Exclusive: CloudBlue's VP reveals the key to thriving in the subscription economy

CloudBlue's VP, Lincoln Lincoln, has revealed the significant global impact the company is making and the key to guiding customers through the subscription economy, during an exclusive interview with TechDay.

CloudBlue, a leading provider in the subscription economy, continues to help companies automate and transform their business models.

As Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Customer Success, Lincoln has a role that involves overseeing a team spread across four regions, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific in Japan.

Lincoln joined CloudBlue seven years ago after working with EMC and Symantec.

He explained to TechDay that his previous experiences are what led him to recognise a significant opportunity in CloudBlue's business model.

"At EMC, we were helping telcos launch their infrastructure as a service. But when they wanted to resell third-party technology, like Norton, it would take them months to integrate it into their systems," he said.

"I saw a gap in the market for a platform that could help these companies go to market faster with third-party technology."

CloudBlue's platform, which Lincoln describes as a "monetisation platform for the subscription economy," allows companies to build and operate their own app store-like marketplace, providing a variety of business applications to customers. These include major offerings like Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, AWS, and many others.

However, Lincoln pointed out that the platform is more than just a marketplace.

"A monetisation platform includes the marketplace, but it's the stuff behind the scenes that's critical. Billing, provisioning, rating, and metering are all integral parts of it," he said.

He stressed the importance of accurate billing and subscription management, adding that errors in these areas can lead to "significant issues for customers."

CloudBlue works with several large customers across different industries, primarily telcos, managed service providers, and distributors.

"These sectors sell at scale, and that's where a platform like CloudBlue is useful because it automates the transaction process," he explained. "If you're only selling a handful of licenses, you probably don't need a platform like ours, but when you're dealing with massive volumes, it's essential."

The company has also built a reputation for onboarding a vast ecosystem of products.

"What makes CloudBlue different is the size of our ecosystem. We have over 450 products that are pre-integrated into our platform," Lincoln said. This pre-integration, he explained, significantly reduces the time and cost for service providers to onboard new products, a process that used to take months and cost millions.

While CloudBlue has seen tremendous growth, Lincoln noted that many companies still struggle to adapt to the subscription economy. "We often see service providers launching a marketplace with a huge catalogue of 50 or 60 products, and more often than not, that fails," he said. His advice to companies is to start small with a few "anchor applications" and build from there. "You need to ensure your team is competent in selling the products before you expand your catalogue," he added.

Another challenge companies face is relying too heavily on the digital marketplace itself. Lincoln stressed the importance of human interaction in the sales process, especially for small businesses. "Just standing up a marketplace isn't enough. Small businesses are looking for a local, trusted provider to guide them on what applications to buy."

"A human touch is often required to make the sale," he explained.

CloudBlue's relationship with resellers is another key part of its business. Lincoln described resellers as both customers and partners, explaining how CloudBlue enables resellers to sell digital products at scale. "In essence, all of our customers are resellers. We work with big system integrators who resell our technology, but we also maintain a direct touch with many of these partners," he said.

When asked about the changes he's witnessed during his tenure at CloudBlue, Lincoln cited the growth in the company's product catalogue and the increasing role of service providers as software vendors.

"We've seen a real shift with service providers becoming more like software vendors, developing their own IP. That's been a big driver of growth for us," he said.

Another area of growth has come from end-user expectations. Lincoln highlighted the importance of leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to provide personalised recommendations. "We're starting to apply AI to help give proactive recommendations. Just like Amazon suggests products based on previous purchases, we're doing the same in the B2B world," he explained.

This kind of data-driven insight, he believes, will help service providers better meet the needs of their customers.

CloudBlue's focus on providing a seamless, automated platform for its customers has positioned it as a leader in the subscription economy. With a growing catalogue of products and a commitment to innovation, Lincoln sees a bright future ahead for the company.

"We're constantly evolving to meet the needs of our partners and end-users. It's an exciting time for CloudBlue," he said.

Ending on a reflective note, Lincoln offered advice for companies trying to thrive in the subscription economy.

"Don't try to do too much at once. Start with a few key products, ensure your team knows how to sell them, and build from there."