Here’s What 20 Channel Chiefs Have To Say About ‘Metal-Based’ Partner Programs
Summary
Since the early days of the IT industry and the channel, vendors have traditionally structured their partner programs in tiers, often designated bronze, silver, gold, platinum or some other valuable metal. But are these “metal-based” partner programs—originally designed for resellers and based on sales volumes—still suitable for today’s fast-evolving channel with its wide variety of partner types and go-to-market models? Point-based systems, should a vendor move in that direction, will need to be simple to understand and manage while rewarding loyal partners, allowing for partners to differentiate around GTM and capabilities. The traditional program still works depending where you are in your evolution of partnering. For more advanced models, especially in cloud and SaaS, a different approach is required to drive behaviors outside of the standard method.