How Spur Reply Partnered with Snowflake to Transform the Reseller Partner Program

A different way to store data

Snowflake, the Data Cloud company, is transforming the way companies process, analyze, and store data.

Snowflake stands out from other data solutions because it allows storage and computing to scale independently. Its services are provided on-demand, which allows its users to select the amount of storage and computing they need without paying based on a subscription rate or usage. Additionally, the service decentralizes data and eliminates the need for data transfers, which makes data sets easily accessible across internal teams and organizations. With decentralized data, users receive analytical reports in near real-time for a lower cost.

Accelerating Snowflake Inc's growth

Snowflake mainly operated in the United States, but as it grew, expanded into new markets, and scaled, it needed to adopt sales models that address specific tax and contract risks, along with various local regulations in other countries.

Because Snowflake’s reseller partner program was early in its development, our client wanted to find ways to improve the partner experience. Our client asked us to assess Snowflake’s existing resale program, provide recommendations for the future, and drive alignment across executives. Moreover, Snowflake wanted to achieve internal alignment on its resale strategy for the future and asked us to help define the role of a resale partner within its strategy. To enhance the company’s partner experience, we also delivered recommendations on the viability of a two-tier distribution strategy.

Conducting internal discoveries, assessments, and building recommendations

The project required our team to apply our expertise in partner experience improvement and developing partner go-to-market strategies across routes to market. Our recommendations were based on the unique situation as well as market best practices we've observed in other channel management projects across the technology industry.

“With Spur Reply's holistic and extensive knowledge on partner go-to-market strategies, we were able to identify the key next steps needed to scale,” said Philip Larson, senior director of WW Partner Programs. "Spur's guidance and execution allowed us to rethink our route-to-market structure and partner distribution model, allowing us to continue providing a first-class partner experience."

We started the project by conducting an internal discovery into Snowflake’s current partner reseller strategy. Our consultants met with stakeholders across internal organizations within the company to understand the partner reseller program’s overall perception, current challenges, and future goals. We additionally met with existing resale partners to understand their perspective on the program as well. Once our team of consultants completed the discovery, we assessed Snowflake’s current reseller strategy by measuring it against best practices for resale management with partners. Taking into account the findings from the discovery and assessment, we later built high-level recommendations for executives. The executives used the recommendations to help define their long-term strategy for engaging with resale partners.

We also conducted an internal discovery into the potential of a two-tier distribution strategy. Our team determined whether the distribution program was needed and viable, then identified other alternatives that could fit our client’s needs. After the internal discovery, our team used Spur Reply’s internal subject matter experts and best practices to provide another set of recommendations for potential next steps. The recommendations were based on Snowflake’s current size and the return on investment they would receive from building this new route to market.

Our client wanted to partner with us based on Spur Reply’s expertise around partner program re-design across several technology companies.

Reseller partner program recommendations and distribution model viability assessment optimizes PX

Our expertise in partner experience improvement and developing partner go-to-market strategies across routes to market allowed us to bring Snowflake’s partner vision into focus.

"We appreciate the high quality of work they delivered throughout our collaboration," Larson said.

Driving alignment across Snowflake’s executive team, we gave our client an enhanced structure for the resale route to market and the tactical next steps needed to scale.

We also provided a plan and alternative solutions for a two-tiered distribution model, which remained consistent with the expected ROI of the addressable market in the new countries in which Snowflake wanted to expand.