You probably have a lot of questions about Partner Portals, especially if you’re an indirect sales organization looking for ways to improve your partnerships. In our Partner Portal FAQ, we’ve gathered some of the most common questions we get – with answers that can help you see if you actually need a Partner Portal and which one to choose.
As more and more companies struggle to engage and enable partners and distributors, we get more and more questions about Partner Portals. Here, we’ve gathered answers to some of the most common and important questions you may be wondering about.
Partner Portal FAQ
What is a Partner Portal?
A partner portal is a digital space where your partners and distributors can get access to everything they need to sell your product. Which, in turn, means that partners will be able to find resources, tools, infomation, marketing -and sales content in one single place. Really great partner portals will also allow partners to collaborate with you, to have a direct line of communication with your team and be notifed when new products are launched or when new product material is available.
What should I look for in a Partner Portal?
What you should look for in a Partner Portal depends on the goals you have, how many partners you’re currently working with and what your biggest challenges are. That said, many indirect sales companies can benefit from a portal that lets them manage all partners from one central place and give everyone access to relevant material whenever they need it. If you’re curious to learn more, you can go to our simple checklist that gives a good overview of the features you may need from your Partner Portal.
Why do I need a Partner Portal?
If you’re an indirect sales business, we’re willing to bet that you’re currently seeking ways to boost distributor performance, to save time and make the most out of every dollar you spend. And this is where the Partner Portal comes in: good ones can help you manage, engage and enable all your partners or distributors from one place – and help you help them succeed.
But is a Partner Portal really necessary? Not necessarily. It depends on your unique situation, how many partners or distributors you currently have and what you want to achieve. To make this easier to figure out, we’ve gathered 4 good reasons to look at a Partner Portal, 4 benefits you can get from choosing the right one. Find these benefits here.
What’s the difference between a Partner Portal and OneDrive?
While OneDrive is a good way to keep material for internal use, a Partner Portal is (or should be) optimized for sharing material externally – with partners and distributors. Said Partner Portal should also offer a direct line of communication between you and your partners, and ways to keep them engaged.
What’s the difference between a Partner Portal and Google Drive?
While Google Drive is a good way to store material for internal use, a Partner Portal is (or should be) optimized for sharing material externally – with partners and distributors. Partner Portals tends to make it much easier to navigate material and oftentimes also offers some kind of chat functionality to give partners a direct line of communication to you.
Can a Partner Portal make it easier for partners to do business with us?
Yes! By giving your partners access to their own, dedicated portal, they can always know where to find information, material and support. This sets the foundation for a truly simplified partner experience that helps you stay top of mind while helping partners and distributors reach better sales results.
Can a Partner Portal help us set accurate sales forecasts?
It can. A Partner Portal that gives you a good view of partner activity and customer interactions allows you to verify projections and make forecasts based on data instead of gut feeling. Oftentimes, indirect sales forecasts are difficult to get right due to the fact that your partners work outside of your organization. With a good partner portal, you can get a good overview and won’t have to rely on second-hand reports. All while the partner portal can also help maintain partner engagement and driving better sales results in the process.
Can a Partner Portal help us make our content distribution more efficient?
Definitely. By offering channel partners a dedicated portal can work wonders for your content distribution. Said portal can oftentimes work as a central hub where partners and distributors can quickly find their content, while you can ensure that the material they access is always updated and relevant. If your Partner Portal offers a robust version control, the latter will also be way easier.
Ready to learn more about Partner Portals? Contact us today to get an analysis of your organization’s needs and a walkthrough of the SP_CE Partner Portal.
