Why our Partnerships matter; Nick Sikorski Joins the Channel Masters Advisory Board

Ask Nick Sikorski what makes a vendor partner program work, and you won’t hear about incentives or financials. He’ll tell you it comes down to how well the OEM understands how solution providers run their businesses — and how they support their customers.

That perspective is why The Channel Company tapped Sikorski, EVP at EchoStor Technologies, as one of four members of the new Channel Exec Board for its Channel Masters program, the year-long curriculum that develops the next generation of OEM channel leaders.

The four board members are spread across the country to represent a broad cross-section of the partner community. Their job: meet monthly with channel executives at major OEMs, pressure-test their programs, brainstorm what’s next, and serve as a sounding board for what’s actually working in the field. Board members are also paired with rising stars in OEM channel organizations as 1:1 mentors.

Why it matters for the partner community. Most channel feedback loops are vendor-driven:  surveys and advisory councils built around a single OEM’s program. Channel Masters flips the orientation. The board brings a partner-first lens to the conversations OEMs are already having about their go-to-market, recruiting, and enablement strategies. For solution providers, that means someone like Sikorski is sitting in those rooms saying out loud what most partners only say to each other, including what it really takes to keep a customer happy long after the deal closes.

“Nick has spent his career proving that the best vendor relationships are the ones built around customer outcomes, not spreadsheets,” said Mike Johnson, CEO of EchoStor. “Having him at the table with OEM channel leaders means our customers — and the broader partner community — benefit from that perspective.”

It’s a natural extension of the work he already does at EchoStor, where he has been central to fortifying the company’s vendor relationships across its solutions and services practices. Last year, CRN named him to its Next-Gen Solution Provider Leaders list in recognition of his work.

A Partner Playbook for OEMs

Sikorski’s first formal turn comes June 11, when he joins a kickoff workshop for the next Channel Masters cohort. As part of the program, delegates are tasked with building a recruiting pitch and presenting it to a panel of judges. Sikorski is one of four panelists invited to weigh in alongside a group of experienced channel leaders.

Channel Masters is one of The Channel Company’s most renowned offerings. It is a year-long program that equips future channel leaders with the understanding, tools, and hands-on techniques needed to develop and execute differentiated strategies.

Expect the workshop conversation to turn to a theme Sikorski often returns to: that the partner programs that win aren’t the ones with the most polished portals or the richest incentives. They’re the ones run by people who know what it actually takes to land a customer, deploy a solution, and deliver the customer experience needed to keep a customer for the long term.

Follow EchoStor on LinkedIn for updates from the workshop and reflections from Nick on what he’s hearing from OEMs and partners through the Channel Masters program.