Everything Old Is New Again

There she was, row 17, aisle seat. I glanced ahead as I boarded the crowded flight to Chicago recently, anticipating where I'd stow my carry-on. She had to be 90 years-old, dressed in a plum-colored velour tracksuit, suitable for comfortable travel. I had the middle seat, so she gingerly stepped out of her seat to let me by.

Once situated, I took the perfunctory deep breath and pulled my book out of my briefcase. Shortly after, the tapping began. Turns out my fellow passenger had a smartphone and was texting faster and more intensely than my 9th grade son. I couldn't help but watch her from the corner of my eye. After we were advised to turn off our electronic devices, she pulled out her Kindle. She rolled her eyes as she told me that she hoped the flight attendants didn't try to make her turn it off, "…some of them just don't understand the whole wireless disabling feature." I smiled politely and put my head back into my book, only to find myself recalling the conversation I overheard a week earlier between two elderly women about checking Facebook for their bridge game schedule.

As someone who has worked in the technology industry for most of her career, the product adoption life cycle curve is imprinted indelibly in my mind. So, aside from being impressed with these seniors' adeptness with technology, it dawned on me that several technologies have rounded the curve with tremendous velocity!

At the same time (because this is what you do on a flight where you can't move), I reflected on the challenges some companies face with partner program adoption. In other words, while the program may contain all the right stuff, partners aren't always quick to embrace it, thereby limiting their success with your products and services. It seems to me that some interesting parallels can be drawn to these seniors' rapid adoption of cutting-edge technology.

So, in the spirit of driving partner program adoption, ask yourself the following three questions, from the partner's perspective:


                                   

1. Is there a relevant and compelling reason to participate?
   
   Few, if any, technologies get used if the application doesn't feed a business or personal need (texting grandkids, for instance). In the case of partner programs, your partners need to believe that your value proposition to them will affect their business favorably and in turn drive more business with their customers.
   
   
2. Is it easy to get started?
   
   Few, if any, technologies proliferate to the masses (including seniors) until they reach the "plug and play" stage. The same applies to partner programs. Setting a cadence from the beginning regarding your responsiveness and the ease with which you conduct business is critical. In today's world of immediate gratification, if your partner sign-up process and approval cycle takes more than a few days, it's time to reflect on the message you're sending to your prospective partners from the get-go.
   
   
3. Is it functional?
   
   Less is truly more here. In the case of grandma using the smartphone, it may simply have been the large keys or the large font size on the screen that drove her to use the technologies. Ultimately, it's not the quantity of program elements that drives partner program adoption, but getting the right ones right. Many companies load the program up with a laundry list of benefits, when, in fact, partners care most about the margin opportunity (i.e., pricing and rebates), sales and technical enablement, the ability to drive demand through marketing (MDF), and your sales culture.