Capability
A channel is not a list of signed agreements.
Partner identification, qualification, and negotiation, followed by the onboarding, training, and documentation that decide whether a dealer or OEM ever sells the second unit.
Where channel programs stall
Manufacturers usually sign the partners who are easiest to sign. Those are rarely the partners with the territory, the service capability, or the incentive to displace what they already sell. Six months later there are twelve agreements, two active accounts, and no way to tell the difference between a dealer who is failing and a dealer who was never a fit.
The work that prevents this is unglamorous: qualifying partners against explicit criteria, being willing to decline the wrong ones, and giving the right ones a written onboarding path with training, quoting rules, parts and warranty process, and a first-year expectation both sides have agreed to.
Scope of work
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Partner identification
Dealer groups, distributors, integrators, and OEM accounts mapped by territory, product mix, service capability, and current supplier relationships.
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Qualification criteria
Written criteria agreed with you before outreach: coverage, technical capability, parts and service commitment, competing lines, and financial standing.
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Approach and negotiation
Direct outreach, technical presentation, sample or demonstration coordination, and support through terms, margin, territory, and stocking discussions.
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Agreement structure
Practical input on territory definition, exclusivity, performance expectations, and termination terms, coordinated with your legal counsel, who drafts and approves the contract.
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OEM supply development
Component and sub-system sales into equipment manufacturers, including specification support, engineering introductions, sampling, and multi-year program pricing.
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Onboarding and enablement
A defined onboarding sequence: product and applications training, quoting and configuration rules, parts and warranty process, demonstration units, and launch support.
Dealer onboarding, in the order it should happen
Adapted to your product and terms. Documented as an SOP so it can be repeated by your own team once the first partners are running.
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Qualify and agree
Criteria check, territory definition, commercial terms, and a written first-year expectation.
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Train
Product, application, and competitive training for sales staff; service and diagnostic training for technicians.
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Equip
Configuration and quoting tools, price file, literature, demonstration equipment, and parts stocking list.
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Launch
Joint calls on their top accounts, a first demonstration or field trial, and a defined early-stage support contact.
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Review
Structured reviews against the agreed expectation, with a decision point rather than a drift into dormancy.
Documentation produced
Written material you own and can reissue without AFS.
- Partner qualification criteria and scoring sheet
- Territory and channel-conflict map
- Dealer onboarding SOP
- Quoting, configuration, and discount-authority rules
- Parts, warranty, and returns process
- Sales and service training material
- CRM stages, fields, and reporting definitions