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Full Transcript:

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

Many companies focus on customer communication but communicating with channel partners is every bit as important because they are your customers.\\xa0 Communication is a second only to financial incentives as the most important tool to motivate and manage partners.\\xa0 Channel partner communications should be strategic, cost-effective and focus on motivation, education, and engagement.

Communication in the channel should include a 3-pronged strategy:\\xa0 communicate to your channel, communicate through your channel and communicate for your channel.\\xa0 Let\\u2019s take a look at how to execute each strategy.\\xa0

Start with communicate to your channel.

Communicating to your channel is all about providing information, training and motivation that is directed at sales partners.\\xa0 Information and training explain what you want the channel partner to do promote your services, upsell customers, understand the features and benefits of your products and services, and knowhow to best position them against each other and against competitors\\u2019 products.\\xa0

Motivational communications explain the rewards that a channel partner receives if they do what you want. That type of communication focuses on promotional activities such as incentive programs, special pricing and deals, or commission accelerators.

Communicate continuously to your channel by direct messaging, and email marketing through channel outlets such as iAgent or Channel Vision, or on Convey\\u2019s master agent portals.

Now let's look at communicating through your channel.

Communicating through your channel means providing channel partners with customer-facing materials to get your message directly to the customer.\\xa0 Providing your partners with those tools gives you certain advantages.

• They allow you to maintain a consistent positioning of your products in the market and against competitors\\u2019 products\\xa0
• You now have a message that reinforces your brand
• You are helping channel partners sell your products and services because you did the hard work for them by creating the tools.

If you communicate through your channel, the materials you provide should be simple, easy to access, and easy to deliver to the customer.\\xa0 You should allow for co-branding so that the partner can add their company and contact information. \\xa0 Here are some common tools that partners need from you to accelerate their sales:\\xa0

• Product PDFs, data sheets, and 1-page overviews that can be emailed or printed
• Promotional kits that give partners the tools to feature you on their website, in social media posts, and other literature they use. These kits typically have digital versions of your logo, product photographs or illustrations, sample copy, and other graphics about your offerings.\\xa0
• Marketing campaigns developed for the partner so they can email prospects or customers and generate inbound demand.

Add marketing development funds (MDF) to help sales partners advertise, use digital marketing, and launch other promotional activities for your products.\\xa0 Make sure to attach strings to the MDF funds that come with provable activity and messaging that you control.\\xa0

Now let\\u2019s look at the last one, communicate for your channel

The most valuable commodity a channel partner can get from you other than training and marketing help is a hot sales lead.\\xa0 Use your company\\u2019s marketing resources and automation to generate inbound demand, then deliver leads to partners. Leads elevate your value to partners and reward those individuals that are able to convert prospects into customers.\\xa0 Make sure that there is a process in place to deliver the leads, ensure that the partner int