How To Select the Best Channel Program

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You've read the glossy brochures. The sales rep was full of promises about how great life would be as a VAR for her company. But you've been down this path before. Sometimes the vendor becomes a valuable addition to your business. Other times, what starts out looking very promising is just a waste of your limited resources. How can you predict which vendor relationships will benefit your business?

Start by learning about the executives who run the vendor's sales organization. Those are the people that will be setting policy and allocating resources for the vendor's support of its VARs. If execs have histories of involvement with successful VAR programs, they probably have a good understanding of the value a loyal reseller community brings to the vendor. That understanding will translate into generous resources and VAR-friendly policies.

Researching the past focus areas of a company's top execs may shed light on what areas they deem significant. A company's Web site frequently includes executive biographies that provide useful insight. Asking your assigned sales rep for some background on the company's management team is another good option.

Also, don't be misled by the age of a VAR program. Knowing how long the program has been in place is not enough-you need to know how stable it has been. Lean toward those that have had evolutionary change. Vendor VAR programs that change frequently and dramatically without progressing may not be worth a VAR's investment of time and resources.

You'll also want a clear explanation of how the vendor's salespeople are compensated. Are they motivated to work with VARs, or will you be subject to an antagonistic relationship? Determining how sales leads are distributed is also important. The best vendor programs will have a formal qualification process and criteria.

Last, check references. Many vendor Web sites include a VAR directory. Call a few noncompetitive VARs and ask them whether the vendor's promises of high-quality training and technical support have been fulfilled, whether its sales organization has been friend or foe and whether the sales leads have had value.

Some exceptional VAR programs are out there, so give yourself the opportunity to find those providing the highest return on your investment.