Q: Is my program bloated?

A: Most are. You're not alone. What we have to remember is, in the eye of your partner, all programs, offers and opportunities are coming from one single company.

I recently read "Understanding the Post-Recession Consumer" in the Harvard Business Review about how the trends in consumer behavior will change post recession. Basically, after 15 years of solid growth, we're feeling bloated and stressed about having so much choice. We're beginning to demand simplicity and even our most affluent counterparts are looking for thrifty options like used goods and products based on traditional values.

How does this translate to our partner channel? Well, we're all people. Consumers are consumers whether they are consuming for their business or their personal life. So, it's important to consider how these trends will impact the channel programs and the behavior of our partners.

We must SIMPLIFY:

o    Offers: Work together internally to streamline offers making them simpler to leverage.

o    Programs: Consolidate program opportunities into higher value, less fragmented engagements.

o    Communication: Provide account managers who understand the partner business so partners can pick up the phone and talk to a live person easily getting the answer they need. IBM and SAP are doing this today even for their breadth partners; programs with the easiest engagement models will win.

o    Packaging: Tackle licensing complexity so partners can sell solutions versus products.

We must be THRIFTY:

o    Introduce trade-up and recycle benefits.

o    Focus on building partner circles of trust and peer-groups where partners can go-to-market together rather than duplicate their efforts - more marketing, better spending, better customer value!

o    Partner with associations to streamline communications; make your offers relevant to the membership base to increase adoption.

I've already seen the shift in my own experiences and it feels good to consume less and make smarter choices. There is no excuse, with the technology we have today we can segment our audiences, custom tailor our messages and search for complementary offers and programs with ease. The big bloat is over…let's get back to what's important.