Blog - Channel Management

Our articles in the channel management category cover best practices, how-to guides, and expert advice on how to manage a successful channel. Whether you’re just starting out in partnerships or are a long-time channel veteran, we’re sure you’ll find helpful information to further your career.

Make sure to also check out our standalone guide on channel management software.

Feb 11, 2016
Still Using your CRM to Manage Channel Sales?

CRM programs like Salesforce.com should serve as the system of record for your company, but trying to create a makeshift partner management (PRM) tool with something designed for direct sales management will only create frustration and perpetuate an ineffective process. It’s going to run sub-optimally and performance will be limited. Here’s why: Partners and customers […]

Channel Management, PRM (Partner Relationship Management)
Dec 16, 2015
Effective Partner Recruitment How To: Part 2

Now that you understand your geographic requirements and you’ve figured out what your ideal partner looks like (see previous post), it’s time to think about how to recruit the right partners. The partner recruitment process is similar to a sales process: you need to know how partner candidates are progressing at any given time. A […]

Channel Management
Nov 12, 2015
Effective Partner Recruitment How To:Part 1

Effectively recruiting the right partners is a critical component to any successful channel program, and it starts with a shift away from thinking of partner recruitment as a launch activity. Good recruitment starts with a well thought out and tested recruitment process.  When your program is new, you need to start with some assumptions regarding […]

Channel Management, Channel Marketing
Nov 9, 2015
Channeltivity Releases Enhanced Salesforce.com Edition

Expanded functionality enables customers to access Channeltivity from within Salesforce.com Charlotte, N.C., November 9, 2015 – Channeltivity today announced significant enhancements to their popular Salesforce Edition, enabling organizations that heavily leverage Salesforce.com to seamlessly access and manipulate more Channeltivity data without ever leaving Salesforce.com. The newly released Channeltivity Salesforce Edition features include: Automatic Single Sign-On […]

Channel Management, PRM (Partner Relationship Management)
Oct 21, 2015
The Future of Channel Management

When it comes to the technology you use for your channel management, it’s easy for a channel manager to get overwhelmed with options. We recommend reading Jay McBain’s newest blog post: The Channel Technology Stack – Future of Channel Management. As Jay explains in his post, “The channel technology landscape is rapidly evolving, with dozens of […]

Channel Management, PRM (Partner Relationship Management)
Oct 14, 2015
Don’t be ‘That Vendor’ with your Channel Partner

Ever go on a date, or meet someone new that doesn’t know how to read the clues? They over-text, over-email and generally over communicate. They come off as needy, even desperate and the last thing you want to do is engage for fear of encouraging them. On the flip side is the person that sounds […]

Channel Management, PRM (Partner Relationship Management)
Oct 2, 2015
Partner Relationship Management Budgets: Get the Funds You Need

The ability to get budget for partner relationship management software is a key skill for any channel decision maker. Here are three tips to get your channel program the funds for the tools it needs. Communicate Channel Needs Clearly During the partner relationship management budgeting process, it’s critical that you become fluent at explaining in […]

Channel Management, PRM (Partner Relationship Management)
Sep 23, 2015
Maximize Channel Partner Program Growth

Channel partner program growth is a goal for many channel managers who aspire to excellence. But what is the best way to make that happen?

Channel Management, Channel Marketing
Sep 18, 2015
Featured Download: 5 Habits of Channel Manager Rock Stars

Channel manager Rock Stars are channel builders. They know how to sell, how to be strategic with partners and how to build an organization that will generate significant sales. Download our new ebook for free to learn what Channel Rock Stars all have in common and how you can adopt these habits into your own channel role. […]

Channel Management
Aug 26, 2015
Generate a Few Leads Before Partner Recruitment

It’s sort of a chicken and egg question: How do you service leads without partners, and how do you recruit and engage your partners without leads? The fact is you need to be doing both, but there’s probably more risk in starting with partner recruitment. Understand how it looks from the partner’s point of view. Having […]

Channel Management, Channel Marketing, Lead Distribution