow to get future episodes on marketing, partnerships, and channel growth. Learn more about ⁠The ISV Society⁠

  4. Sep 15

    What Marketers Think Works vs. What the Data Says

    Marketing has more tools, more data, and more AI than ever before. But are those things actually making marketing more effective? In this episode of The Channel Buzz, Amiee Keenan sits down with Michelle Glennie of The Partner Marketing Group to dig into the latest Technology Marketing Benchmark & Trends Report and some of the findings might make you rethink where your marketing time and budget are going. Why are referrals one of the most effective lead generation tactics, yet so few companies have a formal referral program? Why do marketers say blogging delivers results while ranking it low for lead generation? And with AI adoption at an all-time high, where is it actually helping—and where is the human perspective still essential? Amiee and Michelle also talk about why events continue to perform, the disconnect between generating leads and converting them into opportunities, customer advocacy, content repurposing, and why showing up consistently may matter more than constantly chasing the next marketing tactic. If you’re planning your 2027 marketing strategy, this conversation offers a data-backed look at what marketers think is working, what the numbers actually say, and where some of the biggest opportunities may be hiding. Chapters 00:00 – Welcome & What the Marketing Data Says03:03 – The Biggest Surprise in This Year’s Report04:37 – Why Aren’t More Companies Using Referral Programs?06:11 – Is Marketing Getting Harder—or Just More Complicated?07:29 – Why Marketers Need to Repeat Themselves More09:16 – The Lead Generation vs. Conversion Problem12:16 – Shared Visibility & the Power of the Community13:18 – 89% of Marketers Are Using AI—But Are We Using It Well?17:23 – Why Events Are Still Winning20:17 – Stop Measuring Event Success by Badge Scans22:31 – The Surprising Data Behind Blogging25:11 – Why Your Content Needs to Show Up in More Places28:07 – Final Takeaways for Your 2027 Marketing Strategy Download The Technology Marketing Benchmark & Trends Report. 🔗 Connect with Amiee on ⁠LinkedIn⁠  🎧 Listen & follow to get future episodes on marketing, partnerships, and channel growth. Learn more about ⁠The ISV Society⁠

  5. Sep 2

    Does Your Partner Know You or Does One Person Know You?

    You say you have a great relationship with that partner. But does the partner know you—or does one person know you? That’s a bigger difference than we sometimes realize. In this solo episode of The Channel Buzz Podcast, Amiee Keenan looks at an overlooked part of partner growth: becoming better known inside the partners you already have. Because one great champion can open a lot of doors. But if that person changes roles, leaves the company, or shifts priorities… what happens to the partnership? Amiee introduces The Sarah Test, a simple way to find out just how deep your partner relationships really go. She also explores why sales, consulting, marketing, and leadership can each create different opportunities—and how ISVs can build those relationships naturally without blasting an entire partner organization with “just checking in” emails. 😂 You’ll walk away with a practical Partner Visibility Audit you can use with your five most important partners—and one question that might change how you think about partner growth: Do we actually need more partners… or do we need more relationships inside the right partners? Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the partner visibility gap 01:58 The importance of internal relationships within partners 04:00 The limitations of relying on a single contact 05:48 Introducing the Sarah test for partner relationships 07:46 Deepening relationships inside existing partners 09:56 Creative ways to build partner relationships 12:05 Balancing new partner acquisition with relationship depth 13:50 Practical steps for a partner visibility audit 16:05 Key insights and closing thoughts 🐝 Buzzworthy Insight: Your next partner opportunity may be inside a partner you already have. 🔗 Connect with Amiee on ⁠LinkedIn⁠  🎧 Listen & follow to get future episodes on marketing, partnerships, and channel growth. Learn more about ⁠The ISV Society⁠

  6. Aug 25

    Your Audience Isn't Your Entire Audience

    How big is your audience? It's one of the first questions marketers ask before deciding whether an opportunity is worth pursuing. But it may be the wrong place to stop. In this episode of The Channel Buzz, Amiee Keenan explores why your company's email list, followers, and website visitors represent only part of your potential reach. When ISVs collaborate with partners, communities, other ISVs, podcasts, events, and industry organizations, their audiences begin to overlap — and expand. That creates something Amiee calls shared visibility. And that visibility matters because most buyers don't discover a company and immediately request a demo. They see it. Then recognize it. Then remember it. Eventually, when the right problem appears, they investigate. Amiee breaks down why marketers should think beyond registrations and last-touch attribution and start asking a different question: Whose audience could this opportunity put us in front of? If you're an ISV trying to increase awareness without building every audience from scratch, this episode will change how you evaluate partnerships, webinars, podcasts, events, and collaborative marketing. 🐝 Buzzworthy Insight: Borrowed Audiences Build Shared Visibility. 🔗 Connect with Amiee on ⁠LinkedIn⁠  🎧 Listen & follow to get future episodes on marketing, partnerships, and channel growth. Learn more about ⁠The ISV Society⁠

  7. Aug 11

    Stop Recruiting Partners. Start Activating Them.

    You signed the partner. 🎉 Great! Now what? 👀 In this episode of The Channel Buzz, Amiee Keenan sits down with Ienura Whitener, Chief Delivery Officer at Crimson Stark, to talk about the part of partnerships that doesn't get nearly enough attention: what happens AFTER the agreement is signed. Because having 50, 100, or even 200 partners might look impressive…but how many are actually active? Amiee and Ienura get into why partner programs lose momentum, why alignment across sales, marketing, leadership, and partnerships matters, and why sometimes the answer isn't recruiting more partners—it's doing more with the partners you already have. They also tackle the classic: “We built the integration…now go build us an ecosystem!” 😬 Plus, Ienura shares why the best partnerships aren't win-win. They're win-win-win. If you work with partners, manage a channel, or are trying to break into a new ERP ecosystem, grab your headphones. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the importance of partner ecosystems 02:02 What makes a successful partner ecosystem 04:22 The role of alignment across teams 05:15 What does an intentional partnership look like 06:28 Why many partnerships fail after recruitment 11:18 Common mistakes when entering new ecosystems 14:33 When to seek help from experts like Crimson Stark 16:55 Final thoughts on collaboration and continuous learning Learn more about Crimson Stark 🔗 Connect with Amiee on ⁠LinkedIn⁠  🎧 Listen & follow to get future episodes on marketing, partnerships, and channel growth. Learn more about ⁠The ISV Society⁠

  8. Aug 4

    Everyone Wants the GSI. Are you actually ready?

    Every software company dreams of landing a Global System Integrator (GSI), but very few are truly prepared for what comes next. In this episode of The Channel Buzz, Amiee Keenan sits down with partnerships leader Rainie, who has experienced both sides of the equation—nearly eight years inside Accenture before leading GSI partnerships for a software company. Together they unpack what it really takes to build a successful GSI relationship, why signing the agreement is only the beginning, how to know if your company is actually ready, and why AI is changing the way GSIs evaluate technology partners. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to GSI Partnerships and Episode Overview 02:27 Rainie's Background and Unique Perspective on GSI Partnerships 04:06 Understanding the Organizational Maturity for GSI Readiness 07:02 Key Internal Factors for GSI Partnership Success 09:00 The Reality of Activating GSI Partnerships 10:31 Common Misconceptions About GSI Opportunities 13:58 Impact of AI on GSI Models and Future Trends 17:29 Advice for Companies Seeking Their First GSI Partnership 19:29 Closing Remarks and Next Steps for Partnership Building If you're building a partner program or thinking about enterprise alliances, this conversation will help you avoid costly mistakes before they happen. 🔗 Connect with Amiee on ⁠LinkedIn⁠  🎧 Listen & follow to get future episodes on marketing, partnerships, and channel growth. Learn more about ⁠The ISV Society⁠

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5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The Channel Buzz is a podcast exploring the people, partnerships, and ideas shaping modern software ecosystems. Hosted by Amiee Keenan, each episode connects the dots across partnerships, ecosystem visibility, marketing, AI, ERP, CRM, SaaS, and community-driven growth. From ecosystem leaders and software founders to partner teams, marketers, and industry experts, these conversations focus on how companies build recognition, create momentum, and grow through collaboration inside connected ecosystems. Because the future of software growth isn’t happening in silos.

Information

  • Creator
    Amiee Keenan
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    160
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Amiee Keenan
  • Show Website
    The Channel Buzz