Distribution onboarding process critical for tech vendors: GTDC report

A well-designed channel program by tech vendors to accelerate the path to success for partners is critical, reveals GTDC report.

The Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) latest research report revealed the need for vendors to have a well-designed channel program to accelerate the path to success for their partners. The Distribution Onramp: A Quick-Start Guide for Established and Emerging Technology Vendors report, which was released during the GTIA ChannelCon event, was conducted in partnership with IDC.

According to the report, “successful partnerships require vendors to be fully committed and provide the necessary resources to help promote, sell and support products, services and programs effectively in the channel ecosystem.”

This will in turn enable distributors to deliver valuable market insights, sales and technical assistance and access to a broad base of partners and other resources. By working together, both vendors and partners will now only create tremendously beneficial scenarios that drive growth but also enhance and speed market penetration and ensure long-term flexibility and success.

With AI and emerging technologies pressuring IT vendors to scale their sales, technical support and other operations quickly and efficiently, the lack of a well-designed channel program could lead to more misalignment among partners. For example, tier two distributors would need to cost-effectively expand their reach, enhance customer engagement and drive net new sales to be successful. Without a well planned and executed channel program from initial engagements, these distributors could end up struggling.

This is why GTDC believes it’s crucial for the investments vendors make and the best practices they put into place prior to beginning the onboarding process with new distributors. Aligning sales, marketing and channel-related resources helps reduce the learning curve and creates a stronger and more optimized ecosystem for vendors, distributors, solution providers and the organizations and individual users they support.

For Frank Vitagliano, CEO of GTDC, successful navigation of the distribution onboarding process increases the value of these relationships across the channel, ensuring quicker and higher returns on investments for vendors and their partner communities.

“These mission-critical alliances benefit greatly from a solid foundation and continual nurturing, and early adoption of these industry best practices minimizes the chances of making costly mistakes or, worse, failing to capitalize on major business opportunities,” said Vitagliano.

Taking a deeper look at the report, there are several critical steps suggested to vendors to ensure suppliers’ success, especially when it comes to onboarding new distributors. They include:

“A channel vendor should first and foremost seek distribution partners that align with their specific business plan. Evaluating options based on the company’s current needs, future aspirations and corporate culture will help ensure a more successful and profitable long-term relationship. More vendors are stepping into that realm much sooner in their organizational journey today with a greater understanding of the resources and support that distributors providers bring to the channel,” the report concluded from its study.