How to turn channel partners into brand advocates

Gordon Wilson, commercial director at Achievement Awards Group. Image supplied

That kind of personal and professional endorsement is pure gold.

You have to do a lot right to build that kind of loyalty. Even if your products are the best, you still have to treat your partners well. Even if your pricing is good, your partners still need your help marketing your products.

And, like any relationship, loyalty takes time to build. Loyalty to your brand and products doesn’t simply happen by default.

Rather, there is a very methodical and practical way to go about building connections, relationships and loyalty.

Loyalty is built, not bought

Loyalty shows up in actions and behaviours – ultimately, in your channel partners prioritising and recommending your brand - but also in things like committing time to researching and understanding your products, sharing feedback and insights, participating in marketing and research.

Building loyalty is about shifting and shaping those behaviours, over time.

That time is a journey of four stages from: Initial engagement, Capability Building, Preference and Advocacy & Commitment.

Stage 1: Capturing attention and motivating initial action

This is the “nice to meet you” phase. In this stage, you want to spark interest and find some space in your partners’ minds.

The behaviours you’re targeting are their first engagements with your brand – signing onto a programme, for example, and making their first few sales.

Here, simple incentives are very effective – you could offer branded glassware to a bar or tavern for selling specific volumes, or give a car dealership marketing funds for hosting test-drive events.

Non-reward gestures also help – such as personal onboarding calls, or easy and direct access to support and resources.

Stage 2: Building confidence and capability

This is the “getting to know you” phase. You want your partners to get to learn and know your products so they can sell them with confidence, and your role is to support them.

Specific behaviours you may want to see from your partners are doing training, using your marketing tools, and presenting your product well.

What works well here are certification programmes and badges, sales tools, and recognition for training milestones completed.

Incentives and rewards – like giving partners early and preferential access to new products for completing training or certification, or points for engaging with learning functionality on an app – are good motivators and relationship builders.

Stage 3: Encouraging preference and prioritisation

This is the stage of “taking things to the next level” and hoping to see signs of commitment. You want your brand to be your channel partner’s go-to choice, and the behaviours that show that they are recommending your brand over the alternatives and proactively selling.

To encourage this, the incentives should start becoming more meaningful and reward high-performance behaviours more sustainably.

Rather than immediate or once-off wins, you might look at tiering levels, with progressively more attractive rewards at each level. This way, there’s a goal for partners to work towards.

Stage 4: Fostering advocacy and emotional commitment

At this stage, your partners trust your brand, feel invested in its success, and are showing what is perhaps the highest form of loyalty – advocacy.

They’re actively championing and recommending your products, referring new partners, and remaining loyal even during downturns or tough times.

You can help foster this kind of advocacy through things like exclusive events – for example, inviting top sommeliers to enjoy rare vintages and blending workshops; travel experiences for your top brokers or dealerships; public recognition, like awards for leading retailers; and early access to opportunities to influence new products or product roadmaps.

Loyalty equals action plus emotion

Building loyalty is a journey that can be mapped methodically, with clear milestones, defined behavioural goals and appropriate incentives.

Done well, this kind of journey nurtures the kind of loyalty that is demonstrable and visible, seen in consistent behaviours, over time.

And while it might sound rather rational and strategic, it’s vital to remember that, ultimately, loyalty is emotional. That’s why it’s important to ensure that the journey is not simply transactional or financial.

Things like recognition, incentives or exclusivity aren’t about money; they’re about being meaningful. This kind of loyalty isn’t magic, it doesn’t happen by default, and it is not instant.

It’s something you build, consciously, cleverly, methodically, over time.