Why should I Care about Partner Loyalty?

For any business owner, managing your own business is hard and it only gets tougher when you also have to care about other people’s business. I am taking about partners and not exactly their partner profiles. Its basic knowledge in any channel management strategy that administering some of your partner’s operations is a given, especially if your company is considered the parenting one. The channel distribution network is dependent on the performance of the partner. However, just knowing that they are important to keep the business flowing is not enough.

partner profiles

Whether you like it or not, partner loyalty actually plays a big role in this triangular, web relationship. If loyalty is strong within the partners, that would imply that the members are committed enough or sometimes more than willing to make the business work for everyone in the relationship. The more they are loyal to the relationship, the more you can expect your productivity and sales to increase. However, this is often not the case.

So what do we do? If you are someone who ranks high within the organization, there is only one thing to do: inspire them. Although this is easier said than done, there are a lot of ways to do this.

First, putting incentives in various aspects of their performance such as a perfect attendance or a “beat the record” kind of incentive would definitely boost their performance. Competitions that promise and guarantees huge prizes or rewards within the company will also help them in increasing their efficiency at work. Although be aware though, as this type of strategy is a double edge sword because some workers may put down their skills if they usually see the same people winning the contest. Add benefits or privileges to their work. Everybody loves working when they know that their work has something to offer that other people can’t have or do outside the company. Even freebies are a good push to the will when it comes to the labor of hard selling.

The bottom line of this is that the overall business relationship will strengthen, hold and grow if the members are more than willing to improve the status of the company. So for all you managers out there, be more sensitive and understanding to your partners and employees and not merely pay attention to their partner profiles.

My Tips on Making a Good Partner Portal

As a newbie associate manager, I have learned today that designing partner portals wasn’t that easy of a task. I’ve come to realize that partner portals have become an integral part of any channel management program, not that all software focusing on management needed one

However, I think such portals have an essential role in solving conflicts between channels. I can imagine how hard it is just to think about manually handling these types of organizational arrangements within the company. My boss said there are certain characteristics which I have to follow in order to gauge if a portal would be efficient enough for the business. Now, I figured, I should make my own tips on making a partner portal simple but good.


channel management solutions

First, I think a portal should ensure a free flowing content and that it should be free from any complex sentences since this type of sentence is sometimes more than a hindrance to the reader. Simple sentences give much more emphasis as well as memory retention. The portal should be simple and easy to read but should still convey the accurate meaning of any data or information shared. As they say, less is more.

Being exhaustive of the data is also a factor to be considered in designing a portal. The inclusion of important matters regarding the company, like certain policies found especially in the company, should be given and readily explained. The comprehensive details of the organization should also be given in order to tell clear information and avoid problems at later stages of any business relationship. Being clear about the sales and shipping facts are also a must if they are to be involved in the information exchange.

And of course, lastly, is the security option. Only authorized personnel should be allowed to enter and roam the premises of the portal. I understand that some companies give out more vital information to their partners which should sometimes be kept secret from their competitors. That is also why some companies pay big just for security of their portals particularly if they have many partners. The link to the portal should be found on the main website where it would entail the representative of each company in the partnership to login their credentials.

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.

The Three Components that Make Channel Management Successful

Channel management services are increasingly gaining popularity in the world of business. Various industries are looking to them for better performance and increased productivity as partners are able to effectively transport goods and services down to their target consumers. But what are the components that helped cement the success of these services? I have identified three, and they are the following:

Partner Portals – Managing partners can be a taxing responsibility, especially since they can be located in various places even outside of the country. Effective partner relationship management is dependent on efficient and effective communication and collaboration, and partner portals can guarantee both. They are web-based applications that allow the parent company and the different channel members to interact with one another and share important information, training programs, and other vital resources for an exponential increase in sales performance.


channel partner strategy

Deal Registrations – These are very beneficial to all the members of a channel distribution network and its end consumers. These can help improve business relationships by widening and deepening them. Healthy partnerships results in increased partner loyalty which means more sales and profit. In addition to this, they are also very useful in dissipating channel conflicts which can have the serious potential to harm the pipeline.

Lead Management Programs – The funny thing about leads is that they are so hard to obtain even though they are extremely needed. Having programs for lead management will provide partners with the information and tools necessary to get leads easily. Once they are obtained, it is very important to execute proper management strategies to follow up on them.

I think that channel management services that provide all three of these are sure to be very reliable and successful. Having partner portals, deal registrations and lead management programs is evidence of a company’s dedication to their partners’ needs and motivation, thereby showing their impressive managerial skills in the handling of their sales network.

Why Bother with Partner Loyalty?

If you are a business owner like me, then you should understand the importance of your channel partners. Basic knowledge of channel management strategies will tell you that a channel distribution network depends on partners to transport goods and services down the pipeline from manufacturer to end consumer. In other words, they keep the flow going so that you enjoy more profits.


partner profiles

However, knowing that they’re important is not enough. You have to take the time to analyze and invest in a channel management solution and a partner portal so that partners are well-managed and taken care of. This way, you can inspire loyalty amongst your channel members. But why even bother with partner loyalty?

Believe it or not, loyalty is a big part of a channel’s success. If partners are loyal to a company’s channel, then that implies that they are committed to making the business work. That is to say, they will work hard to make more sales and become more productive for you and for themselves.

To inspire loyalty in your partners, you need a good channel management strategy and a partner portal. A portal is a web based application that grants access to those who have been provided with authorized logon credentials. Once logged on, members can enjoy the benefits of accessing important information, pricing details, channel programs, training, support, trends and other resources that are pertinent to the enhancement of their performance. They get to know about various incentives which will push them to perform better. Furthermore, they will get to know your company and your product line more which gives them increased confidence to make sales and interact with the end consumers.

The bottom line is that you should not be complacent with just knowing that partners are important. You should do your part as a parent company to provide them with the knowledge, training, and support, so that they will know that you are a credible leader who deserves their utmost effort.

RelayWare Channel Management Partner Portal Review

The problem with other partner portals is that they don’t really create solutions for vendors with complex business procedures. Portals are created for vendors and resellers to provide: 24-7 open communication and support, complete and up to date product information, simple and user friendly interface, integrated database, and finally, reliable CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and CMS (Content Management System) modules.

I highly recommend Relayware for vendors seeking solutions for their channel management needs. This web-based application can be integrated with the vendor’s database or file management system. Content management is easier; it supports multiple languages and also can support a number of sites. Distributors, VARs (Value Added Resellers), DMRs (Direct Marketing Resellers), Administrators, etc. have their own customized interfaces. This is especially helpful to not so savvy members of the partnership. Training time will be minimized with a system that is direct to the point and easy to operate. I commend the developers for the simple but logical design of the interface.

The system can be customized by the Systems Administrator to reflect only what they want the resellers or other partners to see. This way, they system protects data that a partner, for example, is not privy to. No programming or html skills are needed to integrate the system to the company’s site and database. Using the file management system, partners can create their own database of customers. They can input the information using any browser as long as they are registered users.



partner channel

Relayware includes a deal registration that is integral to the partnership. Resellers can upload potential leads that the vendor can deny or approve at real time so no time is wasted. By entering the data into the sales pipeline, the application will be able to compare the deal and reject duplicate deals preventing channel conflict.

All these conveniences means that channel management will be a smooth process for the vendor. Resellers will be motivated to register deals and customers, and vendors will be able to facilitate the sales which will result to increase revenues for both parties.

Improving Partner Performance by Combining Channel Management and Partner Portal

A partner portal is a web-based application you can use to improve partner performance. The continuity of excellent performance within a distribution network is dependent on constant improvement. This is severely important especially during these tough economic times where numerous channel-centric industries are experiencing a wide array of challenges and problems.


channel management solutions

The special design of these portals increases the collaboration and communication amongst partners and between manufacturers and partners. Channel members are able to gain access to important information, resources, leads, programs, incentives and so much more. Moreover, managers will be able to provide them with the support necessary for them to perform optimally and become substantially more productive. Parent companies will be able to enjoy an increased transparency of operations and performance. They will be able to identify high-performing and underperforming affiliates and act accordingly.

However, a company that is equipped with the most recent and best technology, solutions and software cannot successfully vie for success. This is because having a partner portal is not enough. Business owners should do well to use the best strategies in channel management and combine it with an excellent partner portal. This is the best way to overcome a variety of problems such as the lack of communication and collaboration across a channel, failure to collect and analyze appropriate data, lack of business alignment, the vendors’ tendency to focus on high-performance affiliates, and unappealing incentives.

With the help of channel management strategies and a partner portal, companies should do the following to improve the performance of partners: look beyond performance; collect and analyze the right kind of data and information; communicate and collaborate effectively; and provide rewards and incentives. Achieving all of this will most likely guarantee a significant improvement in performance. A great tip that all channel-dependent companies should remember is that partners are essential to the distribution network and deserve fair treatment.