Is Channel First Just Lip Service?

Channel Partners deal with vendors all day long. The relationships that channel partners have with vendors are very important, in fact they are critical to their mutual success. The issue is that not all vendors are the same when it comes to how they engage with the channel.

Part of what successful channel partners do, is align themselves with vendors that best fit with their own business goals and business model. What they also need to do however is to align themselves with those vendors that are genuinely channel friendly. In doing this, partners must assess exactly how vendors demonstrate their channel friendliness, rather than just what they are saying.

This article looks at the differences between vendors touting their channel friendliness and vendors actually behaving in a channel friendly way. It explores what it is that channel partners deem valuable in a mutually successful vendor relationship and includes contributions from long standing channel partner community members and our own Cam Wayland. This article is a good read for both vendors and partners alike.

 
  CRN: Is ‘Channel First” Just Lip Service?