Partners come in all shapes and sizes from traditional reselling partners and distributors, to emerging types such as Influencers, Advisors, MSPs and Advocates. Each type will be motivated differently, and your programs need to reflect this. Some partners will even be as big, if not bigger, than your own business, and will come with certain expectations as to your programs.
In short order, channel program design becomes a mixed matrix which needs to be flexed for different products, partners, geo’s, and markets.
Ask yourself; “is your program the very best it can be for all parties?” And if you don’t know the answer – then go and ask your partners.
During that conversation, if asked what they look for in a vendor, they will ask for an easy partner experience. Achieving this requires the right strategy, partnerships, rules of engagement, program design, and a technology solution or platform that underpins your program to make things easier for you and your partners.