„I`m looking for partners who can make commitments,“ Marc said. „I`m not looking for an agnostic partner who sells many similar types of tools. We want companies that have a place at the table with certain groups of customers. Take a look at Spireon, a leading developer of connected vehicle intelligence solutions. The company has gained a lot of energy through striking dealer agreements with car dealerships across the country to sell its Kahu product. All partners must accept Microsoft`s partnership agreement, including indirect Resellers, by January 31, 2020, to ensure that their ability to create new customers or abandon new orders for existing customers in the CSP program is not disrupted. After that date, the Microsoft Partnership Agreement will be required for all CSP program partners. Partners who have not accepted the Microsoft partnership agreement cannot place new orders and are limited to managing existing subscriptions. „It is therefore up to the supplier to offer its resellers a strong promise of `relationship feedback`,“ said Ralph Nimergood, vice president of Worldwide Channel and Alliances at Commvault. In other words, there are many, many factors that go into developing and maintaining a healthy partner ecosystem, including branding, partner support, marketing, enablement etc. However, there must be an economic element of the relationship that ideally allows for a fair margin by the reseller at the transaction level. In addition, the supplier needs a program structure that provides a package of investments beyond the transaction margin. This may include co-marketing funds for the partner to jointly invest in marketing application activities and other financial instruments allowing the partner to invest in its „supplier practices“ in areas such as solution development and human capital. Profitability, ideally, motivates both the principles – that is, the owners – of resale and the sellers within the reseller company. Over time, the economy is likely to change, as will some other terms.

Doing the first right thing can be a challenge. However, for the process to run smoothly, you need to identify partners that are essentially part of your distribution organization.