Attention. You may host weekly webinars, send monthly partner newsletters, and have a partner extranet loaded up with sales tools, but what partners really value most is direct contact. They want answers to their specific questions, tools that fit their unique business model and above all, they want to feel like they are your top partner. As much as possible try to allocate face or phone time, not just to your top 20 percent, but also spend time with up and comers as well.

Insight into your product roadmap. Much like your direct sales managers, your partners are on the front lines. They have to answer to customers. They need to know when that bug will be fixed and when that all-important feature will be released. You may feel like your roadmap is highly confidential stuff, but engaging your partners in a product dialog not only builds loyalty but can also help you prioritize the features customers want most.

Help selling. My colleague Al Morgan recently recommended the importance of coaching your partners on how to deliver your sales pitch. Your partners are most likely selling more than just your product or service. Make it easy for them to learn your key benefits, sell against your competitors and handle common objections. Summarize key sales information such as target customer criteria, key features and benefits, competitive information and objection handling into a one or two page cheat sheet.

Also be sure your survey includes one question regarding overall satisfaction, such as a numerical rating for your partner program or a measure of your partners’ willingness to recommend your program to others, as a way to benchmark your channel program progress year over year.