Vendors must weigh partner effort and risk against real market opportunity.

Everyone wants to move faster, and partners are no exception. Research consistently shows that partners gravitate toward vendors that are easy to do business with — often more than toward those simply offering bigger monetary incentives.

After all, friction is the enemy of productivity, so when vendors make partnering hard, they consume partners' time, and time is money.

What does it mean when we say that a vendor is easy to do business with? The partner program must be easy to navigate. The vendor must offer a high-caliber digitial experience and tools. Partners need access to streamlined ordering processes, supply-chain visibility, and flexible financing options. Training should be accessible; the vendor’s technical support team should be responsive; and its leaders should treat partners as an extension of the team.

Another key concern for vendors is that they take into account the effort and investment partners must make to participate in the relationship. Offering incentives and highlighting opportunities aren’t enough; the delta between risk and ROI has to be sufficiently wide.

While riding in a tuk-tuk in Bangkok, Thailand, Larry Walsh and Bryn Nettesheim discuss what it takes to clear the road for partner success.