Evaluating channel partners : finding performance measurement items for the purpose of evaluating channel partners in the context of a Born Global company

Abstract

‘What should we measure?’ - This thesis was commissioned with the goal to create a tailored list of performance measurement items. With it, the commissioning Born Global company aims to evaluate its channel partners in a more concise and unified way. The list would, the commissioner felt, save the sales organization’s time, decision making would become more effective and, especially, the future potential of each channel partner would become more clear. This paper takes a multi-method approach to combining the commissioners' individual needs with insights from the most relevant and recent literature on the subject matter. As a result, a list of 27 measurement domains spread across four broad dimensions of channel partner performance were defined and presented to the commissioner. This paper thus marks the beginning of a large company-wide managerial development effort and builds a new basis for the sustained growth of the commissioner’s global distribution network.