SIN: Not Knowing Your Products

It might seem a no-brainer, but Nickolaisen said a common challenge he runs into is partners that aren't experts in the products they sell. Nickolaisen gave an example of a partner he reached out to purchase a specific product line, but due to a lack of expertise the partner was unable to provide a quote for more than two weeks. That's not a winning approach for a partner, he said.

"I think in this age where we are specializing and focusing on innovation and relying on you to have a higher level of expertise on products, I would encourage you to think about how you can build product expertise in the products you represent," Nickolaisen said.