For decades, channel professionals have used channel incentives to drive behaviour, whether establishing new behaviours, suppressing old ones, or repositioning partners for a new opportunity. Incentives are also effective in masking deficiencies in business value propositions. However, several converging trends have challenged traditional thinking in channel incentive programs.
In this article, Jay McBain – Principal Analyst, Channel Partnerships & Alliances at Forrester – explores the resulting complexity and vast permutations that are causing channels pros to rethink how they motivate and drive loyalty with partners.