Every time a dollar is at stake it demands for visibility,
discipline and curiosity. Often in the same order. This I believe is the key
reason why a paid training by vendors to channel partners is advocated. It is a
good approach however not every vendor can demand this. It depends on the vendor
power and also the industry. For a software vendor, I don’t think it is
essential to always go the paid route.
Take a second to ponder if a free training is really free? I
think it is foolish for a business development professional to think so. Every
single minute his or her team spends in training entails an opportunity cost. Cost
of losing time for planning, calling and meeting prospective customers. So for
a partnership based on strong fundamentals both the parties inherently take up
the training seriously. It doesn't really matter whether it is paid or free. This
is the reason why I firmly believe that good qualification and a frank
discussion before signing the partnership is always the key. The very thought
of bringing seriousness through a paid training means you are not confident of partner
commitment. Then why pursue such a relationship?
One of the hallmarks of a successful business development manager is to keep the channel partners excited and motivated. He or she should show the road ahead to the channel partners. How a
successful training can lead to successful sales. A training plan with
measurable KPIs should be defined. The key questions to ask are:
- What are the training perquisites?
- How many participants and their background?
- Who will lead the efforts and held accountable?
- What are the expected deliverables?
- What are the timelines?
- Importantly, what will be the future course of action if the defined objectives are met and not met?
Everything
should be agreed in writing during the course of partnership discussions to avoid any potential conflicts. The
success of the partnership is heavily dependent on both sales and technical enablement.
So put your best foot forward.
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