Channel partners are valuable contributors to strategy, especially those with deep experience and insight about strategy and the local market. Don't dismiss their input.
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But all too often we let our egos get in the way by preferring flattery to candor from our channel partners, and we fail to really plan for growth, or to sit down with our partners and align growth plans, writes Neil Gillespie in Key Partnership Questions.
A distributor should be able to trust that a supplier will follow up on what they promise in terms of service requirements, people support and price level support, among others. A manufacturer should be able to trust that a distributor will make its best efforts for inventory support, location coverage, salesperson coverage, value added service and marketing efforts to market the product successfully.
And most importantly partners should trust each other enough to have candid conversations about how to achieve their goals.
In the latest MDM Executive Briefing, Bob Conti defines partnership – an often overused term – and how distributors and suppliers can create profitable partnerships by playing off each other strengths and focusing on what the other needs. Watch or download the 20-minute program at www.mdm.com/executivebriefing.
