5 Techniques to maximize your new partners’ on boarding for success…

“The vendor called me everyday and night until I signed their partner agreement, and I haven’t heard from them since”

15 to 20 years ago, when new signed-partner quotas were the #1 objective on most Channel Manger’s MBO’s list and there was a virtual bounty on mirror-foggers, it was common to hear this abandonment lament; then, as the overwhelming numbers of unproductive partners began to clog the vendor’s sales and support systems there was a culling of the channel herd with increased focus on the “20″ of the 80-20 rule.  Partner quality and manageable productivity over quantity remains the goal of most of the larger and maturer vendors today

But not all of today’s vendors meet these legacy standards and we’re seeing a modified return of this behavior that does not necessarily involve actual abandonment, but the results are the same.  What’s happening now is that the marketplace is saturated with new ISVs popping up like mushrooms following a rain storm; and they’re eager to bring new partners on board without any idea how to help them be productive.   Whether abandoned or poorly on-boarded, the results are the same – poor performance, loss momentum and eventually, product apathy. Continue reading →