Why wont a channel seller introduce me to a customer?

Consider this very common scenario:

vendor: I understand that you hold a relationship with business xyz, they are on my target list

channel: yes I do, it is a big buying account for me (supplies some intel)

vendor: can you introduce me to the key stakeholders in the customer?

channel: yes no problem

(1 week goes by)

vendor: how are you getting along with introducing me to xyz

channel: I am working on it

(another week goes by)

vendor: you still haven't introduced me

channel: no reply

(another week goes by)

............ and on it goes without an introduction

I see this time and time again, vendors wanting an introduction to a customer, the channel seller not doing it and eventually the vendor gives up asking or employs incorrect techniques. Just because someone says 'introduce me to your customer', doesn't mean the channel seller will, so let's explore some of the reasons why a channel reseller may not make the introduction.

Timing

Maybe the timing is just not right. The customer may have just purchased a similar technology so there is no existing requirement. Maybe the reseller has other very important projects on the go with the customer and doesn't want to disrupt them, this project could even be with a competitive vendor (maybe the incumbent vendor). In sales, timing is an important factor, so just gather intel, note when the time would be right and approach it later on. Also, consider that the customers are busy with their own priorities so taking a meeting with a new vendor for no reason (no requirement) will be low on their list of things to do.

Comfort Zone

If your technology is new, then the channel seller might feel uncomfortable or unable to position the vendor offering to ask for an introduction meeting. If you find this then run a program of enablement to ensure that the channel partner has the relevant training and information to easily discover opportunities with the right requirements. If this is done right, the vendor wont have to ask for introductions, the channel seller will bring opportunities themselves - the perfect scenario.

Your product offering is wrong

Maybe your product is not the right fit for the customer and their environment, as an example, they could be moving everything to public cloud but your product is on-premise. Sometimes the vendor has to gather this information from the customer themselves to qualify out but in many cases the channel seller will know what strategic directions they are taking. Ask this question of the channel seller to gather that intel, 'What are the customer's strategic directions/initiatives?'. A vendor could have the best technology in their space but if the customer is moving the opposite way then qualify them out, for now anyway.

Multiple vendors asking the same thing

The same channel seller will have multiple vendors asking them the same question "can you introduce me into xyz". The channel seller likely holds a close relationship with the customer so they will not want to keep introducing new vendors to them every week. Take this into account and differentiate yourself from these other vendors. Gather some of your own intel about the customer first (e.g. read annual reports, attend networking events that they go to, follow them on social media) and when you find the customer is a good fit or has an upcoming project, approach the channel seller with the right reasons for why they should introduce you. The technique mentioned in 'Comfort Zone' can also work, arm the channel seller with relevant information to have the right conversation when the time is right rather than pushing them for an introduction.

They don't trust you

Maybe the channel seller just doesn't trust the vendor or specific vendor seller. There are many reasons for this and a common one is a bad past experience or bad reputation. The IT world is very small and people tend to move around in the same circles. Building trust and keeping a good clean reputation is very important in successful channel sales. Once trust is damaged, it is very hard to repair it.

Finally, in some cases, I have seen the vendor then say "I will break in to the account myself and if I find an opportunity it might go through another channel partner". While this may be true, especially if another reseller does an introduction, this is absolutely the wrong way to handle the situation and will show the seller that you are not trust worthy. Instead maybe ask for them to share any contacts (requires trust, see how important it is!) so that you can try yourself and then ring fence any opportunities. Remember for every one customer you support the channel partner on, they will hold a number of other relationship that could open up to you.

Have patience, build trust and the above scenarios will be far and few between leading to success and accelerated pipeline.