Extraordinary Effort

It costs a lot to be extraordinary. There is an investment in relationship management in terms of time, energy, software, programs, technology, and commitment. The question is, "Does the investment pay off?" It will depend on the view you take. There will likely not be a short term return on the investment. Relationships take a long time to develop. As such, it is not uncommon for us to take Easy Street and do our jobs like they were done in the past or maybe copy and enhance a competitive program. It is the simple way to justify your role and function. Just be a little bit better than the person before you.

Extraordinary is different. It is different because people that do extraordinary things don't do it for themselves, they do it for others. Great athletes work harder to win for their teams and communities. Doctors invest in new techniques and practices to help cure diseases and illnesses they don't have. Successful entrepreneurs find better ways to serve customers. None of these extraordinary people do it to justify their role or position. Don't get me wrong, there is likely a benefit to each of these people and sometimes that investment can be quite lucrative, but their core focus is on others.

A friend of mine recently went to Monticello, VA. He was telling me how great his trip was, but one thing he said was really interesting. A large percentage of our Founding Fathers died broke. These were clearly not people interested in serving their financial interests. They wanted a better place to live...a better society...and sacrificed what would have surely been an easier path to riches. Did they benefit in the long run? Sure. Their focus, however, was doing something for someone else.

As we try to find better ways to build relationships with our channel partners and customers, shouldn't our efforts be extraordinary? In speaking with different companies, I often hear of the need to "really ramp up our channel efforts". So they recruit and hire talent...those with similar channel experience and industry expertise. There is nothing wrong with this, but in most cases these companies and their partners will get a different flavor of the same thing. Companies and their partners should expect more. They should expect something extraordinary.

ChannelWeb (CRN) has recognized 30 vendors as channel contenders...those that have the opportunity to challenge the incumbent segment leaders. To accomplish this, these organizations will have to be extraordinary in the way that they manage their channel relationships. Their products and solutions are not enough to slay Goliath. They will need innovation and a consistent focus on building long lasting partner relationships.

Congratulations to these companies...hopefully they will be extraordinary!