You might remember a time when you recorded phone numbers in an address book or a Rolodex. But now, you can easily save contact information on your smartphone. 

Now imagine continuing to track numbers using a physical address book instead of the contacts in your phone. Doesn’t make sense, does it? 

It’s the same thing with partner relationship management.  

With the introduction of partner management software, there’s no need to manage partners using manual methods like emailing and spreadsheets. Channel partner platforms make this process seamless and streamlined for both brands and their networks, resulting in greater marketing efficiency. 

Learn everything you need to know about channel partner management software, including the features, benefits, and best practices. 

Partner management, more commonly known as partner relationship management (PRM), is the process of overseeing and maintaining relationships with channel partners. This practice includes all the strategies, tools, and processes involved in managing these business relationships, such as: 

• Onboarding and training 
• Incentives management  
• Local marketing 
• Partner engagement 
• Performance monitoring 
• Brand asset management  
• Communication 
• Partner support  

Partner management is crucial for brands with expansive partner networks, ensuring that all affiliates are empowered to launch impactful campaigns that drive results.  

Partner management software is a dedicated, centralized platform designed to help brands efficiently govern and collaborate with partners across their ecosystems. PRM platforms optimize partner management by providing resources, facilitating fund management, simplifying communication, and analyzing performance, all from a single location.  

Channel partner management software is designed with many high-impact features that facilitate channel marketing for brands and their affiliates. Every PRM platform should include the following features:  

• Centralized partner portal: Every partner management platform should include a partner portal, which centralizes all relevant resources, such as brand assets, training programs, and support features.  
• Lead management: Your PRM software should enable you to easily distribute leads to partners, ensuring efficient lead management while minimizing duplication.    
• Performance analytics: With built-in data and analytics reporting, you can gain valuable insights into partner performance in real time.  
• Incentive programs: Incentive programs motivate partners to promote your brand and drive sales with incentives like rewards, rebates, and partner funds.  
• Integration capabilities: You should be able to easily integrate your PRM with your existing tech stack to eliminate silos and ensure data synchronicity.  
• Permissions and access controls: Your partner management software should allow you to restrict who can access, monitor, and edit functions and resources across the platform. 

If you’re familiar with customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, you may be wondering if CRM and PRM software are the same thing. Both platforms are built with the same intention — efficiently managing relationships — but each does so for a different target audience.  

As indicated in their names, partner management software focuses on nurturing relationships with channel partners, whereas customer relationship management deals with fostering relationships with customers. So, in short, PRM is business-to-business (B2B), while CRM is business-to-consumer (B2C).  

Without a strong system for partner management, brands are forced to resort to manual tactics like spreadsheets, emails, and phone calls for communication and performance tracking. These manual efforts aren’t only time-consuming, but they’re also prone to human error. That’s why PRM software is crucial for every partner ecosystem. 

Here are the many benefits of channel partner management software: 

• Streamlining partner processes: Partner management platforms make crucial processes like partner onboarding, training, and enablement faster and easier.  
• Centralizing resources: With a PRM platform, you can store all brand assets and partner resources in a single, centralized location, so nothing gets lost and every campaign is compliant.  
• Increasing efficiency: PRM software automates vital workflows, simplifies partner processes, and improves collaboration, leading to greater overall efficiency.  
• Tracking partner performance: Partner ecosystem management platforms record and report on partner data in real time, enabling you to easily monitor performance and optimize your strategy accordingly.  
• Improving partner engagement: Because partner platforms are designed to simplify partner marketing and reduce friction, they encourage greater partner participation in marketing programs.  
• Increasing loyalty: When you make marketing seamless for your partners with a robust platform, you increase partner satisfaction and loyalty toward your brand by creating positive partner experiences.  
• Boosting revenue: Channel partner management software empowers partners to market your brand, leading to increased sales and ROI. 

When it comes to implementing a partner management platform into your organization, there are several considerations to keep in mind to get the highest output from this technology and your partner network.

Focus on partner experience 

When it comes to your PRM platform, the better the experience, the more likely your partners are to fully embrace it. That’s why it’s vital to invest in technology that caters to your partners’ needs while making marketing processes seamless.  

To cultivate a positive partner experience, your partner management software should include: 

• An intuitive user interface 
• Simple processes 
• Frictionless onboarding 
• Personalized journeys 
• Integrated collaboration tools 
• Built-in support features 

For brands with ever-expanding partner networks, platform scalability is paramount. With scalable channel partner management software, you can ensure that your platform is equipped to grow with you. That means whether you establish more partnerships or expand into new markets, your PRM software will be able to easily adjust to account for these changes without impacting performance or capabilities.  

Once you start using your partner management software, it’s important to monitor performance regularly to measure PRM success. Keeping up with partner data helps you determine what’s working and what can be improved, enabling you to further optimize your programs. 

Not sure how to gauge partner management success? Here are some key metrics you should evaluate: 

• Partner engagement 
• Sales performance 
• Lead quality and conversion rates 
• Partner retention 
• ROI 
• Partner satisfaction 
• Market coverage 

Every affiliate is different — so no two partner journeys should be the same.  

Consider tailoring the partner experience to your affiliates’ unique needs across your PRM platform for the best results. That means personalizing everything from training to incentives to enablement based on different partner types and segments. By customizing the partner journey, you can boost partner engagement, satisfaction, and performance.  

While PRM platforms are excellent for efficiently managing partners, they aren’t optimized for campaign management and marketing strategy. That’s why you should supplement your partner management software with a distributed marketing platform that can pick up the slack where PRMs fall short. With the power of both technologies, you’ll be able to streamline partner management and channel marketing execution.  

When selecting a partner ecosystem management platform for your brand, it’s important to choose a system that makes the most sense for your channel and aligns with your business goals. 

Here are the questions you should ask when evaluating PRM software vendors: 

• Can it handle my current and anticipated partner volumes? 
• Can it easily integrate with my existing marketing tech stack? 
• Does it have customization capabilities? 
• Is it simple and easy for partners to use? 
• Does it have reporting and analytics features? 
• Does it automate workflows? 
• Does it have built-in data security and compliance controls? 
• Is implementation guidance offered? 
• Is customer support available? 

If the answer to most or all of these questions is yes, then you’ve got a high-quality solution on your hands. 

Like any technology platform, there are common obstacles brands face when using partner management software. Luckily, these pitfalls can be avoided when you know what to expect. 

Here are the main mistakes brands make with their PRM platforms:  

• Minimal planning: Often, brands don’t think through the full scope of implementing a partner management platform and try to get it done as quickly as possible, causing them to hit obstacles along the way. Make sure to create a comprehensive integration roadmap ahead of time, breaking it down into phases and setting realistic timelines to ensure implementation success. 
• Poor data quality: Migrating incomplete, outdated, or duplicative data into your PRM platform can lead to significant reporting errors and affect system effectiveness. Make sure to audit and standardize data before transferring it to your platform to ensure high data quality. 
• Integration complexity: Your partner software must communicate well with your existing tech stack to prevent data silos and inaccurate reporting. Be sure to invest in software built to integrate smoothly with your current technologies to prevent integration difficulties.  
• Inadequate partner enablement: Partners will struggle to fully adopt your PRM software without extensive onboarding. Implement adequate training programs, resources, and support to ensure partners are equipped for success. 
• Inability to scale: Some platforms aren’t designed with scalability in mind. That means when your partner network grows, your platform’s capabilities won’t expand with it. That’s why it’s essential to choose a channel partner management platform that can withstand these changes.  

AI has come bursting onto the scene, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that artificial intelligence will make its way into partner relationship management software. With the power of AI and machine learning, PRM platforms will use automation to recommend marketing materials and resources based on partner behaviors, creating more personalized experiences. Thanks to AI, partner platforms will also be able to leverage predictive analytics to forecast partner performance and identify at-risk relationships, enabling brands to make proactive decisions to reduce churn.  

With powerful partner relationship management software in your corner, you can streamline marketing processes, boost partner engagement, and improve performance.  

However, PRMs can’t do it all. Go beyond partner management by pairing your PRM with a distributed growth platform designed to streamline channel marketing success. Ansira’s all-in-one brand-to-local platform is designed to make channel marketing simple for brands and partners alike. 

Get in touch with one of our marketing experts to learn more.