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Secrets of Channel Management
by Peter Radizeski
Published: 2014
Recommended by Books of the Channel
Categories: partnerships
Why should you read it?
Because it brings you back to the fundamentals that most people overlook. There is a lot of attention today on ecosystems, co-sell, and new GTM models, but most partner programs do not fail at the strategy level. They fail in execution, in the small things that are not done consistently. This book forces you to look at what is really happening inside your program. Are partners properly onboarded, do they understand what to sell, are you staying relevant to them over time. If you are working in partnerships, this is a useful reminder that strong programs are built through consistent execution, not just good design.
What is the book about?
This book is a collection of practical, experience-driven chapters that focus on the real challenges of managing a channel program. Instead of building a single structured framework, it breaks the discipline into key areas like recruiting partners, onboarding, alignment, branding, and keeping partners engaged over time. Each section addresses a specific problem that shows up in day-to-day channel management, from understanding why partners are not selling to improving how you bring them into the program. The tone and structure feel closer to field experience than theory. It reads like a series of lessons learned from operating in the channel for years, where the focus is less on designing the perfect program and more on making it actually work in practice.
Best takeaway
A core idea throughout the book is that partner inactivity is rarely random. When partners are not selling or engaging, it is usually a reflection of something missing in the program, whether that is positioning, onboarding, enablement, or simply lack of ongoing attention. Channel management is not about signing partners and expecting results. It is about maintaining relevance over time, and that requires continuous effort. Most programs do not fail because they made a wrong decision at the beginning, but because they stop doing the work needed to keep partners engaged.
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