Representing a brand for a parent business requires a thorough understanding of its products and services because channel partners do not work for the firms they sell for. Instead, it is the parent companies’ responsibility to train them. Why? Because partners often sell things they are most familiar with. This is especially significant when partners sell a variety of brands.

Benefits

• Lower support costs: A well-trained partner does not require regular assistance when things do not go as planned. They are knowledgeable enough to figure things out on their own. It lowers the cost of the support resources you would typically supply in such scenarios.
• New revenue stream: You can create a new revenue stream when you teach your partners. You can sell certification training programs in which channel partners can enrol.

Challenges

• Exclusion: As channel partners are not your employees, they may feel alienated from your company’s culture and values. It may also cause a rift in how your organization and its partners see business objectives and demands.
• Cultural issues: Partners are generally distributed around the globe. Cultural differences, including language and beliefs, might impede a productive working connection.

Example

‘Gem Club,’ HP’s Blue Carpet incentive program is truly a gem of a program that rewards partner sales representatives for selling across the HP portfolio and providing solutions to customers.

Individual partners who sign up for Blue Carpet are rewarded with digital gems, as they complete various pre-sales and post-sales activities like demos, surveys, training, etc. The reps also compete for ‘elite’ status in the GEM club.

After completing the one-year program, the top ten performing delegates from the United States and Canada receive a three-night trip to an exclusive island retreat 1 in the Bahamas in appreciation for their participation in the program.