Read Time:  2. Minutes

Very few vendors in today’s IT world have a “Direct First” strategy.

To gain market share and leverage, most vendors are looking to maximize their routes to market by teaming with partners to cover more territory and gain access to new customers.

But not all vendor reps are convinced

One of the biggest objections I hear from vendor reps is that channel partners add no value. 

• They don’t know our products or solutions very well and can’t take a campaign from start to finish. 
• Why do I need them if I have to do all the work myself? 
• They’re a channel tax I end up paying for, with little return.

The blind spot for many vendor reps is that they think partners can only add value through their technical capabilities.

Wrong!

When you think about it, channel partners aren’t usually exclusive.

They sell lots of different technology from lots of vendors.

Why would you think a channel partner (Rep, SE or Solution Architect) would better understand all the vendor technology they work with than the actual vendors themselves?

Yes, there are very talented technical people in the channel, but thinking that a partner’s only value is their product capabilities is short-sighted. 

How else do partners add value?

• Partners expand your reach.

  Sometimes partners can introduce you to a deal you didn’t know about. If you don’t work with the partner, there is no deal. 

• Partners have existing relationships.

  Sometimes the partner has been selling into the account for a long time and has existing relationships in procurement that can shorten the time and complexity of getting your PO once you’ve got the green light. 

• Partners can leverage selling vehicles you don’t have. 

  Sometimes the partner has a selling vehicle and can get the PO without extra steps like an RFP, three quotes, public tender… 

• Partners have access to senior execs who’ll never answer your phone call.

  And sometimes, the partner has Access to Power because they have existing relationships with key decision-makers you’ve never met.

Net, Net…

A partner will rarely know more about a vendor’s product capability than the vendor… but thinking that technical capability is the only partner superpower is just wrong and a huge Blind Spot for many reps.

Help your reps see the value of alternate channels and close their gap around partner value!

• See you next week when we explore: The big Blind Spot reps have around Customer Success.

See you next Saturday.

Great Selling – Jeff@SalesLeadersOnly.com