Sales partners are those companies, or even people, who can act as a complementary solution to yours, or simply resell your product or service. The choice of your partners is strategic and needs to take place within some important criteria.
What company doesn’t want to offer a truly complete and unique experience to its customers?
This is often not possible alone. Of course, your product or service must always be great and satisfy your customers’ needs.
But you can always offer something extra – and that’s where your sales partners come in.
It’s the way to reach different people with a personalized experience and delivery. To reach an audience that you, alone, would not be able to.
And when this takes the form of a benefits package, the value delivered to potential customers is even greater.
But after all, how to choose sales partners? How to build a distribution channel and deliver a mix of complete products and services?
These are questions we will address from now on.
Good reading!
What types of sales partners?
Before going out looking for sales partners to enhance your sales process, it is necessary to understand the types of existing partnerships.
That way, you’ll know what makes the most sense for your needs as an entrepreneur.
Its relevance also grows when you need to expand your marketing strategies to reach new audiences.
As much as you have satisfactory lead capture, you need to dialogue with the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem through these partnerships.
It is important to emphasize these aspects before you structure your partner program – something strategic and relevant to any business.
Basically, we can highlight 3 different types of sales partners.
1 – Dealers
Resellers are small and medium companies, generally speaking, responsible for delivering the service or product to the end customer.
In general, they are at the end of the commercialization of the solution that your company offers to the market.
2 – Distributors
This partner is the one who makes the connection between the manufacturer and the final reseller – mentioned above.
Large companies are usually responsible for this. After all, they have the logistical capacity to deliver large quantities.
3 – Affiliates
These sales partners are not necessarily responsible for selling. They make an indirect sale, actually.
It is much more about referrals and receiving a sales commission if the deal is sealed.
5 important points within a sales partner program
Whichever type of partnership you decide to establish, for your sales partner program to be a success, a few elements are indispensable.
First, because you need to ensure that the delivery that will be made to the end customer is on terms that you understand to be correct.
Good or bad, your company’s image will be at stake. It is your solution that is being sold – even if by third parties.
Therefore, this structure needs to be thought through calmly, intelligently.
Therefore, 5 are the important pillars in this program:
- training
- Remuneration;
- Incentives;
- Disclosure;
- Communication.
Let’s check each one of them?
1 – Training
You can’t have a partner recommend or sell your solution if they don’t understand what they’re selling.
Training is the starting point. Your sales partners need to understand the functionalities of your service or product, the features and, above all, the benefits they bring.
Only then will they be able to convince and delight any potential customer and will have a much greater power of persuasion to be able to close a sale.
2 – Remuneration
However, your potential partners will only be interested in training if the remuneration is interesting to them.
After all, that cliché you’ve heard many times is still true: “There is no such thing as a free lunch”.
So if you want your sales partners to start prospecting customers, the revenue from sales needs to be good for them.
If he is an affiliate, set a fair sales commission.
But, if you are a reseller, think about pricing that is attractive and that brings you good professionals and companies to sell what you offer.
3 – Incentive
Defining goals and objectives for your partners is a way to keep everyone always engaged and engaged in selling more and better.
Create a program for this. With bonuses on commemorative dates, for example. Or other rewards.
Depending on what you sell, you can provide your solution free for the partner to use as long as they make a specific number of sales within the given period.
4 – Disclosure
Last – but not least – are the promotional materials for these partners.
Equip them with:
- event flyers;
- ppt presentations;
- models of proposals and contracts;
- sales playbook ,
- standard marketing emails ;
- ready sales script ;
- materials updating your products or services;
- posts on social networks;
- Between others.
Finally, put your entire sales force to work and keep your partners well supplied.
This will help in attracting customers, of course, but it will also reinforce your brand’s image in the market.
So don’t neglect this part!
5 – Communication
It is necessary to have clear and direct communication about what the company expects from the partner.
When you are clear in delivering a message, you avoid further frustration and bigger problems.
Make specific the partner’s responsibilities, his duties in relation to the solution sold and the customers obtained.
For example: will the partner who sells be responsible for onboarding? And for support? Who will issue the invoice?
Structure and record these combinations well. Make the terms clear so there is no frustration from the partner and especially from the customers.
How to choose your sales partners well? See 4 points of attention
Do you want to start your sales partner program soon but don’t know which elements are important to choose them?
We separated 3 important points of attention at this moment. It is important to be assertive in this mission.
So, be aware of:
- Profile of managers;
- Company structure;
- Reputation;
- Potential to generate leads.
Take advantage and use your CRM for this mission. Create a specific funnel for partners to be able to complete all validation steps until you finally make it official.
That said, let’s go to the steps:
1 – Profile of managers
For the relationship to work, the profile of the managers of the companies you are targeting for the partnership must be positive.
It is essential to have people willing to make a difference, with ideas and proactivity to relate to a market share that you have not yet reached.
And that, of course, is focused on the customer, on having a lasting relationship with them and concerned with meeting their needs.
2 – Company structure
Does the partner company really have the structure to play the role you expect from it?
Do you have a sales team that, with training, will be able to play their role?
Do you have structured processes and tools to work with on a daily basis?
How much will you need to contribute so that she can work on the terms you need?
All this must be considered. The effort must be worthwhile, bringing results (sales, of course) for you.
3 – Reputation
The reputation of sales partners cannot be overlooked. Thoroughly review each person’s background.
What do customers usually talk about service? Are there any outstanding financial issues?
Don’t be lazy this time. It’s your company’s reputation that is also at stake.
4 – Potential to generate leads
You want to attract more customers to your business, and then your partner needs to be able to help you do that.
Evaluate the partner’s profile and sales experience, their history and strategies used.
See how the site works, social networks, inbound marketing, relationships with other partners, among others.
Sales partners: a mix of services and experiences
More than looking for partners to resell your products or services, look for friendly companies to offer a mix of differentiated products and services.
That enhances his experience with your brand. An example of this is the SALES MANAGEMENT PACKAGE that CRM PipeRun launched with its partners.
In times of sales crisis such as the one experienced by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is essential to unite your partners and offer a joint solution to support the market.
The aim of the project is to provide joint clients with a more assertive sales and marketing management model.
Serving both for the inside sales model (in times of telework, extremely necessary) but also for external sales .
In this way, you generate value for the customer at different times – especially when he needs it most.
So, how can we help you?
If you want to learn more about the CRM PipeRun benefits package.Enjoy and read two articles that will help you to have a better result in sales every day.
The first talks about the importance of the integration between CRM and marketing to increase sales in your company.
The second addresses the need to have efficient sales methodologies that fit your process.
Good sales!
