An indirect sales model can be hard to get right. Here, we’ve gathered 4 key steps to make the most of your indirect sales machine – and set a foundation for long-term success.
It can be hard to get your indirect sales model to succeed. Oftentimes, it becomes a complex puzzle of partners, distributors and resellers, who are to connect your products or services with the end customer. It can be immensely rewarding, but also immensely challenging.
The biggest challenge is often to enable partners and distributors; to make sure they have everything they need to successfully sell your product – and the drive to put your product first despite the fact that they’re probably representing a great deal of products from a great number of companies. This challenge is so widespread that we wanted to focus our attention on solving it. So, we’ve put together a list of things to think about when it comes to getting your indirect sales model to work like a charm. Hopefully, it can help you help your partners, and make sure that you and your product can remain top of mind.
Make your indirect sales model a smashing success
1. Choose the right partners
The foundation of a great indirect sales model is spelled partner selection. I.e. you need to pick your partners with care and choose the ones that resonate with your brand values and target audience. Here, it may be a good idea to collaborate with partners who share your vision and bring a unique expertise to the table. Remember, a truly harmonious partnership is built on trust and a shared commitment to delivering value.
2. Empower partners with knowledge
You’ve probably heard the saying that “knowledge is power”. This is especially true in the world of indirect sales, where knowledge is an absolute necessity to reach the sales results you’re after. In other words, your partner needs the right material, information and understanding to be able to sell your product well.
To make this happen, you can give your partners comprehensive training that equips them with a profound understanding of your products, as well as insights into market trends. If you can also store all training material, marketing collateral and sales presentations in one central place, like a Digital Showroom, you can give them a one-stop-shop for everything they need. A one-stop-shop that they can always return to to freshen up their knowledge.
3. Collaborate with your partner
Collaboration is oftentimes a cornerstone of a strong and profitable partnership. It can also help you nurture strong relationships with your partners: if you and your partners work together, strategize and find ways to make your product a success, both you and your partners will be co-responsible for said success. I.e. collaborating on things like joint marketing efforts and sales strategies create a joint sense of accountability, and can ensure that you work as a united team with an aim to derive maximum value from your partnership.
4. Use data to make the right decisions
By keeping a watchful eye on sales across markets and geographical areas, you can get valuable insights on where your product performs – and what partners bring about the best results. If you can find a way to track such data and keep track of what partners, in what areas, have the greatest success, you can direct your efforts accordingly.
An indirect sales model that delivers
Succeeding with an indirect sales model can feel like an uphill struggle. That said, it’s very much possible: by choosing your partners with care, enabling them with the necessary training and material, collaborating on mutual strategies and keeping a watchful eye on sales trends and results, you can create an indirect sales model that grows stronger with time. Which, in turn, can help you reach an amazing product ROI and have a real and lasting impact on your market.
With SP_CE you can control partner interactions and maintain your message and compliancy at each step of the way. Our platform gives you
- 1 central, digital room that your partner can share with customers – filled with the right product message and material. Material that you can keep automatically updated through a robust version control.
- 1 room to collaborate with your partner and keep them active with regular updates. Making sure your partner isn’t just enabled but also engaged.
That way, you and your partners get the ultimate conditions to succeed. Read more about SP_CE for partner enablement here, find more information in our Channel Sales FAQ – or contact us to see how SP_CE can boost your partner sales.
