6 Key Strategies to Drive Channel Success

The partner channel is a key component of any successful company's demand generation mix and if you haven't invested in your channel, you're falling behind. Plain and simple. Partners expand your reach and customer base, and provide consistent and effective delivery of products and services. But once you have built out your channel, how do you keep your partners engaged, activated, and ensure the future health of the channel. Here are 6 key strategies where I have found success:

1. Clearly define expectations and goals

You need clear cut goals and objectives. Period. If you don't have agreements around roles and responsibilities, revenue and pipeline expectations, or a definition of success, you're setting yourself up for failure. Quarterly goal-setting sessions are important to include in your broader annual plans- set smaller goals that give you the momentum you need to achieve the larger ones.

2. Talk about more than pipeline

Pipeline is your number one priority, but how often do you talk to your partners? Do you have a regular cadence, or do you only meet when deals come into play? Is it just the alliances teams, or do you invite marketing and product to calls? You need a mix. Pipeline calls are incredibly important, but they don't show a complete view of your partnerships. Including alliance business partners helps you develop your strategy and fosters a sense of collaboration. It also shows your partners that they are important enough to have exposure in your organization.

3. Foster a culture of communication and trust

Just like any other relationship in your life, professional or otherwise, if you don't have trust you don't have anything. Open communication is the cornerstone of any successful relationship, and it's no different with channel partnerships. Partners should feel empowered to share any concerns, deliver feedback, and throw ideas around without the worry of retribution. Partner experience and the partner journey is a real, but often overlooked metric to measure. Treat it as you would CX- it's just as important.

4. Be a cheerleader

What is the single most motivating factor across sales teams? Commission. I'm not here to tell you how to compensate partners, here we are going to talk about non-monetary appreciation. Be your partner's biggest cheerleader, and encourage your company to do the same. Just because someone doesn't work with partners, doesn't mean they can't recognize their contributions to your business. Loyalty and motivation can be built from simply showing appreciation, especially publicly. Did a partner move up a tier in your program? Post about it. Did someone earn a new certification for your product? Post about it. Did you close a big deal? Post about it (with proper customer approval, of course!)

5. Evaluate your approach

Partnerships are living, breathing, relationships. Treat them accordingly. Partners may want to break into new industries, be certified in a new product, or break into a new geography. Don't pigeon hole, encourage your partners to play in new spaces. Or if things are stalling, re-evaluate goals and incentives. Play with ways to stay relevant. Are your communication channels effectively reaching your partners? Re-assess your approach in good times and could-be-better times.

6. Train and support regularly

Never send your partner into the marketing unprepared. Is there a new feature release? Schedule a call. New quarter? Time to make those introductions to the sales team and do some account planning. Your partners need to have a deep understanding of your products and services, as well as the market and your target customers. Make sure they are equipped to represent you accurately and effectively.

What are your tips and tricks to keeping your partners engaged? I'd love to know! Drop your tips in the comments ??????

#PartnerSuccessStrategies #ChannelRevitalization #DrivePartnerEngagement #PartnerPerformanceBoost #SuccessfulChannelPartnerships #ThoughtLeadership #ChannelChampion