Guest article by Gus Safadi, ChannelLeap
A vendor sends its partners a launch kit: a deck, a brand guide, three email templates and a folder of product screenshots. A rep opens it between calls and still can’t answer the first question: “Which customer should I send this to?”
Before building another asset, hand the kit to one partner rep and give them 30 minutes to prepare one customer outreach note. Can they pick an account, explain why the conversation matters now and offer something they can deliver? They don’t need to send anything. You’re testing the kit, not the rep.
A useful channel marketing kit does some of that work upfront. Start with one buyer, one reason to reach out and one next step the partner can offer.
1. Give them a reason to contact a customer now
A product launch may matter to the vendor. The customer needs a reason of their own. A renewal, a location opening or a change in how a team works can make an otherwise generic message relevant.
Imagine a reseller that supports IT at regional retailers. Instead of asking the rep to promote an endpoint management platform to every account, pick the retailers opening locations in the next quarter. The rep already has a reason to talk to them: who will set up and support the new store devices? The platform may belong in the conversation, but it doesn’t have to lead it.
2. Put the first conversation on one page
Give the rep enough to start with a few accounts they know. Put this on a single page:
– Who to contact: the person who owns the problem, plus one sign an account is a fit.
– What to say: a short note the rep can put in their own words.
– What to offer: a checklist, a short working session or another useful next step the partner can actually deliver.
– What the vendor will supply: one proof point the rep can use and a named contact for questions.
For the retailer example, the note could sound like this: “You mentioned the new store opens next quarter. Has anyone worked out who sets up the devices and who handles support on opening day? If that’s still open, want to spend 20 minutes mapping it out?”
3. Fix the step that stalls
Give the rep ten minutes to pick a suitable account and buyer, ten to draft the note and ten to check whether the offer is something their team can deliver. Resist the urge to fill in the blanks for them. If they can’t find an account, check whether the profile is clear and matches the customers they actually serve. If they can’t explain why now, give them a better trigger. If they can’t deliver the offer, simplify it or name the person who can help.
Once the kit passes, try a small pilot with that partner. Ask which accounts fit, what buyers actually said and which parts of the kit the rep used. That tells you what to change before you give it to ten more partners. A download count doesn’t.
Before you ask more partners to run the campaign, see whether one rep can use the kit to write a note they’d actually send.
ChannelLeap helps technology vendors plan and run partner marketing, recruitment and activation. Learn more at https://channelleap.com/
