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 reassigned to another position and a newbie took over the partner manager’s role.
What was once easy became painfully difficult. Calls for assistance 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 reassigned to another position and a newbie took over the partner manager’s role.
What was once easy became painfully difficult. Calls for assistance 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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