Vendors and TSDs get lost in partner labels. The critical distinction is the partner's business model: Do they want a residual commission, to resell on their own paper, or a one-time payment? Offering this flexibility is key to recruiting and enabling modern partners.
Supplier sales representatives frequently change roles, creating inconsistency for the customer. The trusted advisor provides a stable, long-term relationship, acting as the constant strategic guide regardless of who represents the vendor. This is a core, often overlooked, value proposition.
The proliferation of specialized tech solutions means buyers who fail to engage with a multi-vendor trusted advisor risk selecting suboptimal technology. This single-threaded approach, once a safe bet, is now a significant career risk in a complex ecosystem.
The highest ROI for marketing development funds (MDF) comes from helping partners get closer to buyers. Instead of lavish vendor events attended by the same partners, suppliers should fund activities that directly support an advisor's customer acquisition efforts.
Historically, channel agents focused on front-end sales and were often blind to back-end customer churn. Sophisticated partners now use data analytics and AI to identify churn risks, pinpoint cross-sell opportunities, and actively manage their existing revenue base.
The most practical channel use of AI isn't a futuristic tool, but enabling partners to analyze supplier-provided data. By feeding partners data via APIs, suppliers empower them to use their own AI tools to identify customer trends and make smarter, faster decisions.