The full version of this article was first published at: Communication: The Secret Ingredient to Channel Partner Engagement
Imagine the following three scenarios in which businesses succeed in opening new doors through indirect sales relationships. A garden supply company expands its reach from primarily rural retail outlets to urban rooftop gardening professionals. A long-time computer monitor manufacturer suddenly finds itself breaking into the cutting-edge world of digital signage. A software-as-a-service vendor successfully positions itself as a go-to subscription-based solution for a niche that the C-suite didn’t know existed at launch. All three of these hypothetical businesses operate in incredibly different areas from one another. Their products and appeal are distinct and demand drastically different levels of technological sophistication, and the customer bases they are trying to reach are quite disparate. Likewise, the channel programs that each vendor has implemented must be put together differently in significant ways. Each will have different marketing, branding, training, and types of incentivization. But the channel programs that enable each business to extend its reach, and its profits, through indirect selling, all have one thing in common: effective communication. Good communication is the secret ingredient; the common factor that all effective channel partner programs share. And communication is the primary feature that all suppliers that want to launch a truly successful channel program need to have—and this is why. Why Is Communication So Important in the Channel? It’s no secret that communication technology is the driving force behind today’s business world. It’s hard to imagine a day in the office that doesn’t involve sending out a dozen emails, following up with coworkers in…
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