One of the biggest challenges facing Partner Programs in the Channel today is that Channel Partners have plenty of options when choosing a Vendor to work with. This means Partners are increasingly inundated with Vendor pitches, presentations and calls asking them to join forces, all while they’re managing their own book of business.
How do you convince potential Partners that your Channel Program stands above the rest?
Hint: Success depends on how you communicate with Partners, which maps to your messaging and the lens through which you craft your Partner-facing talking points.
Three things to think about when (re)evaluating changes to new and existing Partner Programs:
When prospective Partners arrive at your Channel Partner Program webpage, is the value proposition immediately clear? Do they see a compelling, easy-to-digest summary of benefits? These are things to consider. If a Partner has to scroll down, or click off that main page to understand your programs, who can join, and why they should join—it’s time to take a second look at the message, layout, and design of your webpage.
Does your monthly Partner newsletter or your social media posts give helpful information and thought leadership of value to Partners and their customers? Or is it all about you, the Vendor, and your products and solutions? Nobody wants to hang out with the friend that constantly talks about themselves. The same is true in The Channel. Partners want Vendors to respect their role in the sales process and provide relevant resources and information.
Speaking of resources…are the sales and marketing collateral in your Partner portal up-to-date? Even more importantly, can they be leveraged by all Partner types and tiers or are they “one-size-fits all?” It might be time to ask for feedback from your Partners on how useful they are and segment your materials by partner type to ensure success with your products and solutions.
There are a myriad of ways to innovate and improve Partner Programs. Check out these blogs for more ideas:
How to Use Channel Programs to Better Enable Partners
Updating your Partner Program for Today’s Shifting Channel