3 Ways to WIN with Channel Partner Sales Training

3 Ways to WIN with Channel Partner Sales Training

May 2, 2019

Channel partner programs are powerful tools – instead of hiring salesperson after salesperson, you can leverage a network of industry partners to sell and support your solutions. But to get the most out of your partner program, you have to do the heavy lifting to set them up for success.

 

Here are three channel partner sales training tips to help your partners win more:

 

1. Make them experts on your product.

Your partners can’t (and shouldn’t) sell what they don’t understand. Training programs help you educate and prepare your channel partners to confidently sell your products. This may include general training on your product when new partners onboard, updates on new features or product releases, and annual coverage of industry trends. You can also award certification to partners who meet program requirements to set them apart as premier partners. Whether you make these programs optional or mandatory, it’s important to design your product and sales training to be easy to access and geared toward helping your partners close more deals with their customers.

 

2. Keep them up-to-date on industry trends.

Your partners know their local business market inside and out – but they probably don’t have their fingers on the pulse of international trends and innovations like you do. Sharing timely, relevant information like industry research and market analysis can help your partners grow faster and stay competitive within their market and beyond. After all, a partner that evolves and thrives will be an asset to your business for years to come. Share high-level, easily-digestible reports and summaries that encourage your partners to keep pushing forward. If some of your partners stand out as particularly successful, share their methods and stories with other partners to help everyone benefit.

 

3. Give them high-quality marketing tools.

Marketing helps your partners move beyond word-of-mouth referrals and enjoy accelerated, sustained growth. One option is to provide your partners with market development funds (MDF), which they can either use independently or with a pre-designated marketing agency. Another option is to work directly with a marketing agency to produce white-label collateral that can be shared with all of your partners. Tools like social media posts, emails, brochures and templated proposals allow your partners to hit the ground running and sell your services more effectively. You may also consider helping partners update and improve their websites or hire an appointment setter to reach out to leads.

The time and money you invest in your partners is ultimately invested in you, so equip your channel partners with the tools they need to close deals and win more. Interested in getting high-quality channel partner sales training and marketing tools for your network? Contact us today to learn what Marketopia can offer.

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Spread the Word and Build Your Word of Mouth Network

Spread the Word and Build Your Word of Mouth Network

May 1, 2019

Word-of-mouth (WoM) marketing is one of the oldest – and most effective – forms of marketing. In fact, 72 percent of people trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. Meaning that a majority of your leads are dependent on reviews – from people they know and online users – to steer them in the right direction. Businesses can’t afford to neglect the importance of reviews, ratings and recommendations when it comes to planning your organization’s marketing strategy. Here are a few tactics to help you build your word of mouth network.

 

Gather & Share Customer Testimonials

Authenticity is everything when it comes to a great testimonial – a study run by Cohn & Wolf found that 63 percent of consumers said they’d rather buy from a company they consider to be authentic over a competitor. Testimonials support claims about the performance, quality and value of your services and make prospects feel more comfortable doing business with you. So, how do you get more testimonials? Just ask. The best time to ask for a referral is right after you have successfully finished a project, or you’ve reached a milestone with the client. When people are happy with your work, it makes sense that they’d be more likely to agree to a testimonial. Once you’ve gathered your testimonials, show them off – all of your sales, marketing and PR materials are fair game.

  • Website
  • Emails
  • Tradeshows
  • Media & Press Kits
  • Brochures
  • Newsletters
  • Encourage User-Generated Content

 

In today’s social media-driven environment, user-generated content is everywhere in the form of pictures, videos, testimonials, tweets, blog posts and everything in between. This is content that is created and shared by the consumer about brands, products and services. It’s a way for customers to share their experiences through social media and adds another layer of trust.

 

Ask customers to share photos of your products in use

Create a hashtag to give customers the opportunity to share experiences
Attend conference events and tradeshows and run a social media scavenger hunt
Overall, the most important part is that you interact or reach out to them and respond to social posts. Interacting with happy clients will help keep them happy, and they’ll be more likely to continue to share a positive sentiment on and offline.

 

Build a Referral Partner Program

The last, and most impactful, word-of-mouth strategy is referral marketing. Referral marketing is based on one friend sharing information with another about a company. Unlike other WoM strategies, a referral marketing program tracks conversion rates to help you fully understand where your new customers are coming from.

 

In short, a successful referral program takes care of three important things:

It offers an incentive that’s worthwhile for all parties: there’s an incentive for the client, you get a new customer and the new customer gets your great service.

  • Your campaign should make spreading the word easy and quick with simple CTA buttons and landing pages.
  • You measure the results of your campaign to uncover what’s working and what needs improvement.
  • The biggest secret to building your word of mouth network is no secret at all – you have to offer an experience and partnership that’s worth talking about. You can’t just say you outshine your competitors and deliver a true partnership – you have to do it.
  • Referrals aren’t given easily – that’s why they’re so impactful. If you don’t take the time to establish credibility, you’re not going to get the referral.

You have to give your clients something so memorable that they’ll want to share it with their friends and colleagues whether you ask them to or not. Contact us to learn how Marketopia can help you develop a WoM marketing strategy that gets people talking.

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