Channel Marketers Embrace AI as Industry Charts Future – Channel Insider
AI training aims to equip channel marketers with tools and strategies to drive real outcomes. CMA and channelWise lead with webinars, guides, and certs.
Victoria Durgin
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When we report on the channel, we often focus on how end customers are served by the network of partners and vendors that make up the industry. Channel businesses themselves, though, are working through the same innovation cycles and finding new opportunities with emerging tools like AI.
We spoke with Kathryn Rose, CEO of channelWise and co-founder of the Channel Marketing Association, to learn more about her work in guiding the channel toward practical AI adoption.
The CMA provides marketers working in vendors and solution providers with enablement resources and training opportunities for a variety of topics.
The AI in the Channel virtual webinar, scheduled for July 22-23, is the latest step in that process. The webinar is being produced in collaboration with channelWise and is open to anyone working in the channel. The webinar features co-hosts Rose, AI strategist Julie Anne Eason, and channel sales expert Jennifer Bleam.
“I’m so committed to helping this community thrive and keeping the channel at the forefront of these conversations,” Rose said.
Designed for partner marketers, program leaders, and enablement professionals, the summit will explore how AI is reshaping the technology channel, offering practical strategies and tools to drive measurable outcomes across partner ecosystems. Rose says she hopes to see more leaders realize their ability to give detailed instructions and break down complex tasks, which naturally lends itself to getting the most out of AI-enabled workflows.
“We know that many organizations say they are using AI but aren’t doing much with it, and the adoption rate amongst leaders is even lower at many places,” said Rose. “There’s this misconception that AI should be easy and natural to digital natives or that younger people will be further ahead with it, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
As part of its broader effort to support channel professionals in adopting AI responsibly and effectively, CMA recently launched two foundational resources:
We have reported extensively on the opportunities, ongoing challenges, and lingering questions posed by the increasing number of AI solutions entering the market. Rose says it’s no different for those working in non-technical roles at channel businesses.
“There’s an assumption sometimes that people working in technology must be experts at all tech, and that’s just not true,” Rose said. “Plus, many channel teams are still pretty small, and we all feel the overwhelm of how many new AI things are coming out now.”
For Rose, who has worked extensively on books and training resources related to digital marketing for decades, AI represents the next iteration of tools available to practitioners. Like other tools in the toolit, AI needs to be leveraged properly and thoughtfully for it to truly be helpful.
“A lot of people are great at getting the strategy but need more help with learning the tools to actually implement it,” said Rose. “You don’t want end customers to look at what you’re putting out and go, ‘eh, that’s just AI and it looks lazy, they must not be a good partner or vendor if they aren’t putting effort into this.’ Your work still needs to be fresh and meaningful.”
“At the same time, I still talk to people who feel guilty about using AI as if they’re cheating somehow, and that isn’t true, either. It’s just another automation tool we can use to do important work more efficiently.”
Victoria Durgin
Contributing writer
Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.
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