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.

 

I recall my days in the Microsoft Partner Program and the growing privacy restrictions that virtually choked direct communication from Microsoft to its customers.  For a while, if a customer opted-out of any of the multitude of Microsoft newsletters (and there were many), they were removed from all Microsoft newsletters and it was virtually impossible to get them back once they unsubscribed.  Phone communications were pretty much forbidden.  Any contact with customers was highly restricted by a multitude of privacy rules, standards and privacy laws – no wonder customers were feeling out of touch with Microsoft.  You may suffer this same confinement.

Enter your partner channel. 

Typically managed from a revenue-generating sales division of a vendor organization, the partner channel is not just a revenue source, but also a safe haven for your customer communications.  They are often a welcomed touch by customers seeking local expertise and most importantly, much less restricted.

So how can you deliver messages through partners?  Make is super-duper-easy and relevant.  Partners are always looking for something to talk about with customers; so give them good, interesting and relevant content.  Assemble a flexible newsletter using syndicated content from a good technology news source.  (We tend to prefer Penton Media, they are among the largest and have a multitude of technology angles within their editorial.  They do a great job with custom editorial projects too).  This isn’t the only source, but it might help you get started.

Assemble the content into a predictable cadence and format.  E.g. “The first Monday of the month, we send our partners newsletter fodder…” and give partners simple ways to deliver.  Don’t ask them to spend much time and be prescriptive on how they can set it up on their own or how to blend it with their existing newsletter.  I like to ask partners to include 4 types of content:

• Personal connection to the customer (what is this email, and how is the sender connected to the recipient?  You are getting this because…)
• A technology pulse or trend that you update:  security watches, new technology available, new ways of using technology, new releases on the horizon
• Real-life example of how your clients are benefitting from your solutions - with permission of course
• Special deals of the month:  Where are the hot buys, special offers, etc.  You can find these on your favorite vendors’ web sites.  Don’t over engineer it, just copy and paste them in. 

Great content is really compelling to partners.  Use it as a way to help them be your safe haven for communications to customers.

Call us if you need any help.

You may be familiar with your local mattress chain (for our area it’s Sleep Country USA) selling mis-matched mattress sets.  “You can save a bundle if you don’t care about color!” Really now, how many mismatched sets could there possibly be in the grand supply of mattresses?  This is a game of perception management.   You are led to believe that giving up something insignificant (like a sheet-covered mattress color) will earn you savings.

The beauty is that everyone is happy and no one gets hurt.  You can choose not to buy a mismatched set and pay a premium price if you wish.

Let’s apply this to your channel partners.  If you are looking for a promotional offer to extend through your partners without having to lower your price or cause channel conflict then think about ways of managing perception within your standardized offer. 

For example: 

Offer a trade-up incentive (where you can displace your competitor and the partner deploys your solution in their place).  The perception is that your customer has earned the savings of a discounted offer because they have given you something in return (a crummy old technology). 

But what you’ve really purchased is the displacement itself.  You can take apply this logic to many scenarios. 

What can you ask of the customer that earns their saving, where they put some skin in the game and the partner is there to administer the transaction for you?  The possibilities are endless. 

Call us if you need help,
-Kris

(Passenger 2 Partner)

I don’t mean in the delivery sense, I mean turn your passenger experience into partner happiness.

When’s the last time you made a purchase that was even partially based on a handful of reviews you read?

When’s the last time you heard a story from a friend on how awful or awesome the service was at a local restaurant or automotive shop?

Chances are you’re influenced by the reviews and referrals of others more often than you realize.  I recently read a short article by Triangle B2B Magazine, who is part of a neat LinkedIn community group called Channel Management Experts (login to view the group).

You should take a few minutes to read the article and the 5 lessons about business they learned from flying on Virgin Air.

If you don’t have time, here’s the bottom line: People will talk about their interaction with you, but only you can influence what it is they remember and relate to others.  Personal recommendations usually carry more weight than mass marketing.  Always give the control back to the customer (or in your case, channel/partner), having options for personalization or customization is key.  All in all, happy customers (partners) will prove to be the best marketing investment you can make, so roll out the red carpet, and show how much you really care – a little can go a long way.

Do you agree? Let me know! We're interested in your feedback...

(He Said/She Said)

Do you sometimes feel like you’re unsure of what channel partners might be saying ‘behind your back’?

Vendors/Manufacturers interact with their channel in various ways:

• Partner Account Managers
• Partner events
• Certification programs
• MDF programs
• Competitions/incentives

All those relationships lead to various conversations and feedback.  But is it the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

• How do Vendors/Manufacturers get uncensored, valuable, usable feedback, without tricking channel partners into giving up their stance/opinions on products/services?
• Where are you looking for feedback, beyond internal programs and operations?
• Who is keeping track and funneling everything into a central repository?  How are they analyzing the feedback?  What are they doing with the results?

If you’re not already asking yourself the above questions, chances are there’s a lot of information and feedback from your channel out there, waiting to be collected.  Information that could shape the future of your channel program, and reinforce your relationships with your partners by letting them know “We’re listening!”  And we all know that strengthening those bonds will lead to more trust, and deeper belief in your products. I think you know where I’m going with this…..

We’ve been capturing this type of information for the past 6 years continuously, even as we speak.  If you’re interested in knowing where to start, or how to focus into the right places, give us a shout.

(Do You Know Anyone Who Does?)

Often we’re asked by colleagues and clients alike, “Do you know anyone that does….. (insert need here)?”  And many times they’re surprised to hear that our answer is, “Why, yes! We do that!”

This tells us something very valuable: even if you think your friends and clients know what you do, often they have forgotten or only understand a snippet of your role, or what your company does.

Take 5 minutes, white board what you do, and who you serve.  Has this changed in the past 12 months?  Even if it’s the same, chances are your contacts need a refresher!  Here is our client refresher email as an example:

*****

Hi [insert client name],

I can’t believe how quickly the summer seems to be rushing by; we are already preparing for Fall!

The Extra Mile team just finished our annual offsite planning meeting, during which we discussed how we’ve changed over the past year.  So, I figured now is a good time to send you a quick update and let you know a few things that have been changed or added to our team:

Our four major pillars of work (and a few of specifics in each area) are: 

• Strategy
  • Annual marketing plans
  • Strategic Planning sessions
  • Social marketing development
• Consulting
  • Marketing funding reviews
  • Partner Consultations
  • On-site temporary placement of marketing personnel
• Execution
  • Lead Generation campaigns
  • Partner to Partner peer learning campaigns
  • Case studies - written, video, audio
  • Digital campaigns - Websites/web materials/landing pages
  • Social Marketing execution
  • Events
• Training
  • Web/teleconference training
  • Marketing templates and How To Guides
  • Live training courses – employee and partner

As we continue to work on being more thoughtful and strategic within our own team, we want to pass what we learn onto our clients.  If you’d like to hear more about what we can do to make things more effective or easier on you, let us know!

I hope you’re enjoying the weather, and look forward to connecting with you soon,

[your name here]

*****

SW&TTP
(Short, Sweet, & To The Point)

Q:  I created a program that is so much better for partners.  How come I can't get any uptake?

 

A:  It's not the new program it's that the program is new!

*Photo Credit Kate Fallucca http://bit.ly/206FPF

June 30 marked the end of the fiscal year for many.  With this comes re-organizations, new budgets, new strategies, and new owners for old programs.    Inheriting someone else's program can be a huge burden - it's tough to execute on someone else's vision and often times the measurements aren't clear cut so evaluation of how successful a program is becomes difficult.  There are two schools of thought those of us in technology should relate to: ·         Rip and Replace: the act of ending one thing and starting fresh with another. ·         Migration: the act of phasing out one thing as another comes online.

I favor migration.  Although I believe it to be more tedious on the shoulders of the program owner, it's typically better long term and definitely better for the audience. 

 

We recently surveyed partners and found out that on average, partners are managing nine (9) vendor programs.  That's nine certification programs, nine marketing programs, nine account managers, nine technical information streams, nine different sets of offers and incentives.  All on top of running a business (finances, HR, sales, strategy).  Every time a vendor brings a new program online, partners need to take the time to stop and learn about it. 

 

While launching a new program may seem like it's going to be the next great thing, the reality is, new programs ask a lot of partners.

 

As you begin to build your strategy for the coming year you'll come up with all kinds of great ideas for improving partner effectiveness.  Before getting too excited about creating the next great thing, take time to look at the past and build a transition plan to ease the change and pave a smooth path for the partner.   

 

**Struggling with what should stay or what should go?  Don't be hard on yourself - how could you know if you're not in their business?  There's nothing wrong with asking!  Rarely do we see the question asked of the "program consumers" (usually partners) "What should stay and what should go?"  We can help with this kind of research – just give us a buzz!**

 

(Save It For Later)

Last month, Kris over on Channel Surfing, posted on “What to do while you're waiting for your budget.”  It was a great post for this time of year, when (as she mentioned) many tech channel managers are idly sitting and waiting to hear if they are getting all, or any, of their requested budget for the new fiscal year.

I highly recommend you read her post, and then read the below idea:

1. You’ve got your “Good,” “Better,” and “Best” scenarios drafted out.  
2. You hear back from the higher powers that be, and now know what scenario you’ll be working with.  
3. If you only get budget for the “Good” or “Better” scenario this year, save the other scenarios for later!

This fiscal year is a great opportunity to ask yourself and your team: “What would it take to incorporate one to two items from the next scenario up (ie. “Better” or “Best”) into this same budget for next year?”  Whiteboard your ideas. Then, take a look at your answers and see if you can work towards setting the stage to make that a reality for the next fiscal year.  No time like the present to prepare for the future!

Q: I had the best idea to make my partners more successful.  What happened?

A: Creative ideas are only half of the equation - success requires a careful balance of art and science.

The key to a competitive edge is the perfect balance of art and science.  Creativity is critical to coloring outside of the lines (aka - doing something your competition hasn't thought of).  Logic is critical to making sure your creative solution makes sense and will get you to your goal.

Unfortunately, many of us suffer from Latch-and-Run Syndrome.  We spend a great deal of time digging into the data and learning about our audience and one day a really creative idea pops into our head.  Without thinking twice, we Latch onto it and Run with it - never stopping to be objective and look at the science or process of the program.

While it's good to strike while the iron is hot (excitement surrounding an idea really gets people passionate), taking a minute to build in the science will balance your program and lower your risk.  A few simple steps include: 

• Set measureable goals:  What are the X's I want to acheive?
  • X Participants
  • $X in Revenue
  • X Partner-led Events Executed
• Build a process:  What needs to take place in order to make this happen?
  • What do I need to do?
  • What am I asking others to do?
  • How do we:
    • Start?
    • Run?
    • Finish?  
• Set milestones:  When will I review progress?  When is it OK to make changes to my strategy?
  • What milestones will I have?
    • Time
    • Activity
  • What flags should I look for?
    • Performance:  What are my go or no-go indicators?  (No-go is where you have the option to shift your strategy)
    • Participation:  Is my message clear?  Have I communicated this enough through the right channels?

We take the time to create a strategy upfront for a reason - up front we're spending the time to think clearly through information and balancing our creativity with logic.  Once we're in the throws of execution, it's easy to want to make changes and react to new ideas if our program seems to be anything short of amazing.  DON'T BE TEMPTED.  Success comes in one of two ways:

• Lucky break: one wildly successful program
  • Pros: you're a hero, your peers think you're brilliant, the success feels awesome
  • Cons: it really is a lucky break,it's often a one-time thing and you can't recreate it
• Balanced art & science: many programs that meet or slightly exceed the set targets
  • Pros: you consistently hit objectives,you are seen as smart and reliable by your managers, overtime you make a significant impact to the bottom line, your partners like working with you because they know your programs produce results (lower risk for them)
  • Cons: you get impatient with repetition, you don't get the rush that comes from wild success

Once you have your process in place - don't veer from the plan unless you hit a no-go indicator at one of your scheduled milestones.  Tuck your great ideas away for the next generation of your program and stick to your strategy.  Then watch the gap between you and your competition grow! 

Barry Judge (BestBuy CMO) is undergoing a guaranteed-to-work experiment:  To put his army of BestBuy blueshirts front-and-center with customers. You’ve probably seen the ads (in case you’ve been TiVo’ing so much that you’ve missed it, you can see the ads at the link above). If you are a partner, you don’t have to be a multi-billion dollar company to take a few pages out of Barry’s book and give some visibility on your web site or in your sales calls to your architects, engineers and support people.   Simple things:  Take their pictures, post them on your site and caption their accomplishments (certifications/tests, satisfaction) and prove to them how seriously you take customer satisfaction.

If you are a vendor, you could make a very popular campaign to help partners showcase their great tech support.  (It’s also a fantastic way to get away from hard-selling your own products and letting your leading partners tell their story first).  If you feel compelled to bring your product into the mix, tell the story of how these great (tested/certified) experts have been brought up to speed on your newly launched GizmoTech and are ready to serve them (with you to back them). 

Customers love to know that you’ll take good care of them and that you’re not just good salespeople, but good service people too. 
I’m sure we’ll see big things from Barry’s experiment, and I think you would too.

Call us if you need help.