Channel Focus: The Key to Partnership Success

Finding partnership success requires focus, the continuous pursuit of simplicity, and close relationships between vendors and partners. In the latest episode of “In the Margins,” Larry Walsh and Amy Henderson recount the lessons of partnership success from Channel Focus 2024.

The most successful vendor-partner relationships aren’t built on incentives or promotions. They’re founded on simplicity and strong personal connections. As channel programs grow increasingly complex, with some partners managing relationships with dozens to hundreds of vendors, the ability to cut through the noise and create genuine alignment has never been more critical.

The challenge lies in the fundamental disconnect between vendors and partners. While vendors maintain a singular focus on their own products and solutions, partners must juggle dozens or even hundreds of vendor relationships simultaneously. This misalignment often leads to communication breakdowns and missed opportunities on both sides.

Two key factors consistently emerge as the primary drivers of partner productivity and engagement. First and foremost is ease of doing business. Partners will often choose to work with vendors who offer streamlined processes over those offering higher margins but more complexity. The ability to turn deals quickly and efficiently typically generates better results than chasing maximum profit per transaction.

The second critical factor is the channel account manager (CAM) relationship. These front-line representatives serve as the crucial bridge between vendor and partner organizations. Their ability to speak a partner’s language, understand its unique business model, and align vendor resources with partner needs can make or break the relationship.

Success requires vendors to move beyond one-size-fits-all programs and truly understand each partner’s ideal customer profile, business priorities, and operational model. This level of alignment doesn’t happen overnight; it requires continuous effort, regular communication, and a commitment to mutual success.

In the latest edition of In the Margins from the Channel Focus conference in Dana Point, California, Larry Walsh and Amy Henderson of Channelnomics recount the lessons from the event on finding greater alignment and focus between vendors and partners.