Harnessing Partner Feedback for Effective MDF Program Design

When September comes around most people start thinking about the end of summer and getting the kids back to school. For us on the Partner Marketing Investment Team, September is our time for Partner Feedback!

Every year for the past 7 years we have conducted our Partner Feedback Sessions. These sessions are comprised of up to 40 partner interviews conducted either face to face, or virtually, as well as our Annual Partner Feedback Survey where we ask for your direct feedback into our MDF Program and Incentives Center. The timing of this is not coincidental. Partner feedback is gathered in September to ensure we have enough time to properly design our program for the following year. We welcome and look forward to all our partners' ideas that we should consider for future updates to our program, or enhancements to your partner experience within the Incentives Center to manage your MDF funds.

Through this process's evolution, we have found that the purpose and outcomes of this style of direct feedback has become a standard for our MDF Incentive benefit inside the Dell Technologies Partner Program. We will list a few below, along with some of the amazing program features that have resulted from feedback over the years.

1) Understanding Partner Needs Builds Strong Relationships

When we actively seek and respond to partner feedback, it shows that we value their opinions. This fosters trust and engagement with our program and signals to partners that their opinions are valued and an integral part of the process. This can enhance partner loyalty and engagement.

Every partner is unique, with distinct market segments, customer demographics, and sales strategies. By soliciting and incorporating their feedback, our MDF program can be tailored to meet these specific needs, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful outcomes. With an Incentive program as broad as Dell’s, understanding where to focus efforts is a key piece in delivering a top tier program to our partner community.

2) Feedback Drives Innovation

Feedback is the cornerstone of continuous improvement. It provides valuable insights into what’s working, what’s not, and where improvements can be made. This iterative process of feedback and refinement helps to drive the ongoing success of our MDF program. Over the years, results of the survey & interviews have driven Incentive Center enhancements, new reporting, additional timely automated notifications, training opportunities, and ultimately policy changes!

3) Keeping That Competitive Advantage

Businesses that prioritize feedback from their partners are often more agile and responsive to market changes. What we want to do is ensure the core foundations of MDF are valued while also being able to turn the dials to market changes. A great example of this was a few years back when Covid first hit. Our partners were vocal about their cash positions, and we immediately decided working with our Executive team, to roll out our MDF stimulus package, providing dollars to our partners upfront so they could continue to drive their business.

As our Partner Marketing Investment leader Diane Brode says, “we always want to reflect a high say / do ratio!” So, when we say we want feedback on our MDF program we mean it, and most importantly we action on it. Driving innovation, having accountability & creating the best experience possible for our partners is not only something that we feel differentiates us, but also, it is our duty as stewards for Dell Technologies and our partner community at large. For all these reasons, whether you are being interviewed, or see the survey come through via the Incentives Center, please take the time to give us your feedback.

Our Annual MDF Partner Survey is LIVE in the Incentives Center Now! Access the Dell Technologies Incentives Center and participate in our MDF Survey today! *

* The survey is available for MDF eligible partners and is accessible inside the Dell Technologies Incentives Center.

Authors:

Amber Montecalvo , Consultant, Global Partner Marketing Strategy & Investments

Kyle Rolfes , Consultant, Global Partner Marketing Strategy & Investment