MDF: Three Small Letters That Cause Big Headaches!
December 07, 2015 | By Angela Leech
- This is the first in a series of blog posts discussing and addressing potential issues that can arise with MDF
- There is no one-size-fits-all model that applies as every organization has different objectives, resources and available funds
- Successful programs drive the right partner behavior and demand, while generating measurable results, contribution and ROI
MDF stands for market development funds, but every organization operating a model for MDF seems to operating and executing it slightly differently.
Once you venture into new channels and expanded geographical regions, there are even more MDF complexities and considerations that can affect partner funding decisions. There is no one magic answer for making optimal partner funding decisions and no one-size-fits-all model that applies, as each organization has different objectives to achieve, and different resources and funds available.
The good news is there’s a lot of information and data to help steer organizations through the complex partner MDF processes. Once they are armed with the right knowledge, we can define the most successful programs that motivate the right partner behavior, drive demand and generate results that can be tracked and measured, and demonstrate contribution and return on investment.
There is much commonality across partner MDF programs, but there are also many nuances driven by a range of factors. Are these the right factors? Can we justify future partner funding investment based on what we actually know today? Ask the following questions on your MDF program:
- Do you have the information available to be able to demonstrate the success of your MDF program?
- Is your MDF program really a business tool that drives demand and revenue results?
- What are the objectives and KPIs of your MDF program?
Whether you are working through traditional or not-so-traditional partner communities, you have probably spent time asking yourself many questions these areas and suffered headaches while trying to find the answers.
In my series of blog posts and quick polls over the coming weeks, I intend to start to diagnose the pain points and symptoms impacting EMEA MDF programs today, I will share my findings with you all and see how we can start to relieve the headache in my next post.
Be a part of the results I share. Take the survey!
Angela Leech
Angela Leech is a Research Director of Channel Marketing Strategies at SiriusDecisions. Angela is an experienced channel marketing professional with demonstrated success in to-partner, with-partner and through-partner marketing programs utilizing all elements of the marketing repertoire. She has worked within both large corporate organizations and smaller businesses and has a breadth of experience addressing channel marketing challenges. Follow Angela on Twitter @AngelaLeech.