Waiting four years to launch an agency program may seem like a long time, but there are good reasons to do so. Let’s look at what has been announced first.
In the announcement, Ben Gabler, Founder and CEO of Rocket.net, explains that:
Rather than having to put their customer on various hosting providers and track multiple logins, agencies can now refer them to Rocket.net with the Agency Partner Program and not only have a single point of management for all of the sites they maintain on Rocket.net, but they can also continue to build their recurring revenue stream with confidence.
Compared to similar programs offered by competitors, Rocket.net’s Agency Partner Program is a simple offer. There are no membership tiers based on the volume of commission, no directory or private community. Not yet, at least. However, Partners have access to Rocket.net’s 24/7/365 support.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but a broader set of Agency Partner features may help distinguish it from the Agency Hosting solution, as well as the existing Affiliate Program.
A step in the roadmap to towards “massive scale”
Ben’s post – Paving the Way for Massive Scale – is an interesting read. Not often you get to read what a founder has on his/her mind and share some of the financials. The post is both and act of transparency and a promise that the quality of service will not suffer as the tech and the team tackle a fast-growing customer base.
So, how does this relate to the launch of the Agency Program (apart from being an additional channel for revenue)?
- Timing: It may have been tempting to launch this much earlier, even during their first year, when signing up new customers is harder. Instead, they waited until they were a) ready, from an operational point of view and b) confident to attract the right volume of the right kind of partners.
- Brand: Rocket.net has positioned itself as an innovator with a big focus on customer service, repeating and reinforcing these ideas in their messaging over the years. These are attributes that prospective partners will want to associate with, displaying the ‘Rocket.net Agency Partner’ trustmark proudly on their website
The program will help Rocket.net reach new audiences too, with many agencies focusing on niches and geographies outside the WordPress ecosystem.
The work doesn’t stop at launch
Managing a Partner Program is not a set-and-forget activity. You need to continuously work on:
- Outbound: to find and sign up partners that will prove to be a great fit
- Inbound: to manage and increasing number of applications
- Partner management: Giving them the tools and know-how they need to succeed
There is also an element of community engagement, which is always exciting. We can expect more agency related content being published as well as events, both online and in-person. Given Rocket.net have done a great job with their hosting products in the last four years, there’s no reason why their efforts to promote their new Agency Partner Program are not going to be just as good.
I also expect new features to be added to the Program over time, when it makes sense to do so. They will also be opportunities to go to market with additional announcements too.
