You’ve picked what seems like a great channel partner.Your partner likes your product.You’ve talked a lot.You spend time together…but…you know there are others.Yes, your channel partner is not only selling for you: there is another vendor. Maybe even several.
Life imitates a country song – The fact is, you just can’t take for granted that your channel partner is focusing every sales effort on your products. If someone else is more attractive or attentive, you are going aren’t going to stay on the dance card.
Did I do ‘em wrong? – Yours is not the only product or service line represented by an individual channel partner. As a result, if you don’t succeed in making your product the most attractive to sell, you’ll fall into the “back of the catalog.” Corporate partners (that is you) need to find a way to convince each channel that your product can be sold more easily and with better revenue yields, than anyone else’s. If you fail to do this, you won’t be given much attention.
You never call or write – Channel partners do not intuitively know or understand the vision and missions of their corporate partner (again, this means you.) This creates a problem: channel partners who are poorly versed in your product narrative cannot be expected to communicate it effectively to their own prospects.The product message breaks down and prospects are lost because the message loses relevance.
Roses only because they are expected – Channels may find the generic, mass produced marketing collateral generated by your marketing department is ineffective and unresponsive to their regional and localized segments. In the face of this type of collateral, they may cut their sales efforts for you in favor of another who does a better job. Equally discouraging, they may try to create their own personalized material that compromises your branding. When this happens, your original corporate marketing message goes off the rails.
We never talk – Seriously, do you talk? What’s working in the channel relationship? Analytics to measure partner engagement and performance are often limited or non-existent. Do you ever review what goes right or wrong? If you don’t, things just roll along and nobody’s happy. Consider analytics that look at every step of where you are with a channel. What do they need to work with each prospect. What marketing programs did you give them that worked great? What didn’t?
Summary: Country songs don’t offer answers- just pain. Get out and fix things.
It’s time to look at solutions. Business people look to solve problems. The problems don’t change much, but your answers can.
