#32 Kamesh Chivukula: 3 Ways To Guarantee Successful Alliances

Dynatrace is a market leader in monitoring enterprise cloud applications, and Kamesh manages business with Google Cloud as well. Dynatrace and Google present as complementary technologies.

In his day to day job, Kamesh not only manages relationships, he also executes well thought out strategic plans. He not only talks with his partners; he listens to them and then puts applicable plans in motion.

We spoke with Kamesh at Microsoft Inspire to hear about his 3 ways to lead to successful alliances:

1. Executing on strategic alignment
2. Listening to your customers & partners
3. Learn through experience

1. Executing on Strategic Alignment

Kamesh and his team are focused on solving problems, not just presenting data.  As Kamesh says, they are “all about execution.”  By presenting actionable items to fix problems Dynatrace becomes more of a strategic partner in their alliance relationships rather than just a data resource to use.

Kamesh does this by working closely with enterprise sales channel managers who, in Kamesh’s opinion, are the backbone of strategic alliances.  But he is not limited to that; he also works with the sales teams, dev teams, and more teams on each side of a partnership.  

These types of relationships are called alliances because there are so many teams working together that need alignment.  Alliances are not just patting each other on the back. They are about making sure you know how you’re aligned with your partner’s goals in every way.  

What are the success metrics? An alliance will fail if each side is not explaining exactly how they will jointly bring about success.  

Dynatrace has other alliance relationships apart from Microsoft, and they know that for every joint go to market to be successful, they need to align on what is best for both partners.  A lot of work goes in up front to a relationship like this, but there is a discipline to living in execution.  They ask: How can we work towards increasing joint value together?

2. Listening to your customers and partners

The way you present your company’s solution matters, and Kamesh believes this is involves a constant state of learning.  The objectives of the partnership also matters.  As a business development leader, you need to look for partnerships that have as many benefits as possible to both sides.  Bringing in the right personnel internally for the right fit in a strategic partnership really matters too.  

What do these three important things have in common?  They require listening.  Listening to your customers, listening to your partners, and listening to your own team. It is Kamesh’s one guiding principle that above all has yet to steer him wrong.

Dynatrace likes to define solutions together with partners.  For example, Microsoft recently spent time talking to their partners because they wanted to take the time to listen, learn and become a better partner. This is part of the reason that Dynatrace values their relationship with Microsoft so highly; this is how Dynatrace seeks to treat every customer and partner.  

Kamesh knows that when you listen to customers and solve their pain points, they will be happy.

3. Learn through experience:

Kamesh has learned the most through failed alliances in his career.  He’s mostly seen simple things like lack of alignment bring down alliances.  He encourages partners to not blindly agree to each other’s metrics, but focus on metrics that make sense for both sides.  

But Kamesh says that if you know your market, align your goals jointly, and focus on listening to your partners and customers, you will be on the right track to success.

Listen to the podcast here.

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This episode is part of the Alliance Aces Roadshow. Watch the video interview on Facebook.

To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by:

• Email: chip@workspan.com
• Twitter: @chiprodgers
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers