up recurring partner conversations. You should also consider establishing a partner advisory board to solicit feedback. Set clear objectives on what you want from your board and its members when they meet. When inviting partners to join, include several who are directly speaking to and supporting customers, as their on-the-ground information will prove invaluable. It’ll be tempting to pick your favorite partners, but to get honest, actionable feedback, you need partners who represent the whole spectrum — including those with whom your relationship isn’t so strong. Give them guidelines to operate and reasonable expectations, as they’re busy, too. Then listen to what they have to say. Partner feedback also helps you measure your program’s overall success. Measuring success provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of your organization’s channel strategies and clearly identifies areas for improvement. Channel KPIs should at least include tracking bookings, churn and customer escalations. Partner participation in training and advisory boards are also critical. You need to know if you and your partners’ priorities align. Be Transparent Relationships also require honesty. Your channel partners can’t deliver their best without honest, transparent communication. Be transparent with your partners about the program’s goals and objectives. As your relationship grows and they offer insights and feedback, invite their honest takes and consider applying their suggestions to improve the program or the relationship. This transparency creates trust — it always comes back to trust — between partners and vendors. Your partners have a voice in the relationship, so listen to it and allow them to contribute to the program’s success. Critical to transparency is understanding where you need to improve. Shifting to a pro-partner organization must include the support organizations and not just the front line sales and pre-sales teams. Customer success, project management, service delivery and support all must develop new methods to include the partners in communications and resolutions. Trust, collaboration, feedback and transparency are the fundamental ingredients for your resolution to become a better channel partner. Foster your community and listen to feedback to find the right ingredient combination for your partner program. When the ball drops next New Year’s, you can celebrate a successful resolution with a thriving channel program that drives real business value for your partners. o Chelsea Storozuk is the head of channel marketing at Zayo, supporting its partners and channel sales organization. CHANNEL MANAGEMENT 71 MARCH - APRIL 2023 | CHANNELV ISION
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4Njc=