The Partner Ramp: Generating Value Takes Time

New relationships or expansion into new products doesn’t yield immediate results; it typically takes 12 to 18 months from first touch to first dollar.

Vendors should treat channel partnerships as long-term investments, clarifying the opportunity, aligning partner roles, accounting for costs and risks, simplifying engagement, and actively inviting participation.

5 Key Takeaways

• Market conditions affect results, but vendors can improve partner ramp-up by strengthening brand recognition, as well as partner sales and support capabilities.
• While partners are responsible for their own profitability, vendors can create opportunity and reduce risk.
• The five barriers that commonly stall adoption of a vendor’s portfolio: cost to serve, unclear engagement rules, operational complexity, delayed enablement, and misaligned incentives.