Marcus Wagner (pictured) is founder and CEO of AcctTwo Shared Services, a provider of financial management software and services based in Houston.

The “cloud,” whether it’s hosted, SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, or something else, is transforming the way the IT industry does business. Ad in this new, fast-paced landscape, partner channels are changing just as quickly, and are characterized by a spirit of competition. “Customer success” has become an important focus for most subscription-based software vendors and resellers, where a customer’s business must be won again year after year. These same standards for success and satisfaction should be applied to the relationship between the software vendor and the reseller.

What does the new gold standard in channel partnerships look like?

The Fundamentals For Success

At a very high level, VARs and resellers should expect an elite and exclusive partner channel built around an economical model designed to provide financial success for all partners. There should be rules of engagement across the channel ecosystem to encourage partners to invest in marketing and avoid situations in which several partners are bidding for the same business, and where price becomes the only differentiator. Partners should expect transparency.  In all areas, vendors should strive for open communication and full sharing of information and tools.  At all times, partners have the right to expect their vendors to be honest, to act with integrity, and to share their knowledge.

Partner Marketing Programs

VARs and other resellers should expect more than some basic messaging and a handful of marketing assets thrown their way. The channel of tomorrow includes integrated marketing campaigns, email nurturing templates, industry vertical-specific messaging, as well as discounted third-party marketing programs tailored specifically to the vendor’s products and the industries in which those products thrive. VARs today should expect support and even co-funding for their own marketing activities, whether they be website improvements, event sponsorships or even PR activities. Monthly conference calls and yearly on-site marketing training events should be a given.

Partner Sales Training – More Than Messaging: Methodology

On the sales side, VARs should also expect more than messaging, they should expect methodology. For example, selling enterprise SaaS software can be an incredibly complicated process, and as channel partners, VARs should expect to be taught and trained on the methods that have worked for the vendor’s direct sales organization. VARs should also have the latest competitive intelligence available. They should be armed with competitor-specific information – their strengths, their weaknesses and what a competitor can be expected to do in a sales cycle, so that the prospect’s expectations can be established and there are no surprises.