1. Focus The Program Structure On The Roles That Partners Play As Business Partners

Finally, vendors need to focus their channel programs to enable  partners to succeed as business partners.

According to Cate, over 35 percent of partners classify themselves in two ways: as business service providers and resellers, and Zebra wanted to represent these avenues of profitability in its channel program so that partners can differentiate themselves and earn certifications based on their business models.

“We wanted to focus our program structure on the roles that partners play as business partners,” said Cate. “We took a look at some trends and saw that partner roles are changing. … So, we wanted to incorporate those changes instead of just setting silver, gold and platinum tiers.”

Zebra’s PartnerConnect splits its channel into two groups: business partners, or resellers who have deep knowledge about technology and services, and solutions partners, or those who bring their own intellectual property and offer end-to-end solutions.