Partners Are Key in Channel-Centric MSP Relationships

The latest guest blog from Intronis (News – Alert) on the MSP Mentor site covers five ways channel-centric vendors can succeed with managed service providers (MSPs). Intronis provides a cloud-based backup and recovery solution for MSPs and IT solution providers and blogger Danielle St. Jean is an account consultant for the company.

According to St. Jean, channel-focused solutions are more beneficial for service providers, and Intronis only partners with MSPs, IT resellers and other companies providing IT solutions for the SMB market. Developing products with partners in mind should be the primary focus for channel solution providers. Intronis believes the product roadmap for channel-focused companies should be driven by partners themselves, and that input will help companies to better shape and develop their products.

Customer support should also be provided with partners in mind. When a team is trained to handle the important issues and questions that surface among partners, customer support can focus and enhance that skill set. Channel providers should also offer partner-centric pricing models, since a major advantage of channel partnerships is that the partner will never be undercut. Channel-focused businesses should price their offerings strategically so that their partners can make appealing margins after selling to end users. St. Jean says this is a compelling component when evaluating vendors, since price is such a definitive factor in purchase decisions of both products and services.

Flexible partner branding is also a strong factor that will give channel-focused companies an advantage. Rebranding enables partners to enhance the confidence level with their current clients, and a rebranded solution can build trust between the reseller and the end user. Finally, partner-centric marketing and education are crucial to channel vendor success. A channel-focused company offering a value-added product will be ultimately driven by its partners’ success in selling and marketing the solution. By offering clear ways to promote and educate the channel through webinars, demos and best practice sessions, companies can ensure their products reach the maximum audience.