It's one thing to get a whole bunch of channel partners to sign your indirect sales agreement. It's a whole other thing to have channel partners who are driving sales to you regularly and keep your funnel full.

Channel Sales Enablement is one of my skill sets. I was a VAR, then an Agent, then a consultant and a sales trainer - the many aspects necessary to understand how a channel works and how to make it work.

Ultimately, you want a channel that is full of Partners with a capital P, who are armed with the necessary tools to market and sell your services. A channel that has you top of mind, so that they can put you in more deals.

Enabling a channel to sell requires training, support, marketing and sales assistance. Co-marketing, co-selling, product demos, sales kit, portal, status reporting, communication, and positioning are just some of the ingredients for a successful channel.

It isn't about the number of channel partners; it's about the quality and results of the channel program. In a channel, your success is tied to the success of the partner, every day in every way.