PRM Magic Quadrant - salesforce.com?

Recently, Gartner published the latest magic quadrant evaluating companies that offer business to business solutions and/or PRM software. I was not surprised to see companies like Oracle and SAP improve their positions as they continue to tap their install base and force feed their customers with solutions that are still not perfectly designed for the channel. A comment by Rob Desisto peaked my interest:

"Salesforce.com provides sufficient PRM functionality
(for example, market funds management, partner registration and certification,
partner profiling, and partner matching and locating) to be considered for PRM
deployments, but it does not provide operational e-commerce
functionality."

The full report can be found at this URL.

http://mediaproducts.gartner.com/reprints/oracle/126436.html

I find the propostion that Salesforce may enter this space very fascinating. Some of the key challenges companies face today with their channel strategies and automation of their channel processes is adoption and usability. Both are connected to one another. Salesforce solves these issues and solves them very well in the SFA and Marketing Automation spaces. What would stop Salesforce from leveraging its install base and really driving the PRM market to adoption rates that would change the landscape. If Salesforce enters the space with the right business processes (right is defined by high value, saleable, and mission critical for the channel) watch out. If I were sales force I would focus on the following:

1. Channel analytics (MSFT has just entered the BI space so this will become hot)
2. Collaborative forecasting and planning with partners
3. Collaborative selling with partners including pricing, ecommerce, contracts, and quoting tools (not just focus on lead sharing)
4. Link POS data to partner performance and demand (aka leads) to measure expenditures
5. Third party service automation

These are just a few areas. One can also consider a vertical approach to PRM and prioritize and segment requirements in a very different way....

Salesforce can really redefine the PRM software market and reshape how companies go to market with their partners. The