The software has transformed many business functions over the years. Nowadays, marketing has marketing automation tools, finance has accounts payable automation tools, and sales has sales enablement tools. Why not bring the same software-first philosophy to your channel program? If your channel is still running on the same technology it has used for as long as you can remember, you’re probably long overdue for an upgrade. With that in mind, here are the five signs that it might be time to invest in a new partner enablement software solution.
1. You’re having a hard time attracting high-quality partners.
Your channel program will only ever be as strong as the partners who power it. If you’re having a hard time locking down high-quality partners—and having them stick around for a while—it could be a sign that it’s time to invest in partner enablement software. At the end of the day, partners prefer working with channels that make their jobs easier. If your partners are jumping ship, it could be a sign that your competitors are offering a better experience—one that is more deserving of your partners’ valuable time.
2. Your channel manager is spending a ton of time tracking down updates.
Does your channel manager spend the bulk of their day tracking down partners to get updates about deal statuses and encourage them to register deals? If this sounds like your program, let’s face it: You would be hard-pressed to find a worse way to waste high-priced resources. Leading partner enablement tools automatically nudge partners to update deals at their convenience. As a result, channel managers are able to reclaim a ton of time that they can then invest in other important areas of operations.
3. You can’t close the loop on channel ROI.
It used to be that channel managers would fork over wads of cash to partners in exchange for them attending a conference and hawking products there. But once that check was written, it was nearly impossible to determine whether the investment paid off, or whether those funds would have been better invested elsewhere. Modern partner enablement software solutions enable you to
close the loop on ROI. If you gave a partner $20,000, you could easily determine that they submitted three deals from the conference. Then, if one of those leads closed for $100,000, you would know you got 5 times ROI on your initial investment.
4. You’re not personalizing partner experiences.
In today’s digital age, we all know what personalization looks like, and we expect the services we interact with to personalize our experiences. Put yourself in your partners’ shoes. If you’re not meeting partner
expectations for personalization, you’re not making life easy for them. Imagine them logging into your partner portal and being greeted by content that doesn’t apply to them (e.g., a veteran systems integrator seeing content made for newly onboarded value-added resellers). If this sounds similar to the experience you’re giving your partners, it is due time to invest in a modern partner enablement solution. It’s that simple.
5. Your channel program is the same as it was 10 years ago.
A lot has changed over the last decade, including your channel program. And that’s without factoring in the pandemic, which completely overhauled operations as events went virtual—and it appears that many intend to stay that way. If you haven’t given your channel program a facelift over the last decade, you’re long overdue. The sooner you understand
how the channel has changed, the faster you’ll be able to realize your program’s full potential.
It’s time to invest in modern partner enablement software!
If you are seeing any of these five signs in your channel program, it’s time to think about investing in new channel tech. We may be a bit biased, but we believe that Vartopia is the most powerful partner enablement solution available on the market today.But don’t just take our word for it:
Request a demo today and see for yourself.
