Archive for the Activate Category

I have been looking for inspiration on the “how-to” process for building deeper channel partnerships. Specifically, I am looking for what producers (i.e., manufacturers, software companies, etc.) can do to build stronger and more committed partnerships for their channel. I decided to look at what great thinkers from […]

There are a lot of things a channel VP can do to accelerate revenues, but choosing exactly what to do based on an honest assessment of your channel’s life stage is a great place to start. All channel organizations are at different stages in their development and […]

Any experienced channel executive knows that a partner’s relationship with your brand changes over time. This is based on a range of factors – a partner’s business priorities, the brand’s fit with the partner’s strategy, and the depth of the relationship between the partner and your organization. […]

“Partner business planning is a hassle. No partners or CAMs like to do it, and it’s difficult to measure performance-to-plan.”  That is the prevailing sentiment from many channel executives that struggle with partner business planning and an effective process for managing it. So why bother? The reason […]

In the indirect channel industry, most executives agree that partner planning is an important task to execute.  Partner planning has several components, and this table breaks down the four elements that are required.   Planning is done so executives can estimate the revenue their channel will contribute […]

Let’s face it, not all partners should be treated the same.   Your largest revenue-producing partners will always get a disproportionate share of your channel manager’s time because they have earned the right to extra love and attention.  But what is the best way to allocate your team’s […]

Every channel organization is looking to find ways to motivate their partners to build competencies and measure their progress to higher performance.   Partners also want growth for your brand’s sales, as long as it aligns with their goals.   A way to get a disproportionate percentage of your […]