How a Channel Manager Can Solve Distribution Problems
Sales are the thing that keeps businesses alive. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a freelancer doing small projects, an author learning about book metadata or a global business – without sales, you just won’t survive. But what happens when you don’t have an optimized process for once you get those sales? Distribution sales through channels is key to a successful business, but those channels can get bottle necked, clogged and create time-consuming issues that can end up impacting your reputation and your bottom line. Enter: The Sales Channel Manager.
What is a Channel Manager
As for any complex process, managing it is key to keeping it efficient and addressing problems before they turn into profit killers. An efficient channel allows your organization to cover a broad market and diminish demands on your resources.
But, it isn’t self-sufficient.
A channel manager works directly with your channel partners to help vet, select, train, and monitor them to ensure your business requirements are met and your strategies are carried out effectively while representing your customer-centric firm professionally.
Through these interpersonal relationships cultivated by the channel manager, your firm can be proactive in identifying weaknesses and opportunities and using that information to devise marketing and sales strategies.
TL;DR
Channel Managers
- Vet Channel Partners
- Select Channel Partners
- Train Channel Partners
- Monitor Channel Partners
- Cultivate Relationships with Channel Partners
All of the channel manager’s tasks are centered around product knowledge– which is directly tied to customer service.
Why Product Knowledge Matters
Channel managers are tasked with training channel partners and providing them with material to help market your product. If your partners do not have sufficient knowledge or information about your product, you lose sales.
No one buys a car from a car salesperson who doesn’t know the difference between a v6 and v8-why would your customers buy from a partner who doesn’t know your products? You must dedicate time and material to bringing your partners to speed. This investment will pay off in sales, but the time it takes can be overwhelming. Enter: your channel manager.
After training, your partners will be more equipped to foster relationships with customers, share product knowledge and increase sales.
During this training, your channel manager will also train your partners on customer service expectations and how to respond to issues with products and services.
Your channel manager should also be responsible for incentive plan distribution to help keep your partners motivated to knowing, selling and supporting your product and customers.
Your business is the tree, and every relationship is a root. A channel manager waters the roots so your business can grow through sales, partnerships and customer service.
Tackling these time consuming tasks on your own you risk uneducated partners, poor customer service and lost sales.
Channel managers can change your game.
Why stop there? Change the whole game by selecting a single source solution for all your brand needs. Super Health Center offers brand solutions from e-commerce to brand development that can take your brand from local to global. Reach out now and let us help you grow.