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Best Practices for Channel Partner Enablement

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How to Establish a Flawless Channel Partnership.

With Saas (Software as a Service) providers and Cloud-based solutions continuing to emerge in today’s marketplace, business-to-business (B2B) corporations now have palpable insight into channel partner enablement procedures.

Now, more than ever, vendors can analyze their channel partner enablement process to see which of their indirect sales partners present them with the best opportunities to flourish, as well as the distributors/resellers that don’t.
As the global economic landscape continues to broaden in competition, and with consumer demand changing on a daily basis, it’s imperative for businesses to fulfill their channel with partners who maintain the skills and proficiency to not only survive but succeed.
But creating a prosperous partner profile doesn’t just rely on the evaluation of indirect sales data, it also falls on the shoulders of the vendor’s due diligence in their channel partner enablement as an administrative resource.  In other words, vendors must implement proactive communication that aligns marketing, sales and technical practices with vendors’ solutions. After all, it’s the vendor’s product, and if the distributing partner is ill-equipped or lacks the expertise to effectively “sell” the product, the vendor is the more likely candidate to blame (for lack-of-sales).
Before you, as a vendor, decide to invest more into channel partner enablement, it’s absolutely quintessential to not only understand the partners’ track record but also how well-equipped partner in-house resources are to suitably sell your product.

4 Keys to Channel Partner Enablement Success

1)  Product Education

Blame instincts or our egotistical predisposition, but us humans hate to put the blame on ourselves. This goes especially true when evaluating channel partner performance. After deciding on a specific partner, the vendor is responsible for properly informing the (distributing) marketing team on the product’s functionality, its intended demographic as well as providing consistent support to any questions and quality customer care. By establishing a cohesive and unified business partnership, you give your business the best opportunity to thrive.

SEE ALSO:   Partner Onboarding Process Discussion with Channel Experts
2)  Partner Motivation/Behavior

Your channel partnership should be a direct correlation to your businesses’  ethics and goals. Therefore, if you have the slightest indication that a potential partner doesn’t value your product or exhibit the same passion as you do, look elsewhere.

3)  Partner In-House Resources

What technical resources does the channel partner have that will assure an effective partnership. Get a good sense of their network infrastructure and how well-versed they are at properly identifying conflicts. If possible, research past issues that may have warranted crisis communication.  Find out what their public relations team pursued to diffuse the situation. In other words, be the “fly” on your channel partner’s “wall.”

4)  Track Record

As obvious as it may sound, vendors often commit the ghastly mistake of inadequately measuring the past and current performances of their channel partners. It’s imperative to implement a third-party perspective before opting on the right distributor. Investigate the past and current testimonials from resellers.  At the same time, speak with the reseller’s customer service department to get an overall feeling for how educated their in-house team is.

Incentivize Partners with Diverse Channel Management Solutions that Support Mutual Objectives

Computer Market Research (CMR) brings over 30 years of experience to the indirect channel sales industry.

Through our state-of-the-art automated software, businesses can:

  • amplify their B2B marketing efforts
  • optimize trade promotions
  • customize unique program guidelines
  • build effective distribution channels
  • establish transparent and objective BB communication
  • strengthen their bond with channel partners