Erica Radcliff - Tailoring Partner Engagement at Scale

In this episode of Partnerships Unraveled, we sit down with Erica Radcliff, Director of Partner and Ecosystem Growth Marketing at Vertiv, to explore what it really takes to activate partners at scale without losing relevance. With nearly two decades in the channel, Erica has worked across almost every facet of marketing, giving her a practical, end-to-end view of how partner engagement actually plays out in the real world.

The conversation starts with a simple but often ignored truth: what marketers think is compelling rarely matches what partners actually want. Erica explains why keeping an open mind and constantly pressure-testing your assumptions is critical,  especially as trends cycle in and out. From the surprising resurgence of tactile, creative campaigns to the steady decline of webinars, she shares what’s gaining traction and what’s quietly fading.

We then get into one of the biggest challenges in partner marketing today: balancing scale with personalization. Erica breaks down how her team approaches this through segmented journeys rather than one-size-fits-all campaigns. Instead of over-engineering full customization, they build flexible frameworks and equip partners with ready-to-use assets they can adapt to their own customers. The result is a model that scales while still feeling relevant.

The discussion also digs into partner activation. Strong products aren’t enough. Partners need clear direction, accessible resources, and a reason to engage. Erica highlights the importance of recruiting the right partners from the start, aligning on mutual value, and enabling them based on their actual capability and market focus.

We also explore the difference between leading the market and chasing it. Erica argues that companies in the number one position often lose their creative edge, while challengers are forced to innovate. Her advice is clear: even if you’re leading, operate like you’re not.

Finally, Erica reflects on the role of relationships in an increasingly data-driven world. AI and intent data can guide decisions, but they don’t replace trust. The channel still runs on human connection, and the teams that recognize that are the ones that win.

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Transcript

Erica’s Career Path In Channel

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Welcome back to Partnerships Unraveled, the podcast where we dive deep into the mysteries and the secrets of partnerships and the channel. My name is Michelle. I'm head of marketing at Chanext, and I'll be your host for today. And I'm excited to sit down with Erica Radcliffe, the director of partner and ecosystem growth marketing at Vertiv. Erica, how are you? Good, good, doing well. How are you? I am doing well. It's really great to see you. Um, to start off with, just very simply, could you give us a little bit of background about yourself and your career so far?

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Sure, sure. Uh so I've been marketing to the channel for a little over 17 years. I started my career in low voltage contractor, um home wiring and things like that. And then I transitioned to a national electrical contractor, and that's how I got into this manufacturer side of the business, particularly in the um single phase, three-phase power space. So that's how I got here. Um, I've done a little bit of everything. I like to call myself and my team the jack of all trades. We don't just do one part of marketing, but um, we are a team of people who do events. We also do email campaigns. We also do um nurture campaigns. We we do it all. So we're really we dabble in a little bit of every side of the marketing function, if that helps.

Channel Marketing Lessons And Cycles

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Oh, yeah. No, that that makes sense. So you've seen every part of the channel, and you basically within every part of the channel, you do every part of marketing. Um so when you look back at all that experience, um, what kind of advice would you have for fellow channel marketers? Because I know that especially now there's a lot going on, shift to AI, there's different partner engagement models. Um, what are your key takeaways that you'd like to share based on your experience?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Absolutely, two things. Number one, just because I think it's fun or cool doesn't necessarily mean that my audience does, and vice versa, right? Just because I think it's lame, maybe the audience will love it. So you always have to be open-minded. And uh secondly, I would say that things that were cool a few years back, 10 years back, 15 years back always come around again. So never shut yourself off to something you've done before because you can always leverage it, tweak it, and make it something new again. So those are my two takeaways, I think, on in what I've learned. And um never be shy about introducing yourself to people because you never know when you might see them again, because this world is kind of small, and and you may see people again in a different polo, um in a different role. And uh it's always good to keep your connections.

Swag That Works And Webinar Fatigue

SPEAKER_02 2:27

Yeah, no, I I totally agree. And and regarding the whole like cyclical movement of marketing, um, it's almost like the bell bottom jeans coming back into vogue, right? Uh what are you seeing right now? Like what trend is is returning from the past?

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Yeah, absolutely. Um, I know that uh typically in the past, with previous manufacturers, we were always looking for the coolest thing to give away. And about 10 years ago, uh, I was with a manufacturer and we we gave out some Legos about a product that we were recently launching. Um in recent years, or excuse me, in recent months, my team has come up with um a fresh take on Legos. And while Legos haven't gone away, it was something, it was an idea that was old. And we've recycled it, we've we've revived it, and we're getting a lot of great traction. People are thrilled about the Legos. Legos aren't just for kids, they are for IT pros. And uh we we found a lot of success there. And and to answer your question sort of in an opposite way, something that was traditionally really popular, webinars, we've lost sort of that traction in webinars. Even if we've had the most um capable speaker, the best presentation, the greatest incentive to join our webinar, we're really not seeing that same traction just across the board. This isn't just with my current role, but just across the board. My competitors are seeing that, my partners are seeing that. I think it's really about uh the the sort of joining another webinar. People just really aren't interested in that. And and um, I think that's the opposite of what you asked, but I think that's something that traditionally was really popular and now has gone away.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Yeah, things fade away as well. And and if I could give you uh some advice, start a podcast.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Now those are gaining traction.

Partners Need Different Campaign Journeys

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Exactly. Um so hey, looking at the cyclical nature, but then more from a kind of a channel marketing strategy and execution perspective, what do you think right now channel marketers are really underestimating in this space?

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Sure, absolutely. It's a great question. Um, again, this is my opinion. However, I think that there's this perception that you can market to your partners on a on a mass scale and that everyone is consuming the same kind of content in the same way at the same point in their journey, whatever it might be. Um you and I have had conversations about this in the past and and really looking at the idea of meeting a partner where they are in their journey, where they want to consume content, how they want to consume content. Oftentimes um we've built a campaign just in my career, not necessarily with my current company, but we've we've built a campaign, and that campaign is great for maybe a larger partner with a full marketing arm, but perhaps we've lost some of our smaller partners, our regional partners. So we've taken the approach of really building out a journey for either set of partners, be it um of the large partners with full marketing arms, or that smaller partner who really just wants to get engaged and understand how to drive more to their customer and put more money in their pocket. So I think that's one of the biggest things that's missing is a semi-customized version of campaigns and outreach for partners where they need to be in their journey.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Yeah, and I think that that raises kind of a complex challenge for a lot of companies, right? Because I think the enterprise through partner playbook is quite clear and mature on how to approach these partners. They generally have a bunch of resources. You have a bunch of resources to throw at the kind of enterprise partner model. But I think the challenge then is for those smaller partners, how do you kind of balance that out? How do you scale those partnerships while also delivering personalized moments, even though you obviously can't call every single partner every single day to see what's going on?

SPEAKER_00 6:00

No, that's right. That's absolutely true. And when you have a good problem to have, right, is too many partners that I that I can't talk to. That's great. That's ideal. However, your point is a good one. You you can't speak to everyone. And so, as much as I would love to customize everything, I do have a blend. I do have a bit of a concierge approach for those larger partners where we're working in conjunction with them. We're we're looking at their deliverables, understanding what they need, and developing something that's semi-custom, right? Uh still within brand, still on target, still on topic. But we take the approach of the framework of basic needs in marketing. You know you need a social post, you know you need an email, you know you might need some sort of marketing slick that you can use with your customer. Um, and as a partner, the ability to have quick access to that is important. So we put in our partner portal uh zip folders full of marketing assets that partners can pull down, they're they're vertive branded, and they can add their logo, of course. However, we do have some very generic content that they can make all their own. As an example, if a partner really wanted to do an outreach campaign through their own email, right? So whatever we might be using, if they're using Eliqua, if they're using something else, they can leverage the assets because they're vertive approved, but they can take that and put it out to their customer in a way that works for their customer. We're not telling them how to talk to their customer. We're saying, hey, here's what we've got, here's the resources and assets. It's completely free. Use it how you think you need to to further your business. So that's kind of how we're taking that approach. We also look at recruitment a little bit differently. Something that I didn't really touch on before, but you have to make sure that you're not just taking anyone and everyone into your partner program. This is across the board, no matter what manufacturer you're with, but really looking at a partner profile, understanding if they have the propensity to sell the solutions that you have available is important because trying to make someone sell something that they're not, you know, sort of leaning towards, um, it makes it a lot more difficult to get partners to adopt what you're what you're trying to drive. So we take a look at our partners in recruitment and understand how they can best benefit themselves and my manufacturer in a partnership. So really making sure that you're not just adding them to your portal and saying, yeah, come on, join my program. Here's some marketing. It's really about identifying the right fit for a mutually beneficial relationship.

Intent Data AI And Human Relationships

SPEAKER_02 8:13

Do you know what's fascinating about that? I actually recently recorded a podcast and we suddenly struck the parallel between account-based marketing and partner onboarding and partner scoring and things like that, where it's almost like we need to take better looks at what type of partners fit what type of product suite. Um, and really, he was talking about um using intent data from partners to drive that uh uh drive that perspective. Do you have any thoughts on this? Is Verdev working with this kind of uh intent data already?

SPEAKER_00 8:48

So I I couldn't speak to specifics so much, but I can tell you that um intent is something that is more important to me than if they just clicked on something, right? Intent data is far more important to an organization on the whole. Um, I would say too, with AI being something so prevalent, there's lots of tools at my disposal, but there is nothing that replaces human connection. And and this is very much a relationship-based selling motion in the channel. People do business with people that they like. And so, from my perspective, you have to develop that relationship. And sure, you can take intent data, you can get on the phone and have a cold call conversation, but really making relationships with your partners is what drives that success. So I don't know if that totally answers your question, but that's kind of how we approach it, or at least how I do it.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

It definitely does. And while um you were answering another question, I was taking some notes. We were talking about like what do channel marketers underestimate, right? And the word that popped up in my head was activation. Um, and what I wrote down was partners need more than a good product. They need a strong relationship and a clear path forward. Absolutely. I think that totally aligns with what you're saying. But then again, the tricky part comes up like how do you scale that?

SPEAKER_00 10:01

Sure, sure. It's it's it's it's challenging for sure. But something that I think could be sort of said to that is uh, for example, AI. Everyone wants to sell something related to AI because that's the the buzzword, that's the hot button. But what we've taken the approach of typically in our business is not everyone is selling the same way to the same customer at the same point in that journey. So um, what we've done is we've taken the approach of offering a specific um programmatic approach. So, based on your propensity to sell AI solutions, based on what you're able to drive, um, be it what your tools and resources are, what your expertise is in AI, in the AI space, um we've kind of developed different different offerings per partner set. So in the SB space, not everyone is driving a massive liquid cooling project, but they do have it. So we want to make sure that partners are armed with the right type of information related to the product they're selling. So we have trainings at different levels. We've got a different training program that it touch that touches where you are in your selling journey, be it an expert, be it just an associate, whatever that might be. Uh, and we've developed AI specific um offerings based on what type of a partner you are in terms of selling that to your customer, however that looks. And in some cases, maybe it's just power, right? Or um perhaps it's just a server, whatever that might be. In my case, obviously I'm looking at power and cooling, but there's other things that go into an AI solution, right? So uh we try to attach ourselves to whatever solution is most appropriate for that partner to sell, no matter their size.

Segmenting AI Offers With Tiered Training

SPEAKER_02 11:36

It's an interesting approach. You're almost segmenting personalization. So you're personalizing towards groups as opposed to individuals, and I think that does allow you to scale much faster. Now, I I love that approach. Um, let me switch gears a little bit. Let's talk a little bit about marketing. It's a lot easier for me as a marketer. Um we were preparing for this call, you mentioned something interesting, and that was that marketing from like the number one industry position is sometimes more difficult than being number two or number three. So, from your perspective, what's fundamentally different about channel strategy when you're chasing market share as opposed to defending market share?

Defending Market Share Versus Chasing

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Sure, sure. Um, not speaking to any one particular uh role I've had in the past, right? Speaking generically, um, I think there's a complacency that comes with being number one, right? You've got the lion's share of the market in that position. You have the best tools, everyone knows your name. And so you get complacent. The creativity is a little bit lost because you don't need to be as creative in those instances. Um, I would say when you're two or three, or perhaps even number four, depending on where you sit in your market, in your industry, there is that creativity and the ability to do something new and fresh, it kind of unseats the the leader in your market. And so I think that's where that comes from. And just across uh any point in my career, I always like to do something different. And I everybody hates to hear, oh, well, we've always done it that way, right? But I believe that sometimes where that number one position, well, we've always done it this way, so we don't need to make any changes and we've always made that investment and we've always done that poster or asset. Maybe that's just what you need to think about, re-shifting, you know, shift your focus, rethink what you're putting out there. And I think that's where when you're number two, three, four, five, six in the industry, that's where that creativity comes in. And you think, oh, well, if they're doing it this way, let's try something new. So the ability to be new and fresh when you're in those two, three, four positions seems more prevalent than when you're in that number one spot. That's my opinion, based on my experience over 20 years at this point.

SPEAKER_02 13:40

Yeah, I I totally agree. And what's also interesting, maybe as a kind of top tip for anybody listening in, is that even if you are number one, which, you know, congrats, I love it, still always act like you're the underdog, you know? Approach work every day as if you're the underdog, because that number one position can change rapidly. I mean, we've seen it recently with obviously the AI boom completely shifting how technology works uh and how technology is sold and bought. But uh the the favorite example I always use in this case is Nokia. It's such a simple example of a company that was on top of the world. They were the biggest uh mobile manufacturer in the world. Uh everybody knew them, they had the largest market share, and Apple comes out with the iPhone and just destroys them. They were complacent. They weren't moving forward. They said, no, touch screens, those are they're overrated. We've got this. And I think if they would have seen themselves as, hey, we've got that leading position, but any day now, something can change, I don't think that would have happened, right? So even if you're number one, pretend in your head like you're number two and you want to be number one.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

Well, yeah, and it speaks it speaks to kind of like what we were chatting about earlier, um, in in a different uh question or or you know conversation. Just because we think it's cool wherever we're sitting in our marketing role doesn't mean that our audience does, and vice versa, right? It's it's that same thought, like, hey, well, we've been doing this all along, but you never know what your audience thinks until that moment. And so I really do try to impress upon my teams, wherever I'm at, um, that what does our audience want and tailor your message to the audience appropriately? Yeah. Because if you're if you just give them a mass-canned message, they know it. We know it. We're consumers, right? If somebody sends me a message and I'm like, ugh, don't need that, um, I'm less likely to do business with them because I can tell that they're feeding me something that's not tailored to my needs. So that speaks to the customization point as well.

Brand Awareness In Deep Tech Channels

SPEAKER_02 15:37

Yeah, 100%. So it's it's relationship building, it's that customization. Uh a friend of mine always calls it wear your customer's hat, right? Pretend to be them, and then consume your own message and see what you think. And it's tricky at the beginning, by the way, but it can lead to like really impressive results where you're suddenly like, oh, if my day-to-day looks like this, this message is not going to land well, you know? So really do kind of take those different perspectives. I I think that's great. Um one of the challenges I think in in marketing is when you work at kind of heavy tech, deep engineering, uh complex industry, that that marketing can sometimes take a back seat, right? So I see this myself. I often hear names of companies I don't know. Uh, and then I learn they basically keep our world operating properly. So I don't know if you've ever heard of ASML.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Um I know it, very unfamiliar, but know the acronym.

SPEAKER_02 16:32

Well, uh that's a good example of this because it's a Dutch company, but they have a microchip manufacturing process that they're basically the only people that can do it. And when you acquire their capability, they actually fly a 747 to wherever you're at with the machines in them, and you have a fixed team of ASML specialists just sitting there all the time, but all our tech is basically powered by this ASML technology, and many people have no idea that this company exists. Um So that's kind of the point, right? Sometimes the marketing takes the back seat. So what would you say is the hardest part of shifting the perception in the channel when your partners, for example, lack awareness of your latest value proposition, or maybe even view you differently as a company in general?

SPEAKER_00 17:16

Sure, sure. Well, you need you need both brand recognition and the power behind it, right? So I I think when it comes to my current role at Vertiv, um, we've really invested heavily in engineering forever. Um, but we've also made a significant investment in our marketing strategy. And that global brand is really important to our organization just as much. So, you know, when you think about it from a consumer lens, everybody knows what Kleenex is. And sometimes in our world in technology, people come up, you know, I mean, in the dead of night, you'll hear of a new company that was just spun up, right? But I think what sets you apart is that commitment and that investment in both engineering or whatever technical abilities your your company has, as well as that marketing message, really sharing your value prop the right way to your audience. It speaks to that audience engagement, right? If we're spec if we're sharing a message that isn't landing on our audience, then we've lost them, obviously. But if we tailor a message with that, with that um deep-rooted thought leadership knowledge and we market it the right way, I think that's the recipe for success.

Next Guest Nomination And Patience

SPEAKER_02 18:24

Yeah, I I completely agree. And especially with that end customer focus, your partners almost can piggyback on that message. You know what I mean, right? You're you're marketing to them as well as to the end customer. And I think you kind of hit two birds with one stone. Oh, that's great. I think we could talk about this for hours, but we also always ask our guests to invite the next guest on this podcast. So who do you think we should have next?

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Yes. So one of my colleagues, uh Jim Fleming, he is our director of distribution sales for Vertiv North America. Uh, I've worked with with Jim for about three years, and I must say um his experience in the channel is uh about as long as mine, probably longer. And uh he has experience both with manufacturers and distribution, and he has great ideas. I think his um ability to motivate his team and to consistently deliver on promises that he's made to his leadership, maybe here or or in past, he's been a very successful member of our team. And and um I think he'd be a great uh insight uh into the the sales side of this and how he and I work together to deliver on those marketing, those channel marketing, partner marketing offerings, because it really does go hand in hand. Um he and I work together, we we meet about it, we strategize about it, and we try to deliver things uh in tandem. So I think he's a great opportunity. There's a great opportunity to chat with him, and he would be a great guest.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Well, I love that. And I think it's so important. Uh I I love the fact that you're nominating a sales leader as well, because I've pretty much throughout my entire career, I've not understood that some companies have such a split between marketing and sales. From my perspective, it's two sides of the same coin. We're at different stages in the process, but we're all trying to do the same thing. So again, there, building that connection, building that relationship is super valuable. So thanks for that nomination. Um, closing out, do you have any final thoughts you'd like to add that our uh audience might uh take some learnings from?

SPEAKER_00 20:20

Sure. Um, well, and I'll phrase it this way. Um, if I were speaking to myself um early in my career, I would say um be patient. Because while when I graduated from college and I started in my career, um, I felt like, man, I I've gone to school, I've learned everything that I need to know. Here I am. And I and I wanted to rise up through the ranks. Um and I wanted it right now. But sometimes patience is is really your friend. Um, my dream job was this role. This is what I wanted to do uh when I graduated from college, and I said to myself, I want to be a director of a of a channel program. Um and and that's something that was really important to me. It took me longer than I thought, but I was so eager to learn um that I overlooked that um it takes time, right? I mean, I know it's sort of naive, but um I've learned so much along the way. And even those grueling tasks where I was like, this sucks. I hate this, I did not sign up for this, this isn't channel marketing. Um, every bit of experience I've had led me to where I am today. So be patient. And if you continue to focus on that end goal, you will get there. And I feel like I'm young enough that there's still more to learn and and and uh further to grow. So um, but I'm happy with where I am, and I I think that patience was something that I just didn't think was as valuable as it is now.

SPEAKER_02 21:44

100%. I love that. And and I I don't think it's naive at all because you don't know what you don't know. And some things simply just come with time and experience. Some things you can't brute force or learn off of a script or theoretically it's Sometimes you just need to experience stuff. So uh uh no, I I think that's a fantastic closing and a really good tip, especially in an age where everything's moving faster and faster and faster. Yep, absolutely. Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and taking the time to speak with me. And for you, dear listeners, thanks for tuning in and see you in the next episode. Thanks, Erica.