Over half of today’s marketing occurs across three more or more channels. You need to explore channel marketing solutions for generating leads.
Channel marketing entails advertising your brand in many avenues. Doing so can consume much of your most valuable resource—time.
You can save yourself time and energy. Market your goods through a third-party channel partner program.
Learn more about what partner solutions can do for increasing your number of potential clients.
What Are Channel Sales?
Channel sales occur when you sell your goods and services with a partner. A reliable channel partner program uses a good strategy.
Your channel sales strategy can break down in several ways.
1. Selling With Your Partner
When a partner sells for you, they may upsell your products or services.
Partner solutions like this often result from a missing value proposition, where your partner wants to use your business to expand their offering capacity. For example, if an insurance agent partnered with a data sales company, the agent might benefit from the potential client data.
2. Selling Through Your Partner
In partner programs like this, the product company sells its goods or services through their partner’s storefront. For example, if a data company established a channel partner program to offer business data through an insurance agency.
3. Your Partner Sells for You
When your partner sells for you, they promote your product or service. Usually, partner solutions like these occur when your partner works in sales or marketing solutions. Or, they might be a value-added reseller, where your service expands their offering ability.
In partner programs like this, you need to find ways to incentivize a partner to sell your product. Channel marketing requires a lot of effort, so they must benefit, too.
Types of Partner Programs
Now that you know what channel sales are and the strategies that play into channel marketing, you need to understand the different types of partner programs.
There are many kinds of partner solutions in any channel partner program, such as:
- Value-added resellers: resell software, hardware, or network products outside of order fulfillment
- Original equipment manufacturers: rebrand products and sell to customers
- System integrators: builds computer systems with hardware and software from multiple vendors
- Independent software vendors: make and sell software for hardware and operating systems
- Consultants: individuals offering client advice for effective decision-making
- Agencies: suitable for platform provision as web hosts and marketing
- Distributors: intermediary focused on order fulfillment in supply chains
- Managed service providers: manage IT structures via subscription
Depending on your line of work, you may need to work with channel partners programs of many varieties. These partner solutions may each require unique strategies to generate channels sales.
How Does a Channel Partner Program Work?
A few things mark a successful channel partner program. You need to enable technical training and sales. You should also incentivize others to participate in partner programs with discounts.
Deal registration can track sales leads and maintain exclusivity to pursue deals. Marketing assets, another great incentive, offer another solution for channel marketing. Partner portals work with vendors and help track sales, marketing, and content.
Some prime examples of key partner solutions features include:
- Training for employees
- Advertising content support
- Inventory and catalog guidance
- Data processing programs and systems
- Dealer shows and events
- Financing
- Inventory control systems
To make the most of the channel partner program features, you need to take proactive steps in finding and establishing partnerships.
1. Identify Your Partner(s)
Finding someone ideal for your partner solutions largely depends on the industry you work in. If your market reach needs to be quick, a national partner might be too removed from your channel marketing strategy.
Instead, consider a local partner who can target your niche market. When selecting a partner, ensure they match your industry from a customer perspective, too. Are your partner’s customers going to purchase your products or services?
Upon identifying potential partners, you need to evaluate how well they fit your brand. Then, develop a strategy for connecting with these potential partners.
2. Develop a Strategy Plan
Your approach for reaching these companies should be straightforward. Do not go to companies who have no interest in entering into a channel partner program with you. Whether they see no profit in it or simply have too many other partnerships to balance, look elsewhere.
Starting small for partner solutions can take you farther with more accessibility. Connect with the sales team of a company you want to partner in channel marketing with. If you understand how their sales team works, you can better support a proposed partnership.
3. Generate Leads Together
A healthy channel partner program generates leads. It is responsive, with comprehensive solutions.
Your partnership should focus on successful strategies and create healthy competition among partners. This kind of competition can directly engage sales teams with products.
Ongoing training and open communication ensure smooth transitions with a new product or service launches. All parts of a partner program should feel allowed to contribute their industry expertise.
What Partner Program Should You Participate In?
Now that you understand the ins and outs of a quality channel partner program, you might be wondering to find reliable partner programs you can participate in.
The SDP Partner Program from Sales Data Pro gives customers and data sales pros the chance to connect and develop ample lead opportunities. Use these leads to generate notable income with the introduction of your products and services to potential customers.
Our program features a trackable, personalized referral link. We also offer private banner ad access and real-time reporting. You’ll receive competitive, regularly recurring commissions.
To get started taking advantage of our comprehensive affiliate program, contact us today. We can not wait to get you started generating more leads and boosting your income.