Article

Why Channels Don't Work: A Self-Assessment

by Paul Solski
Founder, AIM International, AIM International

It is not uncommon to see ISVs with business solutions (ERP, CRM, SCM, ECM) to be disappointed with their reseller partner channel's performance. The issues they highlight with their partners commonly relate to some or all of the following:

  1. It's too hard to get Partners' mindshare
  2. Partner are not pro-active in finding new clients
  3. Partners are not self-sufficient in winning sales
  4. Partners do not want to train their staff on the ISV solution
  5. Partners do not want to allocate sales and technical resources or set goals

I could go on but this should be a good representation.  The trouble with blaming the Partner is that the ISV fails to put themselves into the Partner's shoes and ask a few tough questions that may reveal "why" their channel isn't working. Below are the three gaps areas we come across most commonly when channels don't work. So ask yourself these questions:

Value Proposition:

1. Is your business value proposition strong enough to make your solution strategic to a Partner's business?

  1. Does your solution drive a substantial sales value?
  2. Does your solution enable Partners to differentiate from their competitors?
  3. Does your solution position Partners more strategically with their customers?
  4. Is your solution so complex that it has excessively long sales cycles?
  5. Is the ROI for a Partner to get up to speed to sell and implement compelling enough?

The Right Partners:

2. Do you have the right partners?               

  1. Have your Partners allocated internal staff with revenue targets?
  2. Do your Partners have the vertical industry domain expertise?
  3. Do your ...

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About Paul Solski

Paul Solski (paulsolski@aimcorpinternational.com) is the Managing Director of AIM International, a management consulting firm specializing in assisting software companies to enter and grow in new markets. Mr. Solski has over 25 years' experience in international business development having held executive positions at Microsoft, HP, Intel, and Compaq.

More about Paul Solski