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Sales And Channel Development
Sales “Go To Market” Model
Do you have a clear “Go To Market” strategy – are you direct, indirect or a combination of the two? Have you started out as a direct sales operation but now need to move to utilizing partners, channels or OEM’s to take your business to the next level. How do you manage an integrated go to market model.
Clarity on the above is imperative to optimize the result for an organization, but often businesses drift from a direct to indirect model without fully recognizing the skills, effort and requirements for a successful partner or channel model.
Optimizing Partners
If you have partners, are you giving them the requisite attention? Are you making it easy for their salespeople to promote and sell your solutions or services? Have you provided them with easy access to sales support material? Do you understand where your solution or service fits in their wider portfolio and from a sales perspective, know how the partner sales teams are compensated for selling your solutions. Is it a significant % of their overall quotas?
A small number of focused and loyal partners is often better than a large volume of partners or resellers who do not make your solution or service a priority. Successful partners are built on a strong 2-way relationship where both parties promote and contribute equally.
Are you getting the most from your sales partners today, what are your frustrations? Do you understand your partner’s frustrations with you or why they are not hitting the sales goals you both set out to achieve? Do you have joint sales goals for your solutions and services?
Very often, better communications, some simple processes, focus and knowledge can make a significant difference to your effectiveness and results from partners and vice versa.
Your partners are your extended sales team, so it’s equally imperative to give them the right tools to be successful. For instance, do you provide a partner portal where sales support materials (including online training) can be easily accessed.
Your Team
Do you have the right people in the right roles? A successful direct salesperson does not necessarily make a great partner manager. Often the mindset is different, skillsets vary and being one stage removed from an end client can be hugely frustrating for direct salespeople. Trusting your result in the hands of another organization can be challenging, but with the right team, skill sets, approach and focus, can make a massive difference and accelerate revenue opportunities.
Having the right people to manage such relationships and then creating the marriage with the right partners for your services and solutions is imperative.