Indirect sales businesses can benefit tremendously from a good Partner Portal. But do you actually NEED one? The truth is that it depends. Here, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know.
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. The more benefits you need or want, the more value a Partner Portal could give you.
4 indirect sales benefits a partner portal can give you
1. A quicker communication that is always consistent
We all know how important it is to maintain a direct line of communication with partners and distributors – and a Partner Portal can make it happen. Good ones will centralize the communication that occurs between you and distributors, and can help you make sure that the same information, the same product updates, promotions and training material, goes out to every single one. And not to forget: great Partner Portals often offer a chat that lets you quickly communicate news or answer any questions that arise. Which, in turn, can help you and your team save countless hours that were previously spent stuck in an email inbox.
What it means for you: If you want or need to share accurate material, make sure that every distributor has access to the same information, a Partner Portal can be the way to go.
2. Better training in a shorter time frame
Knowledge is power, right? Especially when it comes to selling complex products, and even more so when said products – and associated information – need to comply to regulations. In short, distributors and partners need to be properly trained to sell your product(s) well, they need to truly understand what they’re about, what regulations are in effect and how they’re used. A Partner Portal could help you make this happen in a shorter time frame – so that you can not only make sure that all your partners and distributors are properly onboarded, but that their ramp up period can be as quick and efficient as possible.
What it means for you: Is it important that partners get up to speed fast? Does your product(s) come with a substantial amount of training material? If either one of these apply to your organization, a Partner Portal can help you.
3. Comprehensive analytics that brings a more truthful forecast
Working with partners and distributors can often be a guessing game. You have to ask, hope and guess what distributors are doing, what they do and how their sales results will look. With a Partner Portal you can go from guessing to knowing: great ones will give you access to a substantial amount of data on engagement, content usage and even customer interactions. Something that can help you know – not guess – how a distributor is doing – and get a better idea of how they’ll perform.
What this means for you: If you have trouble making accurate sales forecasts, or if you’re often wondering what partners are actually doing, a Partner Portal can offer a way to remove the blindfold and make decisions that are truly data-driven.
4. Material that is always accessible
Access to the right material can make or break a sale. Distributors and partners need to have what they need in the very moment they need it. Otherwise, they may lose sales momentum, push a competitor’s products – or completely forget about your amazing products. A Partner Portal can here ensure that every partner and distributor has easy access to all relevant marketing materials, product brochures, pricing information, and sales tools. Whenever they happen to need it.
What this means for you: Do you have a problem enabling your distributors or partners? Are your partners struggling to find what they’re looking for, or are you and your team drowning in emails and questions? Then, a Partner Portal can help you tremendously.
Do all indirect sales businesses need a Partner Portal?
No. But most can benefit from the right one. If you’re curious to know more, contact us and we’ll show you:
- How the SP_CE Partner Portal works.
- How you and your team could potentially save some 10-15 hours a week.
- How you can enable, manage and enagage your distributors or partners, cost-effectively and faster than ever before.
Ready to learn more? Contact us today or learn more in our Partner Portal FAQ
