came about as a result of advisors banding together.” TSDs also help maintain portfolio integrity by vetting suppliers and filtering out bad actors – and this is a constant balancing act. Being too lenient risks lowering quality and damaging partner trust, while being overly selective can slow growth. “On any given day, three to four providers are coming to us to get into our portfolio,” explained Sandler Partners chief revenue officer Justin Marano during the roundtable. “That vetting process needs to be very intensive.” This is especially difficult in the AI era, with many new companies entering the market. In a recent tech training session, Telarus vice president of CX Sam Nelson said that as many as 10 new AI companies reach out daily asking to be a part of the TSD’s portfolio. “[As advisors] you’re able to bring these true trusted solutions that have been vetted from a technical and support structure standpoint,” Nelson explained. Still, the newly released 2025-26 Telarus Tech Trends report shows that many advisors are struggling to sell AI-powered solutions – even as AI remains the top driver of IT investment. In fact, just 13 percent of advisors said they feel “very prepared” to sell AI-powered solutions, even though 71 percent believe it will generate more revenue in the next one to two years. As we move deeper into the agentic AI era, advisors will undoubtedly lean on TSDs more to discover reliable vendors, leverage expert sales engineers and position emerging technologies effectively to customers. “We have a lot of really great tools right now,” explained Nate Juraschek, senior vice president of product at Telarus. “Our priority is to continue making them even better so that when advisors are talking with customers, they’re closing more deals. We intend to keep innovating and iterating, especially with the market changing so fast now with AI and everything that goes with it.” Strengthening the Value Chain This emphasis on continuous innovation reflects a broader shift that’s occurring across the channel. As ForgeOS CEO Brooke Frank recently pointed out, TSDs have evolved beyond their original role of distribution fundamentals to become digital and strategic partners – excelling in core areas like ecosystem coordination, partner enablement and revenue assurance. Frank now sees the need for a fourth category emerging. “We’re starting to see technologydriven innovations become more important, and bringing increasing value in a tough channel environment,” Frank said. According to Frank, there is a growing need for tools that go beyond quoting and commissions and provide next-generation automation and advanced analytics using massive data sets. ForgeOS is helping fill this need, as a TSD-agnostic technology intelligence platform that helps technology advisors drive revenue through data-driven insights. The company sits adjacent to TSDs, combining data from TSDs, partners and customers to improve visibility and maximize revenue. By harnessing targeted insights, ForgeOS helps advisors to identify new revenue opportunities, reduce administrative drag and compete on speed, accuracy and intelligence. “The amount of data coming into TSD platforms is like drinking from a fire hose,” Frank said. “We simplify it for our partners by focusing on very unique fractions of giant data sets.” Technology advisors are in a strong position heading into the fourth quarter, flush with updated sales enablement tools and riding on market tailwinds. IT budgets remain steady, while AI is slowly maturing. As AVANT president and co-founder Drew Lydecker explained during the roundtable discussion, growing complexity and uncertainty are driving demand for advisors who can help strategize and make informed spending decisions. “There’s so few industries where complexity and uncertainty benefit you. It benefits us,” Lydecker explained, while also predicting it will lead to a boom for advisors. Agents who can move quickly, leverage new TSD tools and position themselves as strategic partners will be in a strong position to capture growth in the coming months. o CHANNEL MANAGEMENT Source: Futurum Research, channel decision maker surveys 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Best Way Vendors Can Support Your Business, % Share of Repondents Source: Futurum Research, channel decision maker surveys 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Internal AI Use Strongly Correlates with Advisor Confidence in Selling AI How prepared do you feel to sell AI-powered technology solutions? How is your technology Source: Telarus Very prepared - I have deep knowledge and expertise Somewhat prepared - I understand the basics but need more support Not very prepared communicate AI’s within our portfolio 4% 7% 10% Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Developer tools Best-in-class technical support Training programs Early access and roadmap visibility Lead generation Co-sell support Dedicated account management Modern portals and tools Marketing resources Attractive commercial terms 14% 7% 9% 13% 13% 14% 12% 8% 9% 10% 8% 8% 10% 17% 15% 9% 7% 10% 9% 8% 7% 9% 12% 12% 8% 8% 9% 7% 10% 9% Using AI for Internal operations Using AI for marketing and sales Offering A Exploring AI solutions but have not yet implemented them Running AI Pilot 21% 20% 29% 10% 24% 57% 58% 58% 51% 49% 20% 20% 13% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 34 CHANNELVISION | SUMMER 2025
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4Njc=