Why vendors have to sell on “Why”

Having a great channel and even better programs sometimes isn’t enough for you to entice partners to join your campaign. Vendors need to try and define why partners should be engaging with them if they want to have channels that are both robust and productive. A lot of partners have seen good products come and go, but the problem is that people don’t often have the capacity to try and market them properly.

The products themselves have such promise but without the proper sales strategy, they often fail miserably and this can point to a more fundamental problem. People are focusing more on what they are doing rather than the reason why they are doing it, and behind all of this is a valuable lesson that needs to be taught.

Channel Programs and Products

Channel programs are very similar to products. They come with a ton of features and functions, and they are designed to try and facilitate the connection between a partner and a vendor. Channel chiefs will often state that their programs are a means of doing business. They highlight incentives and enable various resources that make it possible for partners to take that product and unleash it on the market.

The problem here is that channel programs often fail to define why they exist, why they are doing what they do, and why they are even trying to engage with the vendor in the first place.

Mission Statements and Product Quality

Sure, mission statements about product quality are great but they just aren’t enough to try and entice partners. If you were to show off all the attributes for a channel program then this would absolutely not be enough to get any partners to engage, and on top of this, incentives won’t encourage partners to be more productive at all.

Saying that you need to define the reason “why” may seem perfunctory, but this is why answering questions like this is so vital. The “why” is often so overlooked and this can cause vendors and even channel chiefs to focus on some of the less important things that can result in even more sluggish productivity and even partner acquisition as well.

Vendors and Partners

Vendors are able to define the “why” for their partners in various ways, and the sooner you are able to do this, the more efficient and the more productive you will be. At the end of the day, selling can be hard and partners are generally not very good at sales or marketing. They don’t usually have the skill, knowledge or expertise required and for this reason, you need to try and focus on vendors who have good strong brand awareness. This is because they won’t have to spend hours on end trying to talk customers into a sale and they won’t also have to continually research the latest techniques and tactics.

Reference Architecture

Reference architectures are also required. It is so important that you are able to provide partners with a very clear direction on how your products come together and enhance the value of the other products you have available. This is the best way for you to show how they add value to your customers and it will also enhance your overall image.

Engagement opportunities are equally as important. Partners tend to earn over half of the money they bring in through professional and managed services. Showing partners how they are able to make money past products and sales is a differentiator and it can work wonders for what you are trying to achieve.

The Economic Question

And lastly, you have the economic equation. When you take a look at partner economics, you will soon find that they involve way more than discounts and incentives. You will see that it is so important for vendors to try and define the market opportunity for partners and they also need to try and increase the value of value-add services. If you are able to define the economic equation, you will then be able to amplify the market, the value and even the relationships that are involved for the whole process.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, vendors can easily define why as long as they do not violate one simple rule. Everything and anything is about the partner. If you can ask yourself, what’s in it for them? You can then begin to find partners who are more receptive and even partners who are more willing to commit as well.