How PRM Makes New Channel Partner Employees Productive

How PRM Makes New Channel Partner Employees Productive

Posted by Todd Grant on Tue, Aug 21, 2012 @ 12:52 PM

As the VP of Sales at an emerging growth company, you are responsible for making sure that your channel partners are effective in selling you products and services.? There are a few channel partners who have been onboard for a couple of years and you are signing up new ones every quarter.? Given the turnover that exists at every organization, it is critical that you focus on existing channel partners as well as new ones.? Engagement with your channel partner?s employees is critical, but what does this engagement look like?

To increase engagement, you must first understand what motivates sales people (employees at your channel partner organizations).? Research indicates that the following core elements play a significant role in determining engagement levels:

• Collaboration ? people want to be part of an organization that encouragesand promotes collaboration with peers, outside experts, and customers.? People want to know that they are working in a supportive and collegial environment.

• Marketing & Communication ? sales people want to feel connected to their organization and that the information that they need to do their jobs is readily available.

• Training & Certification ? people need to be knowledgeable about the products and services that they are selling.? People learn at their own pace and by using different tools, so they want access to training that is effective and easy-to-use.

• Performance Management ? sales people need to clearly understand how they are doing against plan and what they need to do to improve. In other words, they need access to a system that clearly shows them their commission structure and how they are doing at any given point in time.

LogicBay CEO John Panaccione addresses the four key elements of effective channel partner management.

Are there cost effective, market tested tools that will allow you to increase the engagement with your channel partners that focuses on these four areas?? The answer is an emphatic ?YES!?? You need to seriously consider implementing a partner relationship management (PRM) system.? At its core, a PRM system is a portal through which your channel partners are able to access all of the resources that they need to sell your products and services.? Today?s robust, cloud-based PRM solutions have the following features:

Single Sign-On: People must be able to go to one place to access all the applications and information that they need.

Role-Based Personalization: Systems should be integrated and personalized so that individuals can quickly find and use the applications that they need and not be distracted with applications that are not relevant to their job.

Ease of Use: A portal?s user interface must be simple, intuitive and based on current technologies and conventions that we are already accustomed to in the work place.

Strong Content Management System (CMS): Users should be able to search, view and download any marketing, sales, and support materials that they need quickly and easily.

Efficient Learning Management System (LMS): a PRM solution centralizes and automates online training courses, webinars and certification management.? This training is available anywhere and anytime, it is low cost and easy to administer, can provide content in multiple languages, content can be updated easily and you can track participation and performance (testing).

Powerful On-Line Collaboration: Employees should be able to ask questions, share best practices, celebrate wins, etc. A robust PRM solution utilizes social media tools to foster this communication and engagement.

Performance Management Tools: ?You need to be able to manage and motivate your channel partners.? Effective lead management and sales performance tracking are critical.

The partner portal, which is the center piece of a PRM system, helps to simply the interaction between your company and your channel partners.? A partner relationship management solution allows you to effectively collaborate and engage with your channel partners ? resulting in increased productivity and profitability for you and your channel partners.

Source: http://www.logicbay.com/blog/bid/88491/How-PRM-Makes-New-Channel-Partner-Employees-Productive

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