Channel Partner Intent Data: The Secret to Pinpointing Best-Fit Partners and Accelerating Time-to-Revenue

Channel partner unpredictability is a permanent feature of the global technology channel. Partners onboard and leave constantly, which makes it challenging for vendors to achieve partner ecosystem growth goals and sustain partner-driven momentum.

According to a study by CRN Research in Q1 of this year, 70% of partners have either ended their relationship with a vendor or ceased selling the vendor’s products — without formally exiting the partner program — within the prior 12 months. Disengagement, inactivity and ghosting by partners are driven by recurring challenges, that include:

• Shifting tech partner strategies and technology focus areas
• Lack of support, follow-up and communication from vendors
• Acquisitions of solution providers by other tech partner companies
• Misalignment between partner and vendor strategic goals
• Margins falling short of expectations
• Difficulty navigating partner program requirements and utilizing marketing development funds effectively
• Unexpected shifts in wider tech market demand

These market variables and changing partner capabilities make partner churn inevitable.

Start Strong with Strategic Target Account Intelligence for Specific Technologies and Countries

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Intent data without account-based channel intelligence risks amplifying partner mismatches. Non-targeted intent signals can attract partners who are not equipped to effectively integrate into your ecosystem because your technologies don’t align with their core competencies or strategic priorities.

You also need to know whether there’s a large enough market of solution and service providers to target, and that you can be competitive in that market.

That’s why The Channel Company analyzes global first- and third-party data before engaging Channel Accelerator — our proprietary intent data solution that pinpoints target accounts showing strong intent signals in specific regions and tech areas.

To avoid the costly pitfall of attracting the wrong partners or entering over-saturated markets, our channel experts analyze massive volumes of public and first-party data across an extensive variety of channel partners, technologies, and technology skills. We can zoom in on partners anywhere in the world to discover strong capabilities in specific technologies, from artificial intelligence and data analytics to security services and networking — and every tech and service skill in the channel.

The analysis begins with an AI-driven deep-dive review of the digital footprints of prospective partner organizations from billions of data points. Here, there’s no mistaking the benefits of AI — a person or team could not uncover relevant terms and insights from this volume of data quickly enough to provide usable information.

This process uncovers the technical strengths and growth capabilities of potential partners and answers these critical questions about solution providers:

• Are they sharing their knowledge and experience with end users using language that confirms their expertise?
• What evidence are they providing about their skills and experience?
• Do their white papers, landing pages, and case studies validate their proficiency and technical know-how?

Based on these indicators, partners are ranked for their growth potential, and the results are refined based on our teams’ expert knowledge of distinct tech markets and regional competitive landscapes.

Engage the Right Solution Providers with Account-Based Marketing Built on Precision Intent Data

A high-quality target account list is valuable, but only when it’s used for precision account-based marketing guided by robust intent signals. These signals refine vendor messaging at every stage of the partner journey, from research to self-education to decision-making.

Channel Accelerator analyzes target account lists to pinpoint where partners are in their discovery process and when they’re signaling readiness to pursue new partnerships. As you nurture partners with email campaigns, high-value content, and prominent brand awareness ads on CRN and other media sites that partners rely on, Channel Accelerator returns real-time engagement signals.

You’ll be able to see the intent score of specific companies as key decision makers and influencers engage with your campaigns and content.

Channel Accelerator spotlights, in real-time when solution providers:

• Open an email and click through to a landing page
• Repeatedly engage with specific content
• Respond to the call to action on a hyper-targeted display ad
• Interact with social media campaigns

Additional first-party and zero-party data are also tracked, revealing even more granular interest signal layers and solution provider engagement with:

• Industry themes and tech news topic areas on CRN
• Syndicated content like white papers and eBooks
• CRN learning centers that offer one-spot vendor partner program and tech portfolio details
• The Channel Company’s global conferences and channel awards

This detailed information delivers actionable weighted intent scores which show which partners are shifting into the decision-making phase. These intent scores are updated continuously and available 24/7/365 on Channel Accelerator’s visual dashboard. The Channel Company team also delivers weekly consolidated reviews that highlight opportunities, which is a preference for many busy partner leaders, marketers, and sales representatives.