What Makes a Channel Partner Program Great? A True Partnership

By: Doug Spinella, Director of Worldwide Business Development and Tactical Marketing

All Partner Programs are not equal. Here’s how to identify the right ones for your business.

As Lantronix celebrates the first anniversary of its new SmartEdge Partner Program, it is time to take a closer look at channel partner programs and ask, “How are these programs useful to our value-added resellers, system integrators and distributors?” Let’s start with the definition of a Channel Partner Program: “A Channel Partner Program is a strategy to motivate and engage channel partners to create more value for customers.”

Today’s channel partners are looking for much more than motivation and engagement. They want a manufacturer partner that can provide them with hardware, software and services to support them in delivering a one-stop-shop to their customers. They also want partners who will enable them to be perceived as thought leaders to their customers. Rather than just seeking a product source, today’s resellers want a true partnership with the manufacturer that will enable them to better serve their customers and be more profitable.

In this true partnership, the manufacturer needs to provide the channel partner with:

1. Service and Support: Professional resources with quick-and-easy access
2. Education: Product training and expert support, both pre- and post-sale
3. Sales Tools: Easy-to-use resources, including presentations, battle cards and competitive comparisons that are conveniently available in an easy-access portal
4. Rewards Program: Benefits for the VAR or Distribution salesperson to incentivize and compensate their efforts in winning new customers

To make this partnership a success, the channel partner needs to take advantage of programs offered by the manufacturer including:

1. Training: Become knowledgeable on the products and services and clearly understand the differentiators.
2. Vertical Markets Expertise: Learn product/service uses in a variety of vertical markets as well as the benefits for each industry. Tip: Review case studies and application spotlights.
3. Participate: Engage in free webinars, promotions or spiff programs and watch your business grow.

Here are our promises to our channel partner relationships:

1. Loyalty and Engagement: We promise to deliver loyalty and engagement with our channel partners, and we value their efforts to build strong relationships with our mutual customers.
2. Trust: We promise strong communication that builds trust between our team and our channel partners and increases everyone’s success.
3. Productivity: We promise easy access to educational and sales materials as well as training to help our partners sell Lantronix solutions to our mutual customers.
4. Consistency: By syncing our sales efforts, we promise consistency to our channel partners and our mutual customers, helping ensure they get the right products to meet their needs.

The result is increased Profitability. By taking care of our channel partners, they take care of our mutual customers, resulting in increased profits for everyone.

“There is a wide variety of partner programs, but few deliver true partnerships to their channel partners. At Lantronix, we understand what your team needs, and we are committed to building a true partnership for mutual success,” said Doug Spinella, director of Worldwide Business Development and Tactical Marketing at Lantronix.

As you review partner programs, please take a moment to check out the Lantronix SmartEdge Partner Program to see if it is a fit for your organization.

Sidebar:

“The Lantronix’s SmartEdge Partner Program has attracted the industry’s top channel partners,” said Jonathan Shipman, VP of Strategy at Lantronix. “With our SmartEdge Program, our channel partners offer Lantronix’s integrated offering of software, hardware and service solutions, providing their customers with everything they needed to build robust, secure, connectivity-based solutions.”

SmartEdge Partner Program Award Winners Are Tech Data, SHI, Presidio, Atlantik, Arki, Data Equipment, Acromax, Rahi System India and Enthu Technology Sdn. Bhd.

The winners of the Lantronix SmartEdge™ Partner Program Awards were announced at Lantronix’s 2021 SmartEdge Partner Summit, which was held virtually on June 23, 2021. The SmartEdge Partner Program Awards were given to winners in three categories: Distribution, StrategicEdge Partners and Edge Partners covering three regions: North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific.

And…drumroll, please… the winners are:

North America

North America Distributor of the Year: Tech Data

North America StrategicEdge Reseller of the Year: SHI

North America Edge Reseller of the Year: Presidio

Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA)

EMEA Distributor of the Year: Atlantik

EMEA StrategicEdge Reseller of the Year: Arki

EMEA Edge Reseller of the Year: Data Equipment

Asia Pacific (APAC)

APAC Distributor of the Year: Acromax

APAC StrategicEdge Reseller of the Year: Rahi Systems, India

APAC Edge Reseller of the Year: Enthu Technology Sdn. Bhd.

“Congratulations to the SmartEdge Partner Program winners, all of which have exceeded our program requirements and expectations in driving sales and building long-term relationships with our mutual customers,” said Doug Spinella, director of Worldwide Business Development and Tactical Marketing at Lantronix.

Sidebar:

Lantronix Named to CRN Partner Program Guide

Lantronix’s SmartEdge Partner Program has been named to the industry’s leading partner program guide, the CRN Partner Program Guide. Published by CRN^®, a brand of The Channel Company, this annual guide provides a conclusive list of the most distinguished partner programs from leading technology companies that provide products and services through the IT Channel. The 2021 Partner Program Guide is online at www.CRN.com/PPG.

Sidebar:

About the SmartEdge Partner Program

Lantronix’s SmartEdge™ Partner Program was designed to help Value-Added Resellers (VARs) and Systems Integrators (SIs) drive revenues by differentiating their offerings with Lantronix’s innovative Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), Remote Environment Management (REM), Out-of-Band Management (OOBM) and Mobility/Connectivity solutions.

For more information on the Lantronix SmartEdge Partner Program, visit www.lantronix.com/partners.

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