The leaves are changing shades and the temperature has cooled down. The office A/C still hasn’t gotten the message and is blasting cool air in you face. You pour another cup of coffee and try to reach channel partners who aren’t responding. Like the A/C, they haven’t really gotten the message, and seem to still be away even though there is a product launch around the corner and a handful of trade fairs coming up. What do you do?
It’s not an easy question. Truth is, it can be incredibly hard to reactive channel partners, and even more so after a longer holiday. But we’ve done our best to compile a list of tips that can help you out during this period, and help ensure that those dormant partners of yours are reawakened in time for all the events and activities you have planned for the fall.
3 tips for reactivating channel partners
1. Know who to engage
Not all partners are alike. Some are high-performers, some work in markets that have been active during summer and some have probably remained active while you’ve been away. So the first thing you need to do is to figure out where to place your attention – i.e. what partners have gone dormant throughout summer. Depending on the systems you work with, and how close you work with these partners, the exact data you will find will probably differ, but the important thing is to separate the active ones from those that are inactive.
This will not just help you prioritize, but will also ensure that you can provide partners with relevant information.
2. Tailor your communication
Depending on what partners need activation, and what news and events apply to them and their market, communicate this clearly and professionally. This might mean personal calls and emails but also messages and updates via your CRM or Partner Portal. The important thing to keep in mind is to make sure your reactivation message isn’t just a mere “Welcome back!” but actually contains valuable information that helps them kickstart fall. This may, for example, be updated courses or material, schedules for events and trade fairs or pre-access to product launches.
3. Follow up and nudge
Lastly, you’ll want to follow up and see who has actually been reawakened by your efforts. This also involves some data gathering, after which you can continue to communicate to those that haven’t responded until every last one is active. The key thing to remember here is that not everyone will respond right away, and your reactivation efforts won’t magically work on everyone from the get go. They never do. So you’ll need to continue, in small incramements, and nudge them towards the activity level you’re after.
Partner reactivation is an ongoing process
The bad news is that you will probably have to work a bit to make it happen. But the good news is, if you create a process around reactivation, you will also have a solid process for continuous activation. In other words, by thinking of your reactivation efforts as a blueprint, of a kind, that can be reused further down the line, you’ll have a much easier time keeping partners active in the long run. And who knows. Maybe this time next year you won’t have to reactivate anyone. They’ll already be out selling.
