Should I be looking to conferences, trade shows, and conventions as opportunities for partner engagement?

Absolutely, conferences, trade shows, and conventions are great opportunities for partner engagement.

Although there’s no substitute for face-to-face, hand-shaking interaction with partners, the move to being virtual has made it easy to experience many of the rewards of tradeshows from the safety of our homes. BUT, whether live or virtual, partner engagement shouldn’t stop once the event is over.

It’s imperative that channel professionals continue to interact with the partners they meet at events by leveraging LinkedIn and Twitter. Vendors commonly make the mistake of launching into an aggressive sales motion promptly after events. Rather, it’s important to nurture and develop those relationships on LinkedIn until you’ve developed credibility and trust with current and prospective partners.

Sponsored by our partners at Channel Maven, written by Brad Rolfe (Strategic Account Director)