Channel partners, Channel partner programs

5 Things Vendors Need to Know About Their Partners’ Journey

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We’re all so busy talking about the buyer’s journey we’ve forgotten about the Partners’ journey. Partners need to navigate onboarding, locate portal resources, get up-to-date training, and leverage demand generation materials. If the journey is not easy or positive, Partners have a more difficult time reaching success. Not to mention, all those resources you spend so much time building go unused.

Wondering what you need to know about your Partners’ journey? It just so happens we have a few thoughts:

1. You have to map out your Partners’ journey

Look at this step-by-step. Think about how you want them to go from one resource to the next or from one page or conversation to the next. Where might they get tripped up? Where will they get frustrated?

2. You have one opportunity to make it a positive journey

If a Partner comes to your resources and is disappointed or frustrated, your job is instantly harder. The chances of them coming back to try it again are low so make the first impression count.

3. Don’t let the journey get stale

If Partners feel like they’re seeing the same things over and over they will check-in less often. They’ll assume they’ve seen everything there is to see. What’s the problem with that? Well, they’re ignoring your communications and zoning out instead of keeping you top-of-mind.

4. Your competitors are looking at their journey

We’re not the only ones talking about the Partner journey. Maybe they’re not calling it that but your competitors are looking at their own resources, enablement processes, engagement strategies, and ensuring their Partners continue to succeed and grow.

5. It helps to have an unbiased review of your journey

You and your team built these paths and programs from the inside out. Trying to put on your Partner hat and give constructive criticism is challenging. It’s helpful to have someone outside your organization provide feedback to ensure you’re tackling all the essential Partner pain points.

Looking to strengthen your Partner journey? Start here.


Author: Heather Margolis

Heather Margolis is president and founder of Channel Maven Consulting. Read more Channel Maven Consulting blogs here.