Younger technology companies want to leverage one tier and two tier channel models to scale in North America and beyond. Distributors and resellers are looking for innovative, higher margin solutions, including cloud solutions, to add to their solution portfolios.

So why does it seem so difficult for a new or young tech company to get on board with the channel?

The cost to a distributor to on board a new vendor is considerable, with no guarantee that they will reap any returns and, therefore, they want a commitment from the vendor, usually in the form of high margins, funded heads and Marketing Development Funds.

There is another way, Distributors are starting to work with third parties, or aggregators, such as Operatix and DistiNow , who’s Channel Management and development team have a wealth of experience in managing both partner and vendor relationships, enabling distribution to take on emerging vendors successfully and economically.

Part of the answer to the problem is to have a disciplined and sequential channel plan where the strategy is well thought out.

• Build a solid plan – Including 30/60/90 day objectives and realistic medium and long term goals Set partner criteria (technical ability, sales ability, knowledge, geographical coverage, complimentary tech, vertical sector strength etc)
• Identify a long list of potential partners that meet the basic partner criteria
• Engage & Qualify – Implement a focused partner recruitment program that qualifies the long list of partners down to those who will be committed to working with you to achieve common goals
• Activate – Have a plan to get your partners to revenue quickly and get them invested in the market and the solution
• Enable – Implement an effective and repeatable training and certification program for your partners, ensuring that they evolve and become a stand alone, revenue producing machine.
• Manage and improve – Never assume your partners are all good and are simply going to continue to deliver. Work on a plan to make them more effective, to bring new solutions for cross sell and up sell and keep hanging renewal carrots out

Emerging vendors don’t necessarily want, or need, all of the up front expenditure necessary to play with the bigger distribution companies or large account resellers, but do want to accelerate penetration of a specific market. Operatix are making it possible for emerging technology vendors to access the channel and maximize performance within a sensible budget. As well as numerous emerging vendors, Operatix work with some of the world’s biggest technology companies to accelerate sales from SMB to Enterprise markets, helping channel and direct sales teams overachieve. Get in touch with us: sales@operatix.net