Vendors need their partners to not only be satisfied with their experience, but to be producing revenue. By documenting and improving your partners’ journey you will not only improve their capability, but you will also engage and motivate them to sell more.
The partner journey is the complete set of experiences partners go through when interacting with a vendor. The partner journey spans a variety of touchpoints by which the partner moves from awareness to engagement to purchase to growth. Successful vendors focus on developing a seamless experience that ensures each touchpoint interconnects and contributes to the overall journey.
Partner Journey Goals
An outstanding partner journey will deliver the following objectives:
- Prospect and existing partners will have an amazing experience
- Partners will understand the product and service
- Partner will like doing business with the vendor
- Partners will feel the experience with the vendor is frictionless
- Partner will be more successful
The AchieveUnite Partner Journey
The vendor must take a lifecycle approach to the journey. Steps in the process begin with recruitment then move to onboarding, enablement, engagement, and to growth. AchieveUnite has developed a standard journey process that we work with our partners and clients to institutionalize and optimize for success.
Define your Partner Journey Steps
5 Critical Best Practices for your Partner Journey :
- Vendors who focus on the partner needs are more successful
- Enablement is new currency in the channel. Invest in training your partners.
- Programs are only as good as the processes – details matter
- Help partners help their customers better than their competition
- The journey should be structured and well documented
Once the journey is documented, use it to improve the partners experience and their performance.
- Weave your partner program requirements and benefits into the journey.
- Communicate the new journey to all stakeholders.
- Utilize the journey for all existing and new partners.
- Close the identified gaps in the process to improve the experience
- Market the journey’s benefits. You will attract and retain better partners.
By defining, documenting, and utilizing an exceptional partner journey, you can not only improve the partners experience but exceed your revenue, growth and profit goals.
Contact AchieveUnite to learn how we can help you assess your current partner experience and give you to tools and insight to build a successful partner journey.