Being a channel partner isn’t just about reselling solutions, it’s about building relationships, managing expectations, and translating vendor chaos into client clarity. Yet too often, vendors make avoidable mistakes that cost partners time, money, and trust.In this article, we pull back the curtain. These are the confessions of a seasoned channel partner, the inside stories vendors need to hear, but rarely do.<h2 id="4bb28c81-4dc5-43af-85e6-0312efc0cfd2" data-toc-id="4bb28c81-4dc5-43af-85e6-0312efc0cfd2" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">1. You’re Selling Us, Not the End-User</h2>Let’s get one thing straight: channel partners are not your end customers, we are your frontline sales force.Yet, many vendors pitch to partners as if we’re buyers. We get bombarded with glossy brochures, irrelevant spec sheets, and demo videos designed for CIOs, not salespeople.What we need is enablement, not marketing.Tip for Vendors: Equip us with battle-tested sales decks, objection-handling scripts, pricing calculators, and fast-response support. Skip the fluff and help us close.<h2 id="2fe16493-e6b5-4fa3-b19b-da54fd9066e0" data-toc-id="2fe16493-e6b5-4fa3-b19b-da54fd9066e0" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">2. Your MDF Process Feels Like Filing Taxes</h2>Market Development Funds (MDFs) are supposed to drive growth. Instead, they often become a bureaucratic nightmare.Long approval processes, confusing portals, vague ROI requirements, it’s enough to make us skip MDFs entirely. That’s a missed opportunity for everyone.We want to co-market. We want to scale. But the red tape is killing your momentum, and ours.🔧 Vendor Fix: Simplify the MDF process. Offer pre-approved campaigns, faster approvals, and transparent reimbursement steps. If Amazon can refund a blender in 2 clicks, your MDF shouldn’t take 3 weeks.<h2 id="9bd30cce-2cf1-431b-b592-7afeb2f96d60" data-toc-id="9bd30cce-2cf1-431b-b592-7afeb2f96d60" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">3. Your Leads Are Ice Cold</h2>Here’s a harsh truth: most vendor-generated leads are barely lukewarm. They’re scraped lists or low-intent webinar attendees. Yet, you pass them to us with high expectations.The result? We waste time chasing ghosts while burning our sales team’s motivation.🚀 What We Want: Invest in lead quality, not just quantity. Score leads intelligently. Share lead history, behavior insights, and intent data. Better yet, co-sell with us on the big ones.<h2 id="c2e65734-5caa-42a7-bb7b-6e930025b755" data-toc-id="c2e65734-5caa-42a7-bb7b-6e930025b755" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">4. Your Partner Portal Might as Well Be a Maze</h2>The intention behind partner portals is good, centralize assets, updates, deal registration, etc.The reality? Clunky UI, broken links, outdated materials, and login fatigue.We need speed, clarity, and self-service. Every minute we spend hunting for the latest price sheet is a minute not spent selling your solution.💡 Vendor Action: Invest in UX. Streamline access. Update materials regularly. Make search intuitive. Consider AI chatbots or partner success reps to make the experience partner-friendly.<h2 id="d5a4d38c-211c-49c7-80bb-8f90a4ea714b" data-toc-id="d5a4d38c-211c-49c7-80bb-8f90a4ea714b" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">5. We’re Tired of Getting Ghosted After Onboarding</h2>Initial onboarding? Slick. Great welcome kit, good training, solid kick-off call.Then? Silence.No follow-ups. No QBRs. No channel manager check-ins. It’s like being invited to the party and then left alone in the kitchen.🤝 Pro Channel Advice: Ongoing enablement beats a one-time onboarding. Regular check-ins, account reviews, and strategic planning sessions can turn an average partner into a superstar performer.<h2 id="9c8f533e-f577-4c04-8073-63579bc591cf" data-toc-id="9c8f533e-f577-4c04-8073-63579bc591cf" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">6. You Compete With Us—And Don’t Admit It</h2>The unspoken sin of many vendors: channel conflict.We find out you’ve undercut our deal. Or your direct sales team is calling our customer. Or worse, your marketing is geo-targeting our prospects.We get it, growth is hard. But trust is everything in the channel.🚫 Avoid This Trap: Create clear rules of engagement. Reward channel wins. Punish internal poaching. Transparency earns loyalty, and revenue.<h2 id="b097cb90-3931-4a2f-8257-a6424eafa51b" data-toc-id="b097cb90-3931-4a2f-8257-a6424eafa51b" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">7. You Expect Loyalty Without Showing It</h2>Loyalty is earned, not assumed. We prioritize vendors who prioritize us.That means better margins, faster support, co-selling opportunities, and fair deal registration. If you treat us like just another SKU mover, don’t be surprised when we focus on vendors who value us more.📈 Best Practice: Tiered partner programs that offer real rewards for performance—not just badges. Recognition goes a long way in keeping channel partners committed.<h2 id="20710837-703c-4431-963d-f5600eaf03bd" data-toc-id="20710837-703c-4431-963d-f5600eaf03bd" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">8. Your Training is a Time Sink</h2>Most vendor training feels like death by PowerPoint. Long webinars, static PDFs, outdated LMS platforms, we’ve seen it all.Partners need microlearning, product demos, use-case walkthroughs, and mobile access.📚 Smarter Enablement: Think like Netflix. Short, searchable, snackable content. Certifications that matter. Gamify learning. Make it fast to finish and easy to apply.<h2 id="197c3f5a-f79f-41cf-a3ff-c4eecdc4d896" data-toc-id="197c3f5a-f79f-41cf-a3ff-c4eecdc4d896" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">9. You Underestimate Our Influence</h2>Too many vendors see partners as a means to distribute product. But we are trusted advisors to clients. We shape vendor perception, recommend tech stacks, and influence long-term buying behavior.In other words, we are your brand in the field.🔥 Vendor Mindset Shift: Treat us like partners, not proxies. Ask for feedback. Involve us in roadmap reviews. Build relationships beyond the sales desk.<h2 id="bff02004-4c17-45ed-a61c-fc3eda996a79" data-toc-id="bff02004-4c17-45ed-a61c-fc3eda996a79" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">10. You Don’t Ask Us What We Need</h2>Every partner is different. Some want co-branded campaigns. Others need sales support. Some want generous SPIFFs. Others want technical enablement.Yet most vendors take a one-size-fits-all approach.The result? We get what you think we need, not what actually moves the needle.🧠 Simple Solution: Just ask. Survey us quarterly. Build flexible programs. Let us choose our own benefits. Give us a voice in how we grow your business.<h2 id="bb47388c-1687-4f6c-86e5-85f51dab0fe5" data-toc-id="bb47388c-1687-4f6c-86e5-85f51dab0fe5" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">Final Thoughts: Want Loyalty? Be Partner-Obsessed</h2>If you want more from your channel, give more to your channel.Better support. Better tools. Better communication. That’s how you turn a disengaged partner into a brand evangelist.It’s not about perfection, it’s about partnership.And the vendors who get this right? They’re the ones we fight for in the field, day in and day out.<h2 id="4bc75fcf-4995-4753-bc95-f3b291efce0d" data-toc-id="4bc75fcf-4995-4753-bc95-f3b291efce0d" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">💬 Over to You</h2>Are you a channel partner who’s felt these frustrations? Or a vendor ready to level up your partner program?Drop your thoughts in the comments below, or reach out to ProChannel Partners to learn how we help vendors and partners build smarter, stronger alliances.

Channel Partners are tired of vendor mistakes costing them time, leads, and money? In this tell-all from the channel trenches, discover what vendors consistently get wrong, cand how to fix it.

Confessions of a Channel Partner: What Vendors Get Wrong Every Time

2. Your MDF Process Feels Like Filing Taxes

4. Your Partner Portal Might as Well Be a Maze

5. We’re Tired of Getting Ghosted After Onboarding

6. You Compete With Us—And Don’t Admit It

Final Thoughts: Want Loyalty? Be Partner-Obsessed

Learn how to grow and scale your software business through high performing channel partners such as VAR, MSP, System Integrators etc. using proven strategies to dominate the market. 

Confessions of a Channel Partner: What Vendors Get Wrong Every Time

Confessions of a Channel Partner: What Vendors Get Wrong Every Time

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