On my last post, I covered the first two laws: 1. When You Ask, Listen and Act; 2. Be Selective with the Changes You Make. As promised here are the remaining three:
3. Make it Easy and Simple
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo da Vinci
From Leonardo da Vinci to Michael Dell, simplicity has been a subject for many for a long time. Making the complex simple is not easy and it takes a lot of effort but when achieved it helps people with their thinking and faster decision making! The key is to focus on the right problem simply because the partners are managing tight timelines, high customer expectations and challenging cash flows.
The easier and simple we make for our partners to do business with us, the more business we can do and both parties will benefit from it. At Dell PartnerDirect, everything we do must pass the test of simplicity. That’s because if it’s not simple enough, it will never be good enough for our partners. As an example, our rebate programs, incentive programs, deal registration, trainings, certification framework – are all kept simple enough that partners don’t have to get experts in to understand them or benefit from them.
4. Ensure Business Synergy
When a partner chooses a vendor to work with, a key consideration is a perfect synergy between their strategy and yours. If they are seeking the same things that you are, the relationship flourishes.Communicate your key business priorities and allow partners to make choices that are aligned with your vision.
Dell PartnerDirect aims to create a channel that delivers a complimentary value add to its enterprise capability. Partners who want to move deeper into Enterprise solutions find this complementary to their vision. Several examples exist where this formed the basis of joint investments and, eventually, shared success.
In a press article released during the joint event with Dell, Centrin-Futong, Dell's major channel partner in FSI industry, pointed out: "The only way to best serve the industry customers is to strengthen cooperation and share resources, and Dell has fully shown its strength, sincerity and implementation ability as a leading international company in this regard. In today's events, the two companies have worked together as one to put on a grand 'feast' for industry customers."
5. The Frontline Is Your Guide
In Lesson #3: Develop a Customer Focused Philosophy Michael Dell says “We’ll listen, and we’ll respond…It’s about the customer. It’s that simple.”Dell’s responsiveness to market depends on listening. 
Create platforms to capture partner feedback – first hand. Do not wait for surveys to give you the pulse of the market. Every piece of feedback is important so make yourself available for feedback.
At Dell PartnerDirect our frontline has the ability to contribute partner feedback continuously via a variety of channels viz internal blogs, sales force chatter and town hall meetings. Recently we made significant changes to our demand generation programs and pricing structure to incorporate the feedback.
I hope the two blogs on the 5 Immutable Laws of Partner Satisfaction gave the readers an insight on Dell’s management perspective and how our partner programs are shaped around these laws. I would be happy to hear some comments and views from the readers!