Any channel partner network is a mixed bag of active and passive partners. We asked Elise Hymes, Kerio's Partner Program Manager, about her views on making the partner program valuable to all partners.

What do channel partners value the most in your experience with running the Kerio Partner Program?

Communication is key. Yes, you can over-communicate. You can certainly share information that the partners may not need to know, but it is all about giving them rationale and reasoning about why you are making the decisions that you are making, some of which will dramatically change their businesses. You also have to be aware of the quiet partners - the ones who are not always active from a participation, engagement or selling standpoint.

When we decided to move the Kerio Partner Portal to Samepage, we had a lot of backlash in regards to the commenting, and the fact that people were receiving email notifications when someone would comment. After doing some research on the partners that were commenting, we learned they were partners who generally showed lower sales volumes. So logically, our now more frequent communications seemed overwhelming to them. My advice to those running a partner program is not to forget about your quiet partners because they too are valuable and at times can have a very loud voice.