CHANNEL CHIEF
JUAN VILLALOBOS , F5 LATAM Director Channel Sales , tells us about the business opportunities available in the company ’ s channel ecosystem in 2024 .
wWhat does your position entail ? F5 , categorized as a tier two company , conducts all its sales transactions through partners . The channel team concentrates on enabling and activating these partners in LATAM , shaping the strategy and establishing go-to-market plans with them . This collaboration is built on trust and is aimed at all market segments , with a particular emphasis on the enterprise segment .
Who reports directly to you in the region ?
A team of five , stationed in key cities , manages regions including Brazil , Mexico , Colombia , Chile and the USA . The Program Leader and the Business Development team , consisting of three members based in Guadalajara , our Customer Support Center , collaborate closely with the marketing team . They serve as the initial point of contact with customers following a lead generation action .
How many partners do you have in LATAM ? In which countries are these ?
In LATAM , we have a network of just over 400 partners spread across three regions : Brazil , Mexico and the Multi-Country Area ( MCA ), which is further divided into three sub-regions – North , South and the English-speaking Caribbean . In Brazil , our F5 representatives are located in Sao Paulo and Brasilia .
Can you explain how your company works with channel partners ?
Enable , activate and reward . Understanding the needs of our partners is key to building trust and fostering collaboration . We work closely with F5 sales and engineering teams to enable our partners . Additionally , we activate partners through marketing and business plans , aligning rebates with our sales strategy .
What is your channel management philosophy ?
No matter the size or designation of a partner , a partnership is always reciprocal . It ’ s essential for us to comprehend how we can contribute to a partner ’ s growth . After all , their success is synonymous with our success .
How do you handle leads for F5 software , hardware and services ?
Prospects are assigned to the Business Development team , which operates under my supervision . This team collaborates closely with the marketing department , engaging with prospects that emerge from various demand generation activities and tactics across LATAM . As a prospect transitions into a lead , they are assigned to an F5 Account Manager who is responsible for validating and qualifying the lead before forwarding the opportunity to a partner .
Do F5 partners work with the complete portfolio or in a segmented way ?
Partners engage with our entire portfolio , yet the majority have specific areas of expertise and strength . For instance , some specialize by verticals such as government , finance and service providers , while others focus on business units like security , microservices and cloud .
Do you work differently with channel partners in Latin America compared to other regions ?
We operate under the global program UNITY +, with the only variation in LATAM being that the requirements are aligned with regional needs . Strategically , while global directives set the go-to-market priorities for partners , we implement our own tactics and activities at the local level .
Juan Villalobos , F5 LATAM Director Channel Sales
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS LATAM 47