Drive Your Channel Productivity Globally

Partner relationship management (PRM) is an important tool. The key question, however, is which application within the PRM tool is the most important. Before we delve into details, it may be helpful to step back for a moment and consider a broader question: “What is the purpose of a channel?” You may be thinking the answer is quite obvious—to sell more of our products and services. Yes, you are absolutely right! The primary purpose of a channel is to extend your reach above and beyond what you can sell directly to an end buyer. In fact, the reason companies build a channel network is to expand their global reach and lower their sales costs. While a channel can also provide additional services, such as planning, installation and maintenance support, the ultimate purpose is to sell more. If selling more is the primary purpose of a channel, then it follows that the most important application in your PRM tool should be about sales management—right? There are several essential components of sales management. It s

The purpose of a channel is to drive sales, and this is where multi-partner prospecting programs can enable an organization selling through the channel globally to scale quickly. Your partner relationship management (PRM) tool can play a very important role in this effort. In this article, we will explore briefly how a PRM tool can help you recruit partners into a prospecting program, train them with the right tools and approaches, enable them with demand generation kits and then reward them for building your sales pipeline. Your PRM tool should have distinct process automation capabilities that allow you to recruit and onboard partners, and then train them on various aspects of your channel programs, particularly prospecting programs. Once you have recruited and trained them, the next focus needs to be on making sure they are capable of driving leads and closing sales. This is another area where your PRM tool needs to be very robust. Most PRM tools in the marketplace tend to focus only one or two aspects of

Most companies selling through the channel want their partners to generate demand for them. However, now that the world of marketing has gone digital and marketing has evolved into a science, it is quite difficult for most partners to drive marketing activities and generate demand in a consistent fashion. This is where through-partner marketing software (TPM) becomes essential. Through-partner marketing software can significantly streamline demand generation activities by allowing a vendor to load a set of campaigns into a portal where partners can log in and easily carry out demand generation activities. Typically, most through-partner marketing software comes with a basic set of tools for specific activities like search marketing, social marketing, email marketing, event marketing and content syndication. The key for a vendor is to make sure that campaigns loaded into a through-partner marketing software platform are complete and effective. Partners generally do not like experimenting with new campaigns, b

You must be saying, “What?” This article title makes no sense, right? Well, let me assure you: you’ve read it right. I firmly believe B2B marketing is taking over B2B selling, and I’ll explain why this makes sense. The primary research of all the major analyst firms (including Forrester, SiriusDecisions and Gartner) definitively shows (doesn’t just assert) that more and more buyers are relying almost exclusively on online, digital engagement as they go through the buying process. In many cases, buyers proceed through the entire process without ever talking to a seller. As consumers, all of us can relate to this phenomenon. For the vast majority of buyers, long gone are the days of getting a Sears or Land’s End catalog in the mail and then calling up an 800 number to place an order. In the consumer world, we go through the buying process online nearly 100% of the time. You can actually buy and sell a house that way, not to mention more routine purchases like cars and boats. The entire consumer experience is n

The entire world is getting digitized—from supply chain to manufacturing to service delivery to customer acquisition—but when it comes to the last mile of product and service delivery via a channel partner network, it is amazing to see that most companies haven’t deployed partner relationship management (PRM) automation to any significant degree. This leaves a lot of low-hanging fruit related to growth and productivity, but also neglects a crucial part of the vendor-partner relationship: partner satisfaction levels. That’s what we will explore in detail in this article. Before providing specific recommendations, let’s briefly look at the lifecycle of partner relationship management (PRM). This relationship starts with an organization signing up to resell products and services from another. Just like any new relationship, in the case of PRM there it’s important to recognize there are certain expectations that partner organizations have with respect to a vendor’s program. Over time, as the partner organization

If your organization has built a patched-up partner management system by adding applications (or objects) to your existing CRM infrastructure, then it’s likely you are investing enormous resources to answer basic business questions. This is where a purpose-built partner relationship management (PRM) platform can significantly improve your business performance while reducing cost. How does it work? That’s what we will explore in this article. Until recently, most companies selling through the channel relied on automating their partner management workflow by using their existing CRM infrastructure instead of deploying partner relationship management (PRM) automation. However, when you try to manage certain program-related activities—things like marketing, lead management, incentives management, training and so on—with this kind of patched-up infrastructure, you will encounter three main problems. Lack of data flow – When you use an object-based (i.e., application-based) approach to expand your current CRM s

Budget is tight everywhere. Investment dollars in infrastructure are particularly hard to come by, especially when it comes to channel marketing automation investments. Partner relationship management (PRM) is a necessary starting point for any organization trying to reduce costs and increase partner productivity and ramp up sales. However, most organizations today are still running on yesterday’s channel marketing infrastructure, and are not able to secure executive support for such an investment. The status quo may be frustrating, but change is even harder, so most organizations—despite enormous need—fail to understand and are unable to articulate how new investments can drive channel productivity and growth. In this article, we will explore how you can champion such investments in PRM software and associated automation and secure executive support. When you step back and look at your channel with an eye toward increasing partner productivity, your first task is to figure out what the overall organizational

The acronym PRM stands for partner relationship management; CRM stands for customer relationship management. PRM and CRM are quite similar in nature, both architecturally and in terms of their functionality. However, there are some fundamental differences between the two types of platforms. Let’s begin by discussing some of the similarities between PRM and CRM, and then we will discuss the differences between the two. Core Similarities between PRM and CRM Here is a high-level summary of how PRM tends to behave like a CRM, mostly from an architectural and workflow perspective: Architecture – Both PRM or CRM use software that is built on the latest web services technology. Both employ a three-tier architecture (database layer, application layer and web presentation layer). They also tend to run on software as a service (SaaS) infrastructure. Application framework – Both PRM and CRM have a core platform which houses records—records of partners in the case of PRM, and records of end users in the case of CR

Partner relationship management (PRM) is an important set of activities in channel management. Over the past decade, multiple SaaS vendors like ZINFI have brought significant innovation to market in the PRM software segment to enable a vendor selling through the channel to automate partner relationship management activities. In this article we will explore some of the basic capabilities that your PRM software must have to give you a solid start. When you think about channel management and selling through a partner base, one of the most important factors is keeping partners informed and involved in your company’s programs and activities. Getting mind share from a channel partner is the first hurdle. The next hurdle is to generate interest and engagement—ideally, leading to a transaction. This is where a start-of-the-art partner portal is essential. Your PRM software should come with a set of core capabilities allowing you to set up a dynamic partner portal. With that in mind, here are the key criteria that yo

The partner portal is possibly the single most important tool for a vendor selling through channel. While channel programs, policies and people are all very important ingredients for partner relationship management, in our digital world a properly built, state-of-the-art partner portal can make the difference between a successful channel program and one that fails. However, the majority of partner portals today never realize their full potential of serving the needs of the channel partners and enabling a vendor to scale its business globally. Why is that? Let’s examine some of the primary reasons behind this failure. Portals are not localized. Most companies that are selling globally today may have some localized web content, but typically the user interface of the partner portal is not localized. As a result, partners that are more comfortable doing business in English are absolutely fine, but in countries where English is a secondary language or where partners are simply not comfortable using English, th

Selling via an indirect sales channel is never easy, especially if you are trying to do it at a global level with multiple product lines catering to all kinds of verticals. The complexity of managing such a channel can be overwhelming, and that complexity can also make it really hard for partners to do business with the vendor. This is where purpose-built partner relationship management (PRM) software can help. In this article, we will explore how PRM software can significantly enhance the ease of doing business for a vendor’s partner base. Before we discuss the benefits of PRM software, however, let’s explore some of the core challenges partners face as they do business with a vendor selling through the channel. Complex program and partner relationship management requirements – Most vendors selling through the channel have built their channel program over the years, and the cost of change and/or the fear of change have prevented vendors from simplifying their channel programs. The combination of program c

Companies selling to the channel need to understand some of the core principles of partner relationship management. In other articles we have discussed why partner relationship management fails, and why it is important to avoid those failure modes. It is even more important to avoid a few core mistakes that many organizations make either intentionally or unintentionally. In this article we’ll explore the five core mistakes that we see vendors across the channel making consistently. These are mistakes that can easily be avoided with some thought and pre-planning. Overdistribution: If your organization is focused on partner relationship management and you want to drive high-level partner satisfaction, it is essential to make sure your partners know you care about their business and not just your own. It’s common for vendors to send the wrong signal to their partner base by announcing a recruitment and expansion program. While this makes perfect sense if you are trying to expand territories where you have no

If you are selling through the channel, it is probably safe to assume that you have a partner portal. There’s nothing ground-breaking about that. However, this is 2016. Do you know when your partner portal was built and with what technologies? Why does it matter? Well, do you still use a typewriter? I doubt it—typewriters are obsolete. So why would anyone want to use a partner portal built on obsolete software? I’ll have more to say on that later, but before we get into the weeds here, let’s step back for a second and look at the history of partner portals and how they have been built over the years. Past (1985 to 2000) If you were selling through the channel in 1990s, chances are you had an extranet whose purpose was to provide your partners with access to price lists, datasheets, collateral, etc. so that they wouldn’t have to wait for printed materials to arrive. The partner portal software was very basic. Actually, it was essentially a website with external login capabilities connected with some sort of a

Based on a recent estimate, we believe about 300 or so enterprises have deployed some level of channel marketing automation, and most of these companies have quickly realized a substantial benefit from these investments. If you’re selling through an organization and do not have some level of automation in place, chances are your channel marketing processes are quite antiquated and require substantial upgrades to stay relevant to your partner base. Certainly you can address this by creating homegrown tools, but before you continue to invest further in that direction, and as you look at the year ahead you should seriously consider some of the options that are available in the marketplace for channel marketing automation. In other posts we have discussed in a great degree of detail some of the core features and functionalities of channel marketing automation, but in this article we're going to focus primarily on the business benefits that you can derive by deploying such a platform. A typical channel marketing a

Lately there has been a lot of buzz about channel management automation, which comprises partner relationship management, channel marketing automation and channel sales management. However, since this is a relatively new area of business process automation, the definitions are not always clear to channel marketing professionals. In this article we will discuss briefly what channel marketing automation is all about and describe the many business benefits it can provide. Definitions Channel marketing automation focuses on automating two groups of activities for organizations selling via a channel network. The first group of activities is focused on “marketing to the partners” or what we call “to-partner marketing automation” and the second group of activities focuses on “marketing through the partner” or “through-partner marketing automation.” Let’s review briefly how each of these works. To-partner marketing automation – The goal for these activities is to recruit, engage and excite partners so that they are

Rock and roll musicians, and the industry that has grown up around it, have always been perceived as trailblazers. Innovative ideas and expression have always been a big part of the development of popular music, and getting broader acceptance has been a challenge that has motivated musical acts and performers to come up with new ways of getting the word out. One important marketing method that grew out of the music industry is the use of loyal followers to help spread the word about a band or act. That’s where the concept of the “street team” came from, after all—and if you really think about it, this was one of the first true forms of channel marketing. What is a street team? In the music industry, it’s a group of fans and followers who help spread awareness of a performer or act through local and regional efforts. Corporations and major brands are now starting to pick up on the concept and develop their own “street teams” to help promote and market their own products. Let’s take a look at what makes up a st

Partner marketing automation platforms have been around for some time now. In this article, we will talk about how you can drive partner performance around the world by leveraging your partner marketing automation platform. Before we get started, however, let’s take a close look at the evolution of partner marketing automation platforms over the past decade or so. With the advent of the Internet and, subsequently, the setup of extranets, starting in the early 2000s many companies began to integrate their in-house CRM software with their extranet to create partner portals. The intent behind setting up these partner portals was mainly to facilitate one-way communication—informing partners of available assets and programs that the company was launching. However, this approach presented a major challenge. Most of the content available in these portals was not customized or localized, and it had no mobile responsiveness. Also, additional applications were plugged in over a period of time to address a variety of as

All telemarketers, whether they like it or not, have entered a high-stakes game. In every exchange or interaction by phone, someone is going to come out victorious. The question really comes down to who winds up controlling the energy and the conversation. A great telemarketer tends to jump on the phone and dance in front of prospects while effortlessly navigating barriers and obstacles. While this is absolutely more natural for some than others, a few key telemarketing tips can make all the difference. Below are 10 telemarketing tips to help you take control of your conversations and win: Have a clear goal for the call. This sounds waaay too simple, but quite honestly it is one of the most crucial of all telemarketing tips. Often, ill-conceived campaigns try to accomplish too many things or do not have a clear definition of success. While a tele-qualified lead campaign will measure success by the ability to verify information and/or the interest level of the prospect, a sales-oriented campaign will be pus

I am about to make a bold statement: No one has gotten digital marketing right so far. No one. Bam! Gauntlet thrown. That’s right, it has been said. Now, after you snicker and roll your eyes at me, let me lay it down in a way that might make those rolling eyes look forward again and generate some introspection. Make sure your coffee is still warm, or that you still have some of that banana muffin next to your laptop. Sit back and read, oh marketer extraordinaire. First, let me qualify my claim by saying that my intention here is not to say that all digital marketing has failed in all instances (no, no…even a stopped clock is right twice a day). In fact, I think there have been some excellent advances in inbound and outbound marketing strategies and campaign architectures. What I mean by saying “no one has gotten it right so far” is that there IS no way to “get it right.” Despite all the digital marketing articles and books that have been written touting “10 sure-fire techniques,” “secret insights stolen fro

When you look at the sales landscape and the worldwide marketplace, it is obvious that things have changed A LOT over the past 10 to 20 years, particularly when you consider the impact of the Internet and the utilization of websites, social media and technology. One role in particular, the role of the inside sales representative, has changed drastically. By definition, inside sales is professional sales done remotely or virtually. But inside sales representatives are absolutely not “smile and dial” B2C single-touch telemarketers. They are generally selling larger, more complex and more expensive B2B products or services. Great inside sales representatives are socially savvy, educated individuals who understand how to build relationships and trust by utilizing proven email or phone techniques. While their pitch is typically not scripted, the path to success generally requires several touches and has changed considerably in the last two decades. To master any game, you must continually examine the changing lan