Feedback
Negative Sentiment
Just 45% of all VARs selling products as a cloud service aren’t satisfied with how their vendors listen to and act on their feedback.
Speaking Up
54% of cloud-driven VARs prefer to provide feedback to vendors through quarterly business reviews, and 31% like to do so via general partner surveys or advisory conferences.
Positive Feedback
About two-thirds of traditional VARs and managed-service providers are content with the way their vendors gather and act upon their input.
Money Talks
65% of VARs with more than $50 million in revenue are satisfied with their “voice of partner” (VoP) programs, compared with 48% of VARs with less than $50 million in revenue.
Soft Sell
58% of software vendors’ VARs are satisfied with their “voice of partner” (VoP) programs, compared with 53% of hardware vendors’ partners.
Make It Easy
If you want to keep VARs happy (and loyal), allow them to provide feedback in the manner they prefer.
Measure, Measure, Measure
The best way to get a true picture of partners’ satisfaction is to quantify their input, instead of just gathering it.
Take Action
Demonstrate to partners that you’re taking their input seriously by sharing both good and bad feedback from all VARs—along with a sense of how you’ll address it.
Hardware Vendors Need to Adjust
VARs need hardware vendors to do more than distribute tech products; they’re looking for vendors to help them identify ways to deliver managed services and custom solutions.
Don’t Neglect Smaller VARs
Vendors may be tempted to lavish their most devoted attention to big-revenue partners. But your reputation often depends upon word-of-mouth, and smaller VARs are perfectly capable of lending influence there.