Partner levelling remains a pillar upon which partner programs are built today, so isn’t it time to implement a dedicated partner levelling dashboard?
Levelling provides crucial differentiation amongst partners as the channel plays host to a raft of new players and business models. However, it’s no longer enough to just have a partner levelling program.
Both vendors and partners need a way to cut though the complexity associated with maintaining tier statuses.
They need to have access to accurate, useful, and real-time data at the click of a button. And that’s where a dedicated partner levelling dashboard, within a PRM like Channel Mechanics, can cut through the noise. But if you’re still not sure, here are five reasons why you need a dedicated partner levelling dashboard.
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5 Reasons to Implement a Dedicated Partner Levelling Dashboard
1. Ease of Doing Business
Transparency in the channel is exceptionally important. Partners should be able to see, at any given time, where they are against the rules of a program. Because a picture tells a thousand words, it’s much easier for partners to understand the rules of your program visually, than hunting through emails and spreadsheets or even trawling through websites. In a split second, they can see how they’re doing in their efforts to maintain their tier status. While quickly identifying any gaps they need to fill to avoid the risk of being downgraded. In addition, they can ensure they are remaining compliant in terms of vendor-required certification. Overall, partners can see on any time, where they are so they don’t fall behind.
2. Standing out from the Competition
Typically, a channel partner works with seven to 12 vendors – that’s a lot of different program requirements to navigate. Having a dedicated partner levelling dashboard creates a competitive advantage for the vendor because the partner can quickly see how a customer opportunity can bump them up a tier or give them an extra discount. Versus that scenario with another vendor where the information just isn’t readily available.
3. Partner Account Manager Focus
There are also numerous benefits to partner account managers (PAMs). For example, for a PAM managing 20 accounts within a much larger partner program, a dedicated partner levelling dashboard gives them the ability to filter partners to just see their own partners. Or indeed they can filter by other parameters such as by region or time period, to see how their partners are performing against the overall program. Gaining faster access to valuable partner data encourages account managers to become sales-focused rather than operationally-focused. In fact, one vendor we work with estimates a saving of tens of thousands of hours annually by utilizing the Channel Mechanics platform to automate their levelling program. And that is music to the ears of every chief revenue officer.
4. Driving Partner Loyalty and Desired Behaviors
Additionally, with a dedicated partner levelling dashboard, PAMs can easily identify areas upon which a partner can improve. They can redirect a partner’s efforts to prevent them from slipping down a level or enable them to ascend a level to the next tier. This channel insight goes a long way in terms of partner loyalty and goodwill – another key differentiator in the channel. This in turn helps drive partner behaviour, with the allocation of points or dollars, for focusing on specific areas of the vendor’s portfolio.
5. Program Modelling
Finally, in this very brief list, when a vendor’s product set or market focus changes, it means implementing new targets for the next financial year. Tools like Channel Mechanics can give vendors a test environment where they can start modelling next year’s program in the last quarter of the current year, running potential scenarios and what they would mean for partners. They will see what works and what doesn’t, without committing to any significant changes for partners.
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