People often assume that successful businesses work alone. You may picture a lone entrepreneur closing deals and wowing customers. Or imagine a company hiding its secret recipes in a closely guarded vault. In reality, many businesses work with partners to achieve their goals.
Set your collaborators up for success with a partner enablement strategy. This approach gives partners the tools they need to promote your brand. It also helps you build stronger relationships with your partner network.
This guide covers everything you need to know about partner enablement. Read on to discover best practices and useful resources.
Understanding partner enablement
Let’s start by exploring the meaning of partner enablement.
Partner enablement is a strategy that businesses use to empower and educate collaborators. This process gives partners the necessary resources, tools, and mentorship to allow them to promote your brand more effectively.
Businesses can have many types of partners, including:
- Channel partners sell and distribute a company’s products and services. They include affiliates, distributors, and resellers.
- Community partners promote community outreach and develop local initiatives.
- Marketing partners work with companies to promote brands and products. They create content, generate leads, and manage advertising.
- Strategic partners create joint ventures and projects. They pool their knowledge and resources to achieve shared goals.
- Technology partners help companies improve their technology systems. For example, a tech firm could partner with you to develop a new mobile app.
A partner enablement strategy helps collaborators learn about your business. They can use this knowledge to represent your brands and products.
Benefits of partner enablement
Partner enablement is critical for business growth and success. This approach has many advantages for companies and their partners.
Partner enablement can lead to increased revenue and sales. Collaborators who understand your brand will market it more effectively. They can also spot opportunities to cross-sell or upsell products and services.
This strategy also helps collaborators represent your brand more consistently. They’ll gain a deeper understanding of your business’s identity and values. Partners use this knowledge to build trust with customers and deliver unified messages.
Finally, partner enablement lets you scale your business more efficiently. You don’t need to hire more employees or open new locations to grow. Instead, you can rely on partners to tap new markets and distribute your products. This method saves time and resources.
Examples of partner enablement strategies
Businesses can use many tactics to support their collaborators. Here are a few partner enablement strategy examples:
- Onboarding sessions: Create a training program for new partners. These sessions should introduce collaborators to your brand and products. You can also cover effective marketing and sales techniques.
- Email marketing templates: Share email marketing examples and templates with partners. These resources will help them engage and inform customers.
- Product demonstrations: Give your partners hands-on demonstrations of your products. These experiences will help them learn about key features and applications.
- Webinars: Organize monthly webinars to update partners about your industry and products.
Establishing a foundation for successful partnering
Marriages and business partnerships have a lot in common. They both need a strong foundation built on mutual trust if you want them to last. These relationships also work best when you share common goals. Follow these steps to lay the groundwork for a successful partnership.
Choose your partners carefully
There’s nothing more flattering than getting approached by a potential business partner. But not every opportunity will suit your business’s goals and needs. Vet potential partners carefully to make sure they’re a good fit.
Some companies have partnership applications on their websites. These forms let you gather data to assess prospects. You can also attend networking events and ask for referrals from current partners.
Map out goals and objectives
Set goals for your partner enablement program. To start, think about what you want to achieve with these relationships. You should also consider how these relationships will fit into your business plan.
Here are a few examples of actionable goals:
- Boost sales revenue from partners by 25%
- Develop two new product integrations with technology partners
- Increase engagement with a co-branded social media campaign
- Leverage partnerships to expand into a new market
Set key performance indicators for success
Assess the effectiveness of your partnerships with key performance indicators (KPIs). These measurements will help you identify effective strategies and improve your teamwork.
Track these KPIs to gain valuable insights:
- Customer retention
- Customer satisfaction
- Lead generation rates
- Partner portal activity
- Partner-sourced revenue
- Return on investment
Developing and delivering partner enablement content
Create engaging and valuable content for your partners. This content should empower them to represent your business and products effectively. It should also help them achieve their goals.
Start by developing educational resources. For instance, you can write a training manual with key information about your brand. Partners may also appreciate product demos, case studies, and webinars. These resources will help them communicate with customers and increase sales.
You can also share promotional materials that partners can customize. These resources can include email templates, product brochures, and social media posts. Partners can use these materials to learn your brand voice and engage customers.
Follow best practices in instructional design to create effective online learning content. Here are a few practical strategies:
- Add images, videos, and other multimedia to make your content more memorable
- Increase accessibility with mobile-responsive designs and easy-to-read font
- Segment your training for different audiences, such as marketing and technology partners
- Use interactive elements like quizzes and polls to engage learners
Enabling through technology
You don’t need to design a partner enablement program from scratch. The right software can streamline this process and help you train partners quickly.
Choose a learning management system (LMS) designed for business partnerships. This software lets you design interactive content and create personalized learning paths. You can also use challenges and leaderboards to make training fun.
In addition, an LMS platform can help you streamline onboarding. This software gathers information from partners and shares onboarding materials. Many platforms also integrate with customer relationship management and partner relationship management software.
Creating a partner onboarding process
Your onboarding process should make new partners feel welcomed, valued, and informed.
Start by developing a partnership agreement. This document should spell out your expectations and goals. It should also outline each partner’s roles and responsibilities. Finally, define the financial terms of your relationship.
You can start the official onboarding process once you’ve hammered out these details. Create a timeline with frequent milestones to keep partners on track. Here’s an example schedule to help you jumpstart your partner enablement strategy:
- Day 1: Welcome email and kick-off video call
- Days 2 to 5: Complete training courses
- Day 6: Take part in marketing and sales webinars
- Day 7: Share leads and learn about the lead generation pipeline
- Day 14: Check-in meeting with the account manager
Set up automated email notifications to guide partners through this process.
It’s also essential to support partners with the right tools. Build a digital library of resources that they can access 24/7. These resources can include training modules, sales guides, and tutorials. You can also offer support through chat channels.
Strategic alignment with channel partners
A channel partner enablement strategy should support everyone’s goals. Work with your partners to assess their needs and growth targets. This information can help you develop shared goals and strategies to achieve them.
Let’s say your partner wants to increase revenue while you want to boost customer retention. Align these goals by developing strategies to deliver more value for existing customers. For example, you can create upselling resources and launch a joint marketing campaign. These tactics will help you and your partner reach your goals.
Communicate your vision upfront to find suitable partners. Explain your value proposition and highlight the benefits of partnering with your business. You can also share success stories from existing partners to spark interest.
Education and knowledge sharing
Training your partners shouldn’t be a one-time event. Share knowledge throughout your relationship to help your collaborators succeed.
Offer continuous education for your products and services. For example, you can offer virtual workshops and live product demonstrations. Your partner enablement platform should also include online courses and video tutorials. This training will help your partners stay up-to-date with the latest features.
Sales and marketing training can also help partners hone their skills. Develop courses and workshops on the latest marketing research and strategies. Additionally, you can teach your collaborators how to use digital tools to boost sales.
Communication and support
Communication is one of the pillars of any partner enablement program. Your partners should have access to round-the-clock support so they can get help whenever they have an issue or need clarification.
Here are five ways to maintain open lines of communication:
- Create a dedicated chat channel where partners can ask questions
- Assign an account manager to every partner
- Schedule regular meetings to give updates and touch base with partners
- Send regular email newsletters with company updates
- Develop co-marketing initiatives
Feedback and performance analysis
Use KPIs to track your partners’ progress. Here are a few useful data points:
- Lead quality
- New customer acquisition rate
- Partner participation in events
- Revenue generated
- Social media engagement
This information can help you identify partners who need extra training and support. It also lets you recognize and reward partner success. For example, you can offer bonuses for partners who meet certain sales thresholds.
Don’t forget to watch your performance metrics. Collect feedback regularly from your partners to learn how you can improve. For example, you can ask partners to recommend new training materials and tools.
Optimize and evolve your strategy
Don’t get too attached to your original partner enablement strategy. The best programs evolve in response to changing industry trends and partner needs.
Use digital tools to analyze your performance. For example, you can use affiliate links to track sales from partners, while social media platforms provide engagement data, and email marketing tools track click-through, open, and unsubscribe rates.
This data lets you identify areas for improvement and optimize your strategy. For example, if you notice that your co-marketing campaigns get the most engagement on Instagram, you can work with your partners to create more content tailored to the platform.
You should also customize strategies for people at different stages of the partnership. For example, new partners may need close guidance for email marketing campaigns. Existing partners might enjoy continuous learning resources and advanced workshops.
Partner enablement tools and resources
Technology can help you manage and streamline your partner engagement program. Look for tools that scale as your program grows. You should also choose technology that integrates with your existing platforms.
Constant Contact has three partner programs for different business needs. The Agency Program helps digital marketing agencies manage clients. The Enterprise Program is designed for businesses that want consistent branding across teams. Finally, the Business Partner program lets you promote Constant Contact to your peers.
Download our free guide: How agencies benefit from partnering with a digital marketing program
Each program offers comprehensive solutions for partner enablement. Users get access to cutting-edge analytics, automation, and marketing tools. This technology will help you strengthen your relationships and reach your goals.
Unlock the power of collaboration
Take your business to the next level with a partner enablement strategy. This approach uses strategic partnerships to reach new customers and tap new markets. It’s a simple way to extend your reach without investing a lot of resources.
Partnerships also let you draw on the strengths and skills of other experts. For example, you could partner with a social media influencer who will increase brand awareness. Your collaborators could also recommend ways to improve your products and services. Check out professional organizations for more resources about partner enablement programs. For instance, the Manufacturers Alliance shares partner enablement strategy templates. You can also read our guide to Collaboration Marketing 101. Use these resources to start building a winning partner enablement strategy.
