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For those who know me, this is 'my baby'.  Prior to founding purechannels, I was the sole consultant at Noroch Consulting and my job was to float between the US and Europe and advise companies on the best PRM solutions and deployment options.  I still believe I am the only true 'independent' PRM consultant 'with experience'. J

So it is nice to see that the term 'PRM' is still around and that questions are still being asked.  Sadly there are only two 'pure-play' PRM vendors left, with Click Commerce in the US (they acquired all their competitors in the early 2000s) and Foundation Network in the UK (growing steadily).  But of course, there are many CRM/PRM vendors (salesforce.com, Oracle, etc.) and niche suppliers (BlueRoads and many marketing agencies) who believe they can do PRM... no comment!

So there is still light at the end of the tunnel for those who need to manage masses of 'unmanageable' partners, for those who deal with large numbers of disjointed partner databases/ extranets/ systems and for those who understand the value of bringing their partner data and processes under one roof.

But, and trust me on this one, it's never easy.

1)      It's not cheap but the results can really make a huge difference to your channel business.

2)      You'll need an expert to decipher what these PRM vendors are talking about.

3)      You'll need to be clear about what you need/ require.

4)      You'll need to make sure the solution delivers on your and your partners' needs.

5)      You'll need to set new processes - easy, meaningful and effective.

6)      You'll need to have a coherent data management strategy.

7)      You'll need real deadlines and strong internal/ management support.

That said... I feel a sales pitch coming you've come to the right place!  We have been involved in many PRM projects, with all the PRM vendors mentioned here.  So start checking our 'resource' library and give us a call.

Olivier Choron,