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Communicating the Right Message

Convey Micro-Cast Series

This is Carolyn Bradfield and you\u2019re listening to Convey\u2019s Micro-Cast audio series. \xa0

The way we communicate has changed forever.\xa0 In our personal lives, we send text messages, use Facebook messenger, and use Instagram.\xa0 Our communication has gotten shorter, more direct, and to the point.\xa0 In business, however, we fail to recognize that short, sweet and to the point is the way people like to receive our messages.\xa0 Communicating the right message in the right way in the channel is no different.

Here are three critical mistakes we see companies make when they communicate with their sales partners:

1.\xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0Oversharing.\xa0 We have thousands of content posts across hundreds of vendors on our master agent portals.\xa0 When we look inside a vendor content catalog and see dozens of content posts, we worry that the vendor is now oversharing.\xa0 Most of the time, more is not more and having less material gets people to focus on what is important.

2.\xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0Focusing only on the product.\xa0 Knowing the features of the product is important, but it\u2019s not the most critical thing that partners look for.\xa0 They need to be informed about the right customer, the best markets, and why they should trust you as a vendor.

3.\xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0Failing to recognize what partners really care about.\xa0 Partners care about serving the customer but they also care about the bottom line.\xa0 Is this product easy or hard to sell?\xa0 What resources will it take to develop a customer base?\xa0 And how do they make money with you?

So how does a channel program deliver the right message to engage a sales partner.\xa0 Here are 3 simple strategies to help you with messaging.

# 1 Add a simple battle card to serve as an overview.

We all like to read the summary before we read the book, the review before we see the movie and the battlecard before we dive into a vendor\u2019s services. For those of you less familiar with them, battlecards are a 1-page overview of your partner program, services, and financial incentives.\xa0 They are the most viewed content, outside of spiffs and promotions, on Convey master agent portals and an essential content piece for all partner programs.

#2 Focus on the ideal customer profile

You cannot win every deal that a partner gives you, but you can win the ones that are the best fit.\xa0 Let the partner know who the ideal customer is by defining the size of the company, vertical markets they exist in, their characteristics, and why they would buy.\xa0 Knowing who to refer to you is more important than the features of your product and services.\xa0

#3 Let the partner know how to do business with you and quantify what it\u2019s worth

So, the partner has found the right customer.\xa0 What\u2019s next?\xa0 Do you want them to get a quote from you?\xa0 Register the deal online?\xa0 Set up a meeting?\xa0 Or what?\xa0 Partners need to know the rules of engagement, so they know exactly what to do with the prospect.\xa0 And certainly, a partner needs to know what\u2019s in it for them.\xa0 If they sell the deal, what\u2019s the commission value?\xa0 Is there a promotion to incent the customer to buy or a spiff to reward them for the sale?\xa0 Make sure they understand the numbers.

The right time message is very important when it comes to partner communication and that message needs to be short, clear and direct.\xa0 It has to focus first on the value of doing business with you, the type of partner and customer you want, where to find them and what to do when they are found, and how partners make money. \xa0
Convey\u2019s channel program offers many opportunities to deliver the right message i