Incentives: The Underrated Driver of Partner Strategy Success

One topic that I don’t think gets talked about nearly enough is around incentives (both monetary and non-monetary). At the end of the day, we are all driven by incentives; it changes our behaviors and habits.

When there are disconnects between partner strategy and how internal teams and external partners are incentivized, it can inhibit your ability to achieve your strategic objectives. If there are changes to your strategy or strategic objectives, we need to reassess the incentive structures both internally and externally to ensure they align.

• If we want our partners to do X activity, and it costs them Y, what benefit do they get? If we cannot answer or do not provide a benefit, why would they want to incur the cost?
• Internally, if there is a disconnect between what you are asking your teams to do vs. what we are asking our partners to do, it can cause friction and reduce efficacy.
• Internally, if there is a disconnect between direct sales and partner teams, it can introduce channel conflict and inhibit growth potential.

TL;DR: Align internal and external incentives with your partner strategy to achieve the best results.