The channel partner model is a great way for service providers to sell. It allows them to focus on developing the product or service while the partners manage the sales and customer relations. For this model to work well, it’s up to the players at the top to provide the right marketing support down the channel.
Equipped with the right tools, service providers can benefit from increased revenue driven by an extended network of customers to sell to. Rather than investing resources in building sales teams and managing numerous customers, the channel partner model enables service providers to reach potential customers cost effectively. The right channel partners have the market knowledge, sales expertise, distribution channels and customer relationships needed to support the growth of all involved.
The players in between, typically the Managed Service Providers (MSPs), benefit from time and cost savings through selling a service that is already built. They remain focussed on knowing their customers and understanding how to bundle the right services together to meet the needs of the end user.
The pain point with most partner programs is that partners are often left to their own devices to sell. They lack the marketing materials and support needed to drive their sales. Often this has a huge impact on bottom lines across the channel.
The most critical aspect of the channel is ensuring that service providers are enabling partners to sell by educating and giving them all the tools they need. Through marketing, service providers can tell their brand story and give their partners and end users all the information they need to make a decision. When partners understand the product, they are more invested and better able to effectively sell. This should be the goal for all service providers as revenue is driven up the channel by the sales.
Once partners are through the door and engaged, service providers need to give them marketing materials, including:
- - Brochures
- - Web copies
- - Social Media support
- - Sales scripts or ‘Battle Cards’
- - Emailers
- - Blog posts
With the right marketing support, service providers can ensure the growth of the global channel. It can also be a good way for partners to create stickiness and demonstrate that they really understand their customers. This opens up new opportunities to capture more of the customers’ spend through cross-selling and repeat business.
Across the whole value chain, marketing becomes an incredibly valuable asset used to attract, educate and sell to partners. It can drive growth and enable the long-term and sustainable success for all players involved in the channel.
At Ilex Content Strategies, we understand the channel and the importance of marketing within it. We work with tech and telecoms companies around the world to create compelling content and drive sales. Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more: info@ilexcontent.com
