Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Vice President of Business Development – Middle East and Africa at Ring discusses some of the key factors which make a partner programme successful.
The landscape of channel partner programmes is changing rapidly. The products in the technology sector continue to evolve from legacy solutions to cloud-based products and services. Channel partners have proven to be remarkable change-agents, both in front of their customers and inside their own businesses.
For a partner programme to work, first you need to partner with the right people with your goal not just being to find more partners, but more partners that will commit to becoming certified. In addition to this, successful alliances focus on driving value for both parties, but far too many people come to the table with their own list of asks and no insight into what they can do to help their partner. If the right balance of give and get is made, it sets the stage for an equitable and healthy long-term relationship where both partners (and, most importantly, your mutual customers) win.
If I had to broadly sum up the basic elements for a successful partner relationship they would be:
- Understand motivations and goals (on both sides): Make sure you understand why the partnership is important, what both sides hope to gain from it, and what is considered a win after one year – and make sure there is an obvious win-win relationship
- Build a relationship: Partners do business with people they know, trust and can depend on. They need to know who they can count on to solve problems and they need those problems solved quickly. That means there must be someone dedicated to nurturing partner relationships, growing mind-share and responding to their needs.
- Communicate regularly: Regular communication is critical. While email is fine, picking up the phone or using the many video conferencing options to talk live is much better. Talk about opportunities, changes, challenges, support issues, etc. before they become urgent. Document and make sure everyone is on the same page.
- Be committed/be responsive: The old saying ‘say what you are going to do and do what you say’ seems trivial but how many actually make this a priority? If you make good on the commitments you make and are responsive to your partner’s needs, you will stand out from others and become more important to your partners.
Today’s carefully architected partner programmes that use industry accepted best practices often fail because they are designed to attract and engage all partner types but are not aligned with the changing business models or needs of individuals within these partner organisations. Today, more than ever, the business of partnering has become personal in the way relationships are built and nurtured.