Partner Programs: Before You Enroll...

By Dede Haas, CA-AM, Channel Sales Strategist, DLH Services, LLC

High-tech sales professional and Channel Executive contributor Dede Haas asked two members of The ASCII Group to ruminate on a couple of questions regarding the onboarding of new vendors. Haas is well qualified on the subject matter herein—her company, DLH Services, focuses on sales solutions for IT vendors and their partners.

QUESTION 1: The CEO of an SMB solutions provider, while attending a channel industry conference, met a channel manager from a large, wellknown vendor — a software company — that currently has thousands of channel partners. After a lengthy discussion about their program features and benefits, the vendor encouraged the solutions provider to fill out an application to join. What advice would you give the solutions provider about enrolling in such a program? What questions should they ask the vendor?