Social Media, Outside Hires Key To Sales Success In New IT

Rebranding, New Sales Structures Taking Root

Channel companies are changing up their branding, marketing and sales strategies to account for the rise of cloud computing, managed services and non-IT buyers, according to a recent study.

CompTIA's fourth annual "State of the Channel" study surveyed 350 channel companies to examine factors impacting the industry today.

Key findings include everything from 40 percent of companies ramping up social media activities to drum up new business to nearly half of companies surveyed expecting new business opportunities to increase complexity in the sales structure.

On the personnel side, nearly three quarters of firms expect to add new sales and marketing talent, with two-thirds of firms bringing in sales reps from outside the IT industry.