This is a very good summary of an article by 2112 Group but more consideration needs to be given to the opposite viewpoint too? How does a vendor know when a partner could and should be delivering more growth?
I remember running a Strategy Workshop with a partner who was growing at 20% with our client (a major vendor). On the face of it, that's always a great performance and our client was more than happy. BUT....the partner was growing at 40% overall and also with the client's biggest competitor.
Having access to data and insight when doing joint partner planning is essential in knowing what the ideal targets are. I completely agree with the author that this should be done Jointly, face to face and not be a predetermined exercise in offsetting someone's personal goals.
Every year, they (vendors) raise the bar on performance expectations. Sometimes, in fact, they go a little overboard. Partners tell us that they don't mind having that bar lifted a little higher each year; the problem arises when it's raised too much and vendors impose unrealistic expectations for growth.
http://www.channelnomics.com/channelnomics-us/analysis/
