E + A = P

Every once in a while we find ourselves surprised by a small nugget of wisdom that comes from the least expected sources. It might be an observation from a child, a suggestion from a new hire, or inspiration from a middle school soccer coach. The later is what happened to me just this past week. One of my kids plays soccer on his middle school team. This is a relatively small school (only 100 kids per grade) and the soccer team only has twelve players. Basically that means that most of the kids play the entire game, usually against much larger competitors in terms of physical size and number of players. Our boys are not particularly skilled and there is not a single standout player; you know, the kid that can take over a game singlehandedly. Our team is 5-3 half way through the season. Not bad.

After every game, our coach sends out a game recap. Usually these are fun, because each of the boys typically gets a mention about something they did well during the course of the game. After their most lopsided loss (7-3), the coach sent an email that took a decidedly different tone. He wanted to share with the team and us parents his E + A = P philosophy. He believes that regardless of how big or strong the opponent, our kids can win through a combination of Energy and Attitude.

Energy + Attitude = Performance

The team has not lost a single game since that email was sent. The boys are first to the ball, they play physical, and they can be relentless when the game is tight. Most impressive is the positive attitude and unselfish play of the entire team. There are no hidden agendas, if you will. High energy and a positive attitude have translated into an elevated level of performance.

I think that E + A = P translates nicely to relationship management. Without effort and the right attitude, it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to maximize the benefit of a great relationship. Have you ever been part of a relationship that was so good that it seemed effortless, only to see them turn over time? Unfortunately, even the best relationships require effort…you have to continue to foster and grow the partnership. I have also seen great relationships turn sour when a new party is introduced into the association. Maybe this individual has their own agenda, a chip on their shoulder, or something to prove. Regardless of the reason, the attitude takes a different tone and the relationship suffers.

Here is the lesson. Even the smallest of companies can build strong relationships within their channel. The product, however, is not enough. It takes energy and attitude. Sometimes…not always, but sometimes…larger companies can get complacent with their channel relationships. I had one executive once tell me that he expected the channel to deliver “unaided” business. This is complacency and a perfect opportunity for another vendor to win the heart, mind, and soul of that partner simply by using this basic equation…E + A = P.

We have another game tonight…GO CHARGERS!!! With a some energy and attitude we should do just fine.

Lighting The Fuse

The key to effectively build a string of mini-explosions is to reach the individuals that have reach and influence beyond your own. Actually, it is more than just reach and influence. They also have to be willing, able, and motivated to share your message with others that they think will benefit from what you have to say. No problem, then. All you have to do is find those people that find your content so compelling that they are willing to share your information (sometimes at a risk to their personal and/or professional reputation) with other people in which they have some level of influence.

Piece of cake, right?

Not exactly.

These people are often called “Sneezers” because they help spread your content/message...creating the viral effects of social media. They are hard to identify and reach. Even if you could identify them, their attention would be very difficult to get as there would be significant competition.

The BIG question, then, is how do we reach and motivate these Sneezers and get them to help spread your content. First, and foremost, you have to have something they care about. For example, my Mom would not be a Sneezer for this post about social media, but if I was writing about cooking a Bundt cake, she would be a great Sneezer. So you have to target your content to the right communities of individuals. The key is to not be too narrow. Since you may not know who the Sneezer will be, you will have to cast a big net.

The next step is motivation. Why would a Sneezer feel compelled to share your content? This really comes down to being part of communities that share a common purpose. LinkedIn Groups are wonderful examples of these types of communities. I belong to some very large groups, as well as some pretty small groups. The smaller groups are more narrowly focused, but tend to be more passionate about the topic. The larger groups have a smaller percentage of active participants, but those that are active tend to have broader sphere of influence.

The graphic below shows how this would work. The mini-explosions occur within each community as a Sneezer reaches another community…one in which he/she has some influence. In turn, another Sneezer reaches another community. The process continues as long as the content has some value to the next community. The mini-explosions create the viral effect of social media because you have successful caught the attention of the Sneezer who is motivated to share.

Hierarchy of Motivations - Channel Actualization

Sorry for the somewhat academic sounding title, but channel motivation is something very few companies truly incorporate into their plans. The expectation seems to be for channel marketing to develop marketing “programs” that will motivate the channel and the channel sales teams to sell more stuff. Not a bad goal and certainly selling more stuff is a good thing. Creating a truly motivated channel, however, requires more than a few incentive programs. Maslow created the Hierarchy of Needs to demonstrate that in order to get to “self-actualization” the individual must pass through a series of stages. Apparently you cannot just decide one day to be self-actualized. Who knew?

It got me thinking about channel motivation and wondering if a channel relationship can just become “actualized” or if there were stages that the relationship must go through to reach Nirvana. Not being a trained psychologist, I thought of the two motivations we often see in the workplace; the carrot and the stick. Certainly, Donald Trump has used this approach for his reality show, The Apprentice. I think there is more, though. What truly motivates a channel partner is not too different than what motivates an individual:

Survival: Channels (like people) will do what it takes to survive. This often leads to a “path of least resistance” behavior. Channels will behave in a way that helps them survive. This why effective lead generation and deal registration programs are embraced by the channel. Incentive programs and channel ramp initiatives will also help satisfy the “survival” motivation.

Social Need: This is an emotional need. Channel partners want to be recognized in their communities and business circles as successful and thriving business practices. Their success is directly related to the perception of their customers and partners. Channels have a social motivation. Channel designation programs, for example, offer a recognition brand for their excellence. The reason many companies offer a tiered designation structure is to motivate their partners to invest in the relationship and gain the next level of designation.

Need to be Valued: As I have mentioned previously, channel partners want to be engaged and involved. They want their input on product and solution development, marketing programs, and service level agreements to be heard and valued by the vendor. The community of Linux developers and contributors to Wikipedia are emotionally connected to these products and services because they feel valued. Companies that embrace this “need to be valued” motivation through engagement programs (similar to the trends in channel education), will benefit by creating an emotional connection with their partners; ultimately creating switching costs.

Channel-Actualization: The Utopian channel relationship is one in which there is mutual commitment, mutual growth, mutual profitability, and brand between the channel and the vendor. As Maslow would describe it…the relationship is everything that is can be. Of course, this is a state where there is perfect communication, action, and results.

The Channel Hierarchy of Motivations would look something like this:



The goal in building channel motivation campaigns should be to reach the top by building a suite of programs and initiatives designed to move your partners up the hierarchy. Focusing exclusively on the lower stages is table stakes as this is where your competitors are also focusing their efforts.

Disclaimer: I apologize for the psycho-babble in this post. Perhaps it sounds a bit “too fluffy”, but I do think that you have to go beyond incentive programs and lead generation to truly motivate your partner community. Would welcome your thoughts…