Build a partner program that produces revenue.

“As CEO of ClaritiCX and Palomarr, I help businesses evaluate and select technology providers. ClaritiCX focuses on telecom and contact center solutions, while Palomarr combines AI technology matching with expert advice to guide buying decisions.

When Tom was developing SharpenUP!, he asked for my perspective as a technology advisor. We bounced ideas back and forth, he incorporated my suggestions into the program, and ClaritiCX became a founding member.

Tom is open and direct in his communication and very easy to work with. We could speak openly about what I needed as a partner, where an idea or program might fall short, and how to make it better. He welcomed that feedback and worked with me to find practical answers.

When Tom moved to Cascade, we chose to partner with him again. Strategy execution software is outside our traditional CX and telecom offerings, but he helped us see how it could expand our business and bring value to our customers.

Tom listens, follows through, and gives me a straight answer. Those are qualities I look for in anyone whose company or product I’m going to represent.”

“Tom taught me that if you want partners to bring you opportunities, you have to stay top of mind. He uses a system he calls “political signage.” He recognized that many channel partners were still hesitant to sell CCaaS. They saw the earning potential, but needed the knowledge and confidence to sell it.

Together, we developed a CCaaS training program and brought it to advisors in more than 100 cities, helping them identify sales opportunities within their existing customer base. That work generated many qualified opportunities from partners that had never even considered selling CCaaS.

Tom showed me how to turn partner education and regular contact into productive relationships. Those lessons continue to shape how I lead the channel business at Level365.

He also became a mentor I still speak with every week. His willingness to share his experience has made a lasting difference in my career.”

“I first met Tom at a trade show in 2011, where he sold me on the technology platform he represented. I remember thinking, ‘If he can sell me, I want him to work for me.’ A year later, Tom joined my team at inContact.

I directly supervised Tom as we built the reseller channel. He designed and launched what we believe was the first reseller program of its kind in SaaS. Under his leadership, within two years, the reseller channel went from contributing zero new revenue to generating 35% of the company’s new revenue.

Tom also masterminded and executed our partnership with RingCentral, a relationship that has generated more than $1 billion in wholesale revenue.

Tom doesn’t just sign Partners up. He builds the program, enables the partners, and establishes the processes and relationships that produce revenue.

I don’t know anyone who knows how to build partner programs and partnerships better than Tom.”

“When I hired Tom to build Sharpen’s partner program, I knew that we faced an uphill battle: getting the attention of Channel Partners and TSDs who already had plenty of more established CCaaS providers to choose from.

Tom understood that signing agreements wouldn’t be enough. We needed to give partners a reason to notice Sharpen and bring us opportunities. He created a unique membership program called SharpenUP!, which rewarded its members with enhanced commissions based on consistent performance. The program put us on the radar of hundreds of Trusted Advisors who had never heard of us, generating an immediate and predictable lead flow.

I’d first met Tom years earlier at Thinking Phones/Fuze when he brought us into inContact’s reseller program. As CEO of Sharpen, I saw his creativity and ability to execute firsthand. He immediately identified what was holding us back and built a practical program to address it.

When I later became CEO of Cascade and saw the need to build its partner business, I called Tom immediately. I’d already seen what he could accomplish, and I wanted him to do it again.”

“As Chief Revenue Officer at Sharpen, I needed a partner program that would create opportunities our sales team could turn into revenue. I’d known Tom for years, including our time at inContact, and was part of the decision to bring him in to build it.

Tom reported to me, so I saw his work firsthand. His SharpenUP! program gave channel partners a reason to choose us over other CCaaS providers and generated a steady flow of qualified leads for our sales team. He understood that attracting those opportunities was only part of the job. We also needed a clear process for handling them.

Tom and I worked closely to establish rules of engagement that our partners and salespeople understood. That meant protecting partner relationships, clarifying responsibilities, and addressing channel conflict before it undermined trust or slowed a deal.

From my perspective as CRO, Tom’s strength is his ability to connect partner strategy with the everyday realities of selling. He understands what partners need and what sales teams need to succeed, and he knows how to get them working together.”

“Before Tom joined Cascade, I’d spent about two years managing Cascade’s partnership program, mainly on the basis of legacy and discontinued programs which resulted in a small group of partners. Tom introduced a formal partner program and gave me the opportunity to take a more active role in alliances.

As I took on responsibility for our European partners, Tom became a mentor to me. He taught me how to lead partner conversations, negotiate commercial terms, and understand the thinking behind commission structures and reseller rates. He explained why a particular approach made sense and helped me apply it to the relationships I managed.

Tom is generous with his knowledge and draws on his experience in direct and channel sales to find practical solutions. I could bring him a challenging situation, work through it with him, and come away better prepared to handle the next one myself.

Working with Tom gave me the skills and confidence to become an effective channel leader. He built Cascade’s partner program while helping me grow into someone who could run it.”

“I worked alongside Tom at inContact and Talkdesk, where I led the distribution partner programs and he led the reseller business. When I moved to Talkdesk, I urged the CEO to recruit Tom to build the strategic partner program. I’d already seen what he could do.

Together, we developed and deployed comprehensive lead registration rules of engagement that protected referral and reseller partners while balancing the needs of direct sales.

Tom understands what each side needs and knows how to find common ground. I watched him put that skill to work negotiating complex SaaS reseller agreements with major global PBX, UCaaS, technology, and telecom providers.

Tom and I are close friends, but my confidence in him comes from years of working together. I encouraged a CEO to hire him once, and I would do it again.”

“I’ve worked with Tom from two sides of the channel: first as VP of Sales at AVANT Communications, a Technology Services Distributor (TSD), and later through my own business, BanaTech Consulting.

At AVANT, I worked closely with Technology Advisors and the providers they represented. Tom understands that model and how to build relationships with the individual partners who ultimately bring opportunities to the table. He listened, welcomed input, and was straightforward about what we could accomplish together.

When I started my own consulting business, I wanted to expand beyond the CX, contact center, and telecom solutions traditionally sold through the channel. Tom introduced me to Cascade and the opportunity to bring strategy execution software to my customers.

It was a new category for my business, and my trust in Tom was a major reason I became a partner. I knew he understood the channel and would work with me as I explored where Cascade could fit.

Choosing a provider also means choosing the people you’ll depend on. I’ve worked with Tom before, and I am comfortable putting my own company’s name behind that relationship.”

“As a direct seller at Cascade, I worked closely with Tom on the opportunities his partners brought us. We both understood that a partner is putting their reputation on the line every time they introduce you to a new customer. How you handle that introduction determines whether there will be another one.

Tom and I worked together to enable partners, build relationships, and make sure their experience with our sales team matched the expectations he had set. He understood my responsibilities as a seller and helped me understand what each partner needed from me to be successful.

I appreciated how closely Tom stayed involved. We talked through every opportunity, agreed on who would do what, and kept the partner informed along the way. That coordination helped us earn the trust we needed to work effectively with each partner.

Tom knows that the success of any partner program depends on what happens after an opportunity reaches the sales team, whether that team works for the provider or the partner. He does the work needed to connect partner relationships and lead generation with sales execution, helping everyone involved work more effectively and win more business.”