The E-Ticket to Channel Success – Part 1
Tags channel partners, channel sales, it channel sales, ken beam, var channel, var productivity, var-city, varcity
Wouldn’t it be great if there was some way to definitively validate your reseller program for success on a macro level? Some way that you could run through a pre-launch checklist that confirms you’ve done all of the big things that need to be considered; and, now it’s down to you, your product and your staff to execute…wouldn’t that be great?
As it turns out, you can, up to a reasonable point. Here’s how it works.
Over 10 years ago, when I began examining and contrasting reseller programs that work (Translation: Offset their cost and justify their existence through revenue generation) against those that don’t produce positive results, I began to see a pattern. At first it was just interesting; but, after looking closer this pattern became so repetitively prevalent that, for me, it’s now a governing set of five principles I strive to instill in every program development engagement.
The five principles making up the E-Ticket to Channel Success are:
A "…proven channel product” will fail? How can that be you might ask?
Last week I was recruiting new partners for an ERP client and was speaking with the VAR’s Sales Manager for one of my client’s competitor’s products. They’ve had a long term and successful relationship with this competitor’s product suite – then, without notification, their Channel Manager was re***igned to another position and a newbie took over the partner manager’s role.
What was once easy became painfully difficult. Calls for ***istance were not returned in the previously prompt manner and enthusiasm underpinned with aged confidence drifted away…the partnership dissolved and their product was no longer a featured solution and rarely, if ever again, recommended.
Boy, did I ever get an earful of pent up frustration, along with the names of several other eager to jump VARs and another not-so-veiled meaning to the term Execution.
And, it was still a ‘…proven channel product”.
As you read through these partnership principles ask yourself how you would be rated by your partners - given a report card would your partners give you A’s in every category?
As it turns out, you can, up to a reasonable point. Here’s how it works.
Over 10 years ago, when I began examining and contrasting reseller programs that work (Translation: Offset their cost and justify their existence through revenue generation) against those that don’t produce positive results, I began to see a pattern. At first it was just interesting; but, after looking closer this pattern became so repetitively prevalent that, for me, it’s now a governing set of five principles I strive to instill in every program development engagement.
The five principles making up the E-Ticket to Channel Success are:
- Ease
- Education
- Enterprise
- Enthusiasm
- Execution
A "…proven channel product” will fail? How can that be you might ask?
Last week I was recruiting new partners for an ERP client and was speaking with the VAR’s Sales Manager for one of my client’s competitor’s products. They’ve had a long term and successful relationship with this competitor’s product suite – then, without notification, their Channel Manager was re***igned to another position and a newbie took over the partner manager’s role.
What was once easy became painfully difficult. Calls for ***istance were not returned in the previously prompt manner and enthusiasm underpinned with aged confidence drifted away…the partnership dissolved and their product was no longer a featured solution and rarely, if ever again, recommended.
Boy, did I ever get an earful of pent up frustration, along with the names of several other eager to jump VARs and another not-so-veiled meaning to the term Execution.
And, it was still a ‘…proven channel product”.
As you read through these partnership principles ask yourself how you would be rated by your partners - given a report card would your partners give you A’s in every category?
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