Are you a fair weather VAR/Solution Provider?

Do you belong to more partner programs then you have sales people?  Do you sign up to become a partner simply because your customer wants to buy that vendor's product?  Do you sign up for vendor programs then never complete the requirements?  With all of the vendors and products to choose from no one could really blame you, but is it truly benefiting your business?

The best way to get the most out of a channel program is to commit to the requirements and position yourself as the "authority" on that product or solution.  So why then do so many solution providers spread themselves too thin?  Should vendors have a referral program instead so the solution providers with customers ready to buy don't have to act like they are going to commit to the program?

Channel Partner; customer, client, partner, or team member?

Different channel organizations treat their partners differently; what do solution providers prefer?  Should solution providers pay for training?  Should everyone in the same tier be treated the same even if they don't need the same support?  What differentiates one program from another and who cares?  Well it turns out that solution providers do...who knew?

Having spoken to many solution providers at last year's Everything Channel Xchange event I saw evidence of the changing tide.  Many vendors used to treat their solution providers as customers or clients because they could.  The SP wanted to be selling that vendor's technology.  Now many SP's, the right SP's, are sought after by vendors but the vendors haven't changed their model.  

How do you treat your channel partners?  Channel partners, how do you want to be treated?