4 Ways to Increase Channel Partner Engagement

Organizations have come to rely on their partner programs significantly as a revenue stream. By 2025, Forrester predicts that the average channel program will have 10 times the number of partners it has today.

Partners will want to join hands with vendors that demonstrate the ability to provide resources, processes, tools, and technology required to enter the market easily and effectively.

An engaged channel partner is proactive and initiates brand development. When partners are engaged, they are more likely to sell your products and services, recommend you to their contacts, and stick with your brand and organization.

Channel partners can be incredibly beneficial in terms of providing increased sales volume, market share, and brand reputation – and channel partner engagement is key to a successful channel partnership.

Ready to grow your channel? Here are four strategies to improve channel partner engagement:

1. Keep it simple

Building channel partner engagement starts with an intuitive and straightforward onboarding process. Keeping the process simple will help ensure partners don't experience any unnecessary roadblocks or challenges that could lead to a lack of interest in your channel program.'

Focus on enhancing the partner experience, as they are more likely to stay engaged if partners feel valued by your organization and can access the resources they need quickly. Automation can be leveraged to streamline processes, making them less time-consuming and tedious for partners. Additionally, removing any hurdles from the marketing cycle can expedite the adoption of channel programs among partners, leading to greater success.

Find out more: With Impartner’s Journey Builder and Partner Marketing Automation solutions, easily curate the smoothest sales experience for your channel partners.

2. Educate your partners

When it’s easier for channel partners to do business with you, the more likely they will be to engage with your brand. It is important to provide channel partners with the resources and information they need to effectively market your product or service.

This includes giving channel partners access to product training, information on promotional activities, and any other relevant materials. Having all this readily available can help channel partners become more knowledgeable about your products and services, enabling them to be better equipped when engaging with customers.

This builds a competitive and positive environment when partners are seen to be achieving their targets. Having an environment that encourages ongoing progress and recognition helps keep channel partners motivated and engaged with your program over time, fostering a win-win situation.

Find out more: Explore the tools provided in Impartner’s Personalized Training and Certification to give channel partners the leg up they need in the sales cycle.

3. Communicate effectively

It’s important to create a two-way communication channel that encourages channel partners to provide feedback and ideas, so their needs can be taken into consideration when making decisions.

The more channel partners feel involved in the process and their opinions are valued, the more likely they will be to remain engaged. This means vendors should take the time to listen to channel partners’ concerns and make sure they understand what channel partners are looking for in terms of tools, resources, and support.

Vendors should provide channel partners with personalized and relevant information about product updates or new offerings that could benefit them. Keeping channel partners informed on any developments related to products or services, helps create a sense of ownership among channel participants and ensures they stay on top of any changes that could impact their performance or sales opportunities.

Find out more: See how Impartner’s News on Demand and Social on Demand can help your organization provide personalized information to partners to ensure accurate brand and product messaging.

4. Build transparent incentive programs

To ensure channel partner engagement, vendors are advised to provide a transparent and comprehensive incentive program with tiers. These tiers should clearly outline the levels of access channel partners have, as well as the benefits available to them and the progress of rewards they can expect for meeting performance goals.

This way, channel partners will know exactly what is expected of them and understand how their performance will be tracked. By providing channel partners with visibility into the different tiers of rewards and incentives available, it allows them to set achievable goals for themselves and track their progress toward achieving those goals.

Channel partners are more likely to stay engaged if they understand how their efforts are being rewarded and that there is an opportunity for growth within the channel program. Regular feedback on their performance to ensure that they remain motivated and on track with meeting targets.

Having a transparent channel partner program helps channel participants better plan their activities and stay focused on achieving higher levels of success within the program while also creating a sense of security that comes from knowing they can continue to grow with it over time.

Find out more: Take a peek into how Impartner’s Program Compliance Manager automates partner tiering for better partner management.

High channel partner engagement is the core of a successful partner program

With all these elements in place, it should be much easier to foster greater engagement among channel partners so that you can maximize sales opportunities across channels more efficiently. Curating a great, scalable partner experience is essential to boosting channel engagement and ensuring a successful channel marketing program.

To learn more about how Impartner PRM’s powerful tools can help increase channel partner engagement and optimize the entire customer experience from start to finish, request a demo today!