Partner Management channel strategy

Effective partner onboarding: Exploring your options

4 min read

Jun 26, 2024 5:42:42 PM

Partner onboarding process

When welcoming a new partner into your channel, providing the right guidance is crucial for them to become a productive member of your network. It’s unrealistic to expect a new company, even one with a basic understanding of your product and its advantages, to generate significant leads immediately. It is obvious you will need to invest in the relationship to see business growth. This can be likened to hiring a new salesperson and expecting them to succeed without proper product knowledge. Partner onboarding is a key element of success. Let’s delve into the specifics of what constitutes an effective onboarding process.

What should you cover during onboarding?

Onboarding typically refers to the initial meetings or training sessions aimed at kickstarting the collaboration. However, it’s more beneficial to view it as "partner enablement," a process that should extend throughout all stages of your interaction with the partner company. Think of it as long-term success building. While the beginning requires more focus, ongoing training should continue throughout the entire partnership lifecycle.

Let's focus on the first few weeks. During this phase, it is imperative to cover two areas: sales enablement and a general business overview. These can sometimes be combined into one training session, but the goal remains the same: to provide the partner with a deep understanding about the company’s history, unique selling propositions, product or service overview, and key tools that might help them close deals.

At its core, the partner program onboarding should cover:

Unique Selling Propositions (USPs): What makes your product or service stand out?
Target audience: Who is the ideal customer for your product?
Pricing and packages: What are the available pricing models, packages, and add-ons?
Problem-solving: What specific issues does your product address?

An ideal sales onboarding should equip the partner with the ability to present your product coherently, such as delivering a compelling elevator pitch at the end of the onboarding process.

During the general business overview, it’s also beneficial to share information about the brand’s story, office locations, selected clients, total client base, overall popularity, and other metrics that the partner might use to "seal the deal." Case studies showing customer loyalty or specific benefits your solution / services brought to satisfied customers is more than welcome here.

After covering these areas, you can also delve into the product itself, which is more suited for the technical team. Here, focus on the technology, code, best practices, etc. This step is optional but valuable when dealing with a partner who will be extending your solution.

Four types of partner onboarding process

There are various approaches to handling the partner onboarding journey, ranging from fully automated to fully personalized. Each has its pros and cons, and the choice depends on your partnership strategy and current stage.

Fully automated

Utilizing an external or in-house Learning Management System (LMS) as a partner learning center allows partners to watch video content, read articles, and get certified at their own pace. This approach is advantageous because it enables partners to learn on their schedule, and you can track their progress. However, the drawback is that partners might not prioritize it, leading to delays in their onboarding process. Another drawback is that it typically requires a separate LMS system or at least a robust partner portal with the training module included.

Automated and Time-Bound

Partners receive access to the LMS with a set deadline to complete their certification. Failure to do so could result in losing partnership status or incurring a certification fee. Sending a reminder a few days before the deadline can help ensure timely completion.

Semi-Personal onboarding

Quarterly or monthly sessions are held in a webinar format, allowing both new and existing partners to join, learn, and ask questions. This method benefits existing partners who want to refresh their knowledge or onboard new team members. However, partners might feel uncomfortable in a session with competitors, which can be mitigated using a suitable webinar tool.

Fully personalized

This approach involves organizing one or more dedicated meetings to present the company and sales materials to the new partner. While this method offers the highest level of care and attention, making the partner feel valued, it is not scalable and should be reserved for strategic markets or partners.

By carefully selecting and implementing the right onboarding process, you can ensure your partners are well-equipped to succeed and drive mutual growth.

What to measure?

When measuring the success of a partner on their onboarding journey, key performance indicators (KPIs) can provide valuable insights into their progress. These KPIs may include things such as:

How many of the users have certified / watched the trainings?
How many times the materials have been downloaded?
How long did the watch the material for and when was the last time they did?

I also highly recommend measuring specific training abandonment rates to see where partners are losing their attention and dropping off from the training. Maybe something is unclear. Maybe the structure should be set differently. Measuring it will give you the first step to make an informed decision. You can also base the tier or access to MDF funds based on the completion of the onboarding training. If the training / certification part is already included in your PRM (partner portal), you will likely also have access to reports / insights about the channel partner onboarding KPI's.

Partner onboarding is not just about completing a checklist of tasks, but about investing time in learning about your product, sales materials, and understanding the benefits of your product or service. By doing so, partners will gain access to powerful tools that will enable them to generate more leads and close more deals. Remember, a well-equipped and knowledgeable partner is a valuable asset to your organization. So, take the time to explore different options and find the approach that helps you build the best onboarding program to set your partners up for success. Also remember - the first training is just the beginning. Make sure to keep your partner informed of all the changes happening to your product / services.