Trust is obviously important in business. I would take that one step further and say trust is more important in the channel.

I’ve often spoken about ways to engage your channel partners with simplified programs and also touched on how vendors can give more to get more value out of their partners. Now let’s explore the important part that trust plays in building a strong channel. Just like how you shouldn’t construct a house on uneven ground, you shouldn’t build your channel without a foundation of trust to keep partner-vendor relationships balanced.

With hard work and dedication to improving the way business is conducted, your channel will grow into a trusted network made up of partners that become the trusted advisors your customers are looking for. Here are some tips on how to keep trust in your channel flowing:

Give More to Get More

As a vendor, it’s your job to lead the charge in helping partners build their businesses through partnership with your company. If you’re spending all your time telling your partner what your channel goals are, but not explaining to them how working with your business is going to help them achieve their business goals, you’re missing out on a wonderful opportunity to build trust within your channel.

Start building trust by assuring your partners that you have their business goals in mind as much as your own. To demonstrate your dedication to building a strong channel, give your partners better and more simplified opportunities to get certified to sell your products if that's a requirement, especially for solutions where they are not yet specialized. By keeping your onboarding processes easier to compute and achieve, you will be giving the partner the trust in you which will keep them selling your product, rather than promoting a competitor.

Hear Them Out

If your partners are struggling to sell a product it may be because the product because just isn’t the right fit for their customer. Instead, ask the partner about the challenges they are facing in selling a low performing product. If they aren’t using your marketing collateral, ask them what marketing materials they are missing and deliver on those materials for all your partners using marketing best practices which engage your solution providers and help them drive business. Ask them what it would take to get them to promote your product over a competitor. You may not be able to deliver on all the items they suggest, but the good will of feeling “heard” has its benefits. They might, for example, be more open to a suggestion in the future because you cared enough to ask their opinion on the previous matter.

Manage your Channel Conflict

I know as well as any of you how difficult it is to manage channel conflict. Your direct sales team has a mind of their own and it’s next to impossible to protect partners from each other and from DMRs. Put in place a channel conflict manifesto, even if you can’t avoid it, how are you going to remedy it?

Do you have a deal registration process? Do your executives know how important it is for partners involved in a channel conflict to hear from them? You are better off dealing with the occasional conflict if you’ve taken the steps to avoid them and especially if your executives are willing to make that phone call after a channel conflict occurs.

Stick to your Promises

If you tell your partners you’re going to do something, do it! You’d be better served to tell them things are in process or you’re hoping to achieve something by next year then to promise it and not be able to deliver.

Most of your partners are small businesses. They have to juggle paying their employees with the revenue coming in. Keep in mind that $10,000 out of their pocket has a much larger impact on them then it does on you.

How are you creating trust with your partners? Partners, which vendors are evoking your trust?