與巨人共舞
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總結(jié) ????絕大多數(shù)“大衛(wèi)—歌利亞”式的分銷協(xié)議都類似于我們?cè)?003年與惠普公司的合作：只不過是一種不錯(cuò)的公關(guān)手段而已（注1） ????另一方面，找到合適的伙伴簽署合適的分銷協(xié)定（比如Opsware公司與思科的合作）可以帶來真正的變革。在制定合作伙伴戰(zhàn)略時(shí)，需要考慮以下這4個(gè)金科玉律： ????1. 質(zhì)量比數(shù)量更重要：一個(gè)構(gòu)架良好的合作關(guān)系所產(chǎn)生的影響和可支持度遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)勝過許多毫無效力的分銷協(xié)議。 ????2. 任務(wù)明確：提前花些時(shí)間來搞清楚你和合作伙伴的目標(biāo)究竟是什么。 ????3. 要求對(duì)方給予硬性承諾：大公司很容易分心。有約束力的承諾有助于合作伙伴集中注意，使其在協(xié)議簽訂很久之后依然保持著兌現(xiàn)諾言的動(dòng)力（注意，這意味著要找到一位有權(quán)力作出承諾的資深高管）。 ????4. 你也應(yīng)給予對(duì)方硬性承諾：為了讓合作伙伴獲得成功，你需要做出大量的投資。諸如銷售和產(chǎn)品支持，以及不計(jì)渠道的獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)政策這類承諾值得付出，唯此才能回報(bào)合作伙伴對(duì)你作出的承諾。 ????只有極少數(shù)初創(chuàng)企業(yè)會(huì)投資于戰(zhàn)略性商業(yè)拓展計(jì)劃，以系統(tǒng)性地接觸潛在的合作伙伴，進(jìn)而在機(jī)會(huì)來臨時(shí)創(chuàng)造出具有變革意義的伙伴關(guān)系。作為一家軟件企業(yè)，Opsware公司的投資在其成立僅3年之后就取得了回報(bào)。跟Loudcloud-EDS交易和隨后的并購行動(dòng)一樣，與思科公司的合作這個(gè)案例同樣顯示了戰(zhàn)略性商業(yè)拓展的威力。 ????本文作者約翰?奧法雷爾是安德里森霍洛維茨公司（Andreessen Horowitz）的普通合伙人。約翰主導(dǎo)了公司注資Facebook、Twitter和團(tuán)購網(wǎng)站Groupon等公司，并在合作伙伴、戰(zhàn)略性交易和全球擴(kuò)張等事務(wù)上與其所投資的公司進(jìn)行了廣泛的合作。在進(jìn)入安德里森霍洛維茨公司之前，約翰曾經(jīng)在銀泉網(wǎng)絡(luò)（Silver Spring Networks）、Opsware和Excite @ Home等公司擔(dān)任執(zhí)行副總裁職務(wù)。在職業(yè)生涯早期，約翰曾在美國和歐洲工作過，先后就職于美國西部（US WEST）、博思艾倫（Booz Allen）、愛爾蘭電信（Telecom Ireland）、歐盟委員會(huì)（EU Commission）數(shù)字設(shè)備（Digital Equipment ）和西門子 （Siemens）等公司或機(jī)構(gòu)。約翰擁有斯坦福大學(xué)商學(xué)院（the Stanford Graduate School of Business）MBA學(xué)位和都柏林大學(xué)（University College Dublin）電子工程學(xué)士學(xué)位。他會(huì)講英語，德語，法語和葡萄牙語。約翰的博客地址是：http://john.a16z.com/。 ????【注1】請(qǐng)注意，我們跟惠普公司合作其實(shí)是出于公關(guān)宣傳的目的，惠普方面也持有同樣的看法，所以說這次合作達(dá)到了事先目的。對(duì)外宣布許多輕量級(jí)的“合作關(guān)系”以展示自身的整合能力并贏得市場(chǎng)聲譽(yù)，或許講得通，但不要指望這些合作伙伴能產(chǎn)生收入，務(wù)必要確保公司上下也明白這個(gè)道理。 ????譯者： 任文科 |
In summary ????Like Opsware's 2003 HP deal, the vast majority of David-Goliath type distribution deals don't deliver beyond PR[1]. ????On the other hand, like Opsware's Cisco deal, the right distribution deal with the right partner can be truly transformative. In formulating your partner strategy, consider four golden rules: ????1. Quality trumps quantity: One well-constructed partnership will have far more impact, and be far more supportable, than lots of toothless arrangements. ????2. Mission clarity: Invest the time up front to get crystal-clear on your objectives and those of your partner. ????3. Demand hard commitments: Big companies are easily distracted. Binding commitments focus the mind and create incentive to deliver long after the deal is signed. (Note this means finding a senior executive sponsor with the authority to commit.) ????4. Make hard commitments in return: You will need to invest substantially in making your partner successful. Commitments like sales and product support and channel-neutral compensation are worth making in return for the right commitment from your partner. ????Only a few startups invest in the ongoing BD effort to systematically cover the landscape of potential partners and create that game-changing partnership when the opportunity presents itself. For Opsware, that investment paid off three years after our start as a software company. Like the Loudcloud-EDS deal and the M&A campaign that followed, the Cisco partnership provides another example of the power of strategic business development. ????John O'Farrell is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. John led the firm's investments in Facebook, Twitter and Groupon, and works with portfolio companies on partnering, strategic transactions and global expansion. Prior to Andreessen Horowitz, John held Executive Vice President positions at Silver Spring Networks, Opsware and Excite@Home. Earlier in his career, John worked in the United States and Europe with US WEST, Booz Allen, Telecom Ireland, the EU Commission, Digital Equipment and Siemens. John has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Electronic Engineering from University College Dublin. He speaks English, German, French and Portuguese. John blogs at http://john.a16z.com/. ????[1] Note that our objective (and HP's) for the HP deal was in fact PR, so it met its objective. It may well make sense to announce lots of lightweight "partnerships" to demonstrate integration and gain market credibility—just don't expect them to generate revenue, and make sure the company understands that too. |
