The B2B buyer journey landscape has shifted from a traditional in-person model to a primarily digital trajectory. This shift means prospects can journey from awareness to decision, potentially without ever interacting with a direct sales representative. Jay McBain says, "On average, prospects experience 28 moments that can influence their choice."
So who owns these 28 moments?
It can be an influencer or another organization; the most crucial moment is the endorsement.
Our channel partners and their reps are holding the reins of endorsement, and engaging with them is the key to fully capitalizing on your revenue prospects. In these pivotal moments, your company could be referenced or endorsed. According to Forrester, a prospect who hears about your company a minimum of seven times is likelier to lean toward your offerings.
How do I win over them?
Winning over channel partners and their reps requires a combination of motivation, enablement, and incentivization through a channel incentive program supported by expert advice. These elements are fundamental to gaining early influence and should be integral to your channel strategy.
Incentives
Nobody works for free in this world. Encouraging and rewarding Channel reps for their efforts in making or aiding sales is vital. Make it rain when they land a sale or play matchmaker for one. If you don't, you bet your bottom dollar that your competitors will. To outperform competitors, provide a platform for efficient claims processing and automatic reward redemption. Make it simple for channel reps to be acknowledged for their hard work.
Training and Education
In this age of Google-knows-all, your buyers are likely doing their homework and might even outsmart your reps. Solution? Invest in training and education to empower your sales reps with an in-depth knowledge of your products and industry, outshining competitors and impressing prospects.
One-on-one communication
Fan the flames of your reps' passion! Let them become your company's top evangelists through effective communication. The trick to doing this? One word: streamlining. Too many channels of communication are like herding cats.
A robust channel incentive program enables personalized and consistent individual communication and fosters a community. Channel reps can exchange ideas, engage in discussions, and support each other, creating a strong community.
These three components contribute to a more successful channel strategy. Focusing on the channel can enhance engagement, boost sales, and elevate your company's prestige. Building relationships with Channel Reps can be daunting. However, with an experienced third-party vendor (like us), you can shorten the time needed to foster these critical relationships.
This blog used information from our latest webinar. Watch the entire webinar here for more insights.
