The full version of this article was first published at: How to Manage a Channel Sales Team Without Pissing Off Your Direct Reps
When your direct sales reps take pride in your product and feel personally attached to your brand, it means you’re doing something right. Dedicated reps will put unparalleled energy into selling a product they believe in. Adding a channel relationship to the mix can be incredibly profitable, but if you manage it the wrong way, things can get messy. The last thing you want is your direct sales reps feeling like they’re playing second fiddle to the channel. If they do, they’ll take that energy that would be otherwise spent on promoting your brand and redirect it towards wasting time on petty rivalries, getting territorial about information, and even searching for work elsewhere. But you can prevent such negative behaviors by managing your channel relationships right. Follow these tips and you can keep your direct sales reps’ energy flowing the right way – in the direction of effective collaboration with the channel. Foster Cooperation, Not Competition They say familiarity breeds contempt, but when it comes to sales relationships, the unknown entity can feel like the enemy. The introduction of a channel partner out there somewhere in the world, selling in a direct salesperson’s space, can feel like a new competitor rather than a collaborator. With that in mind, a good manager doesn’t pit people against each other. Having your teams squabbling against each other and trying to one-up one another doesn’t work in your favor or encourage them to work harder; it just creates bad vibes and inefficiency. Instead of…
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