Show you care – Seems like an odd statement in a business context. But recognize that your channel partner’s sale rep probably has at least ten other vendors that are clamoring for attention. Most approach the rep with an attitude of “will you sell my product?”. That’s not necessarily wrong but a better approach is to show the rep that you care about them. That means taking time to understand their territory, quota target, customer base, selling challenges, sales process, favorite “hooks” to get an appointment, etc. Then equally, get to know them as people. What do they like to do for fun? What’s new in their family? What are their career and personal aspirations?

Be a net giver – One of the ways to stand out from other vendor reps is to deliver two or three deals on a golden platter. That means literally owning the end-customer sales process to a purchase order then hand the fulfillment to the channel rep so they get money in their pocket with almost no effort. Deliver a minimum of one new, high quality lead per week and book the appointment for the channel rep.

Check in often – Proactively call and email at least twice a week with something useful for the channel partner rep. It might be to pass along more leads, alert them to any company/product news, share with them another win, etc. Channel reps even appreciate it very much if you request a one-hour block of time to make calls to prospects and current customers. It may seem intrusive but they actually like productive use of their time.

Visit in person – Too many channel sales managers rely on phone and email to maintain communications. Get in the car or airplane and see them face to face at least monthly if not more often. One of my favorite channel sales managers even earned a remote office onsite at one of his channel partners. He was free to work on any business and naturally benefited from the water cooler interactions. He was practically a “badged” employee.

Mentor and educate – most reps have neither time nor patience to sit in vendors’ product and sales training sessions. But if you have expertise that the channel rep values make it your job to pass that along. Bring them up to speed on your domain knowledge or specific product in a manner that is best suited to your channel sales rep’s learning style. For example, if they learn by seeing and doing, book a customer appointment and show them how to pitch by doing it yourself. If they learn by reading, send them short articles on very specific topics—customer case study, selling “hooks”, value propositions, competitive news, and industry trends etc.

Make them look good – Since recognition is one of the top motivators for sales reps, what can you do to help your channel sales rep look good? Clearly, some of the practices above like handing them deals or quality leads helps the partner rep’s scorecard before their sales management. We had one client rep take on a personal mission to make one of his channel partner reps the “showcase” for the entire partner sales organization. They did this by quickly closing a couple deals then writing up a case study featuring the channel rep and how the deal was won. That pdf quickly made its way around the sales force and led to more relationships.

Value accountability – VARS and distributors place a premium on vendors who are responsive, easy to do business with, and do what they say. Set the tone by following up on all promises you make to the channel rep. Then show how you value accountability by reminding them of any commitments the channel rep made to you. As with all relationships, there must be give/take and trust that arises from follow through on commitments.

Copyright © 2006. Sridhar Ramanathan