All this, of course, begs the $64 million question: How do you actually score such an apparently complex system?

“An account may be destroying value in a number of ways.”

In practice, a skilled account manager can have a good stab at scoring each account in around half an hour.  This is because breaking the relationship and roles down into four categories with 10/20 drivers each makes it relatively simple and easy to measure.
 
This internal approach should be enough to start the ball rolling.  Olson says: "It gives account managers a much better understanding of the account.  The system forces them to look at deeper drivers."

You can also attempt to put a score on aggregate partners within a specific channel.  Such an exercise may help you to see where, say, mail-order or specialist retail is adding value, and where it is not.  You can use this approach to identify hot spots and urgent areas.  Why does the score for distributor Y differ so much so from those for distributors A, B and C?

But, to really score the relationship, you need to get the partner involved as well.  This can often take the form of a three-hour meeting in which the two companies score each other and analyse the relationship.  Typically, this looks both at the relationship between the partner and the supplier, and at the relationship between the partner and the customer.

Sherazee: "You measure the value created at both ends: value that the channel partners create for the supplier and value that the supplier creates for the channel partners." 

But how do partners react to this sort of in-depth exercise?  Olson says: "Once they grasp what we are doing, they are very enthusiastic. They say things like: ‘At last, I don’t have to constantly explain why I am different from other partners.’" Once barriers are down, a common platform will typically emerge, with clear areas where each side has potential that the other never knew about.  The exercise uncovers good win/win strategies.

So far, HP has rolled out the approach slowly.  Olson says: "We decided very early that we needed to pilot the concept so the design of the model, which includes combining value drivers with financial data, would be used effectively."  The approach has been deployed in divisions where senior management is most receptive to the big idea.  Olson adds: "Salespeople are receptive to new ideas, but you do have to convince them of the benefits of something which takes some time to implement.  You have to win their consent."  And she says: "Of course, not all partners want this sort of deep relationship."