Laz Gonzalez (www.linkedin.com/in/laz-gonzalez-97b731) is a Sr. Research Director within the Product Marketing Practice team focused on b2b channels and partner ecosystems. He advises clients on the strategies and tactics required to develop and manage channel partner programs in different stages of maturity, particularly focused on determining channel routes-to-market, partner recruitment and segmentation, channel enablement, partner organizational structure, including sales and marketing roles and channel performance metrics. Additionally, Laz helps organizations navigate through the channel technology and services landscape, including agency/concierge best practices, partner relationship management (PRM), channel marketing management (CMM), partner learning management systems (LMS), channel incentives, channel data and vendor marketplaces.
Before Gartner, Laz was Chief Strategy Officer at Zift Solutions, where he helped transform the channel technology landscape. Laz also served as Group Director of Channel Sales and Marketing Strategies at SiriusDecisions, where his team published extensively on channel management, partner recruitment, enablement and lead generation. Laz gained extensive experience implementing solution-driven sales programs with OEMs, strategic alliances, distributors and resellers during two decades as a channel practitioner himself. He also headed up North American Channels for Unipress Software, served as EVP of sales and marketing at Beast Financials, and VP of alliances and OEM programs at Viewpoint. Internationally, Laz led sales efforts for Lotus Development in Latin America and Baan in Europe.
Zift Solutions Inc.
Chief Strategy Officer
SiriusDecisions / Forrester
Group Service Director, Channel Management Strategies
Numara Software
Channel Leader
Go-to-Market Strategy
Messaging and Differentiation
Marketing Impact
Industry Markets and Technologies
Technology Marketing Effectiveness (retired)
Computer Science, Rutgers University
1Determine channel routes-to-market and develop appropriate channel program strategy
2Drive effectiveness in partner recruitment and engagement to increase adoption
3Optimize channel marketing function, helping focus efforts on partner demand creation and ROI
4Identify ecosystem partners and orchestrate customer-centric connections to drive sales velocity
5Guide clients through channel sales and marketing funding and resource models.