Companies are no longer waiting until they're multinational corporations; even early-stage companies that have their sights fixed on growing fast and far are developing indirect sales ecosystems, working with partners to expand their reach. Building a successful partner program Creating a network of partners and resellers who are ready and eager to sell your product or service is not easy. Collaborate with partners who already have a customer base and expertise in those verticals. There are affiliate, referral, alliance, service, and technology partners; think about which type will help drive you towards your end goal and expand into new markets. And the best way to do that from the start is to empower them with the knowledge, tools, and resources in your sales and marketing arsenal. Access to marketing content and sales resources. Access to people and processes. How do you nurture partners who are engaged with your brand, culture, and products? What does customer success look like? When brands have a strong sense of purpose and core values guiding them, and they take a stand for something, stakeholders (customers, partners, employees, etc.)
In 2015, more than 70% of revenue generated in the US came through indirect sales and marketing channels. 70%! And that spans all vertical markets—from technology to finance and retail to real estate—and businesses of all sizes.
Companies are no longer waiting until they’re multinational corporations; even early-stage companies that have their sights fixed on growing fast and far are developing indirect sales ecosystems, working with partners to expand their reach.
Could a network of partners be your ticket to accelerated growth and market expansion? If so, where do you start? How do you build a solid partner ecosystem and ensure it’s functioning as it should?
Building a successful partner program
Creating a network of partners and resellers who are ready and eager to sell your product or service is not easy. Think about it, you’re essentially asking these people to work on your behalf for free (until they sell something) to expand your brand in a cost-effective way to new regions and prospects. It takes work. But it is possible. And potentially lucrative.
So how do you do it? Well, it starts with identifying and recruiting the right partners. And we’re not talking about the traditional 80/20 rule, in which 80% of your channel revenue is driven by only 20% (or less) of your partners. In today’s economy, where everything is being “SaaS-ified” or sold in a subscription model, the margins to maintain 80/20 just aren’t there. The goal today is to focus on building targeted, mutually beneficial partnerships with similarly aligned partners:
- Find partners with complementary offerings. It could be a product or a service, but it must complement your offering in some way.
- Make it a win-win relationship. What will your partners get out of the relationship? What are their goals? Understand they, too, have a business they are trying to grow. So beyond increasing your bottom line, what will you provide them in return? How will you help them make money?
- Expand your sphere. Consider partners who might bring vertical, topical, or service expertise you don’t already have. Say you currently serve the retail market, but your product would also serve the hospitality, corporate, and financial services markets. Collaborate with partners who already have a customer base and expertise in those verticals.
- Determine partner types. What kinds of partners do you need to scale your business? There are affiliate, referral, alliance, service, and technology partners; think…
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