Archives for July 2015

Are you ready to “elevate” your company through Channel Partnerships?

4977a0d1cdf53461d5816cffdf683be8I just returned from a company’s National Sales Meeting.  It was everything that a NSM should be; inspiring, fun, rejuvenating, yet exhausting.  The conference’s challenge was to “Elevate”, elevate beyond their past year’s record highs, elevate beyond our comfortable sales room,  to find the biggest room in the world: the room for improvement.

The group, comprised of highly successful sales professionals, all part of a direct sales team.  The company has earned its place as the leader in its core industry through excellent Executive and Sales management which implements a direct sales strategy executed at a high level .

OK, Travis…  Why are you writing about a direct sales example on a site called Move the Channel?   Wait for it…  A growing, yet small portion of this organization’s business is through channel partnerships and alliances.

So why would a company that is so successful at selling direct invest in a partner channel?

The answer is simple, Innovation.  Going-to-Market Innovation.   The best companies not only innovate what to bring to market, but how to go-to-market.

Strategic channel partners can take a company to new industries, markets, and to new segments of their core industry.  Not only can they do this, they can do it at fraction of the cost and risk.  These costs and risks are minimized by avoiding assembling industry experts and deploying expensive sales people.  That’s right, through strategic partnerships a company can gain instant industry expertise, credibility, and access to the partners’ sales force.

I expect some push back especially with this audience, but a direct sales organization is primed to develop a sales and distribution channel.  They have proven products & services that can be tweaked and customized to the right partner in the right markets.  As a reseller or OEM partner, I’m much more likely to “partner” with a proven winner. 6d496cc1400e3219cc0a017f68a0c957

I’m not claiming this is easy or happens overnight, but with vision, commitment, and the right channel team; a traditionally direct sales organization is in excellent position to leverage its products, sale practices, and respect into new markets through the right partners.

Are you ready to elevate your company through channel partnerships?

As always, send me a note with your thoughts and feedback.

Move the Channel,
Travis

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