Channel Sales Strategy for Google Apps

Google has moved from just a search engine to telecommunications and software manufacturing. It’s amazing to think that Google started out with just a clean webpage with a text box and two buttons. With cloud computing solutions ushering a wave of new vendors seeking opportunities to provide services long confined to traditional software that needs installation, Google is staking its claim on a slice of that delectable cloud pie with innovative channel sales strategy designed to entice large and small channel partners.


channel sales strategy

In their quick start video, the company explains why they need partners in order to sell their products. Users need a trusted and reliable reseller to explain the benefits of the application. Just because Google is a name that even your grandparents have heard of, it does not mean people are going to start using their paid apps.

As a newbie channel partner, I find that Google’s Reseller Program to be a very streamline and simple program. I don’t know how else to put it, but it definitely has that Google feel. While as a channel partner, my relationship with my clients and customers are the assets, Google’s involvement, does not mean that relationship will shift to the company. Instead, the former just-a-search-engine encourages partners to foster that relationship, recognizing the trust placed on the reseller as an expert in the software industry.

The cloud based apps include the following products: Gmail that can contain 25GB per user, calendar and email mobile applications, docs application with 10GB of storage, migration and integration tools, and increased security for the cloud.

As expected, the company comes complete with a partner portal for channel partners. A partner portal plays a very important role in channel sales strategy in every product. From the looks of it, the channel program contains marketing materials, customer databases, lead registration and more.