4 Questions That Produce Great Partner Programs

Every successful vendor needs a channel partner program, but what is a channel partner program? Ultimately, a great one is more than just a source of referrals and revenue. It’s an opportunity to link arms with a partner who can provide solutions that solve problems for your customers.

In my experience, anyone who wants a great partner program must first think hard about these four questions:

1. Why do people partner?

To promote mutual success. Partnerships are hand in hand, side by side relationships that allow both participants to grow revenue, increase customer confidence, and share ideas. A well-designed partner program must give as much as it takes from its members, and serve the interest of partners as well as it serves the vendor’s interests.

2. What do partners value most?

Revenue. A mutually beneficial partner relationship is grounded in your need to scale and your partner’s wish for more sales. Before they join a partner program, most partners check out their potential partner on social media, visit their website, and read online reviews to ensure that they’ll be working with someone just as aggressive about growing their business as they are. Make sure the information they encounter clearly expresses your determination to drive long-term mutual success.

3. What drives partner loyalty?

Putting people first and business second. Partners are people. You can’t manage people like you do a social media feed, and you can’t just assume a partner knows you well enough to care about doing business with you. Reach out to your partners regularly, invite them to events, show them you care by getting to know them and their team. Always remember that partners have a lot of things to think about, and the ones who disappoint you are often doing the best they can. But if they know you care they will help you close deals.

4. How easy are you to work with?

What does your partner program look like from a member’s point of view? Is it easy to get information, pursue opportunities, download collateral, and ask questions? Many successful partner programs use a partner relationship management system to communicate, manage, register deals, and generally make doing business with you simple. An easy vendor to work with is an easy one for your partner to make money with, which means you’ll make more too.

Needless to say, there are a lot more than four questions to ask before launching an MSP partner program. These four are a great start, but the team at Channel Mastered would be happy to discuss the many others you should consider as well, whether you’re starting, growing, or scaling your channel program.