Working with resellers is a double-edged sword. One the one hand you get additional resources selling your product. On the other hand you have less control over parts of the sales process.
To have an effective relationship with your channel sales partners, you need to be able to support them so they can successfully sell your solution. It’s a herculean task, but one that can be simplified with the help of a demo automation platform.
Here are five ways to use a demo automation platform to get the most from your channel sales partnership.
1. Training and Deep Technical Knowledge
Channel Sales reps are usually in charge of selling multiple products at once. This means they are not only selling you, but they also sell your competition. The best way to get a leg up on the other providers your resellers work with is to make your solution the easiest one to sell. Using a demo experience platform, you can give them access to the training and deep technical knowledge they need to sell your product successfully.
Give your channel sales reps an educational walkthrough of your solution using an interactive product tour. These “click-through demos” lets reps explore the product without being overwhelmed with unnecessary information.
You can also record short one-topic demos to provide context for certain features in your solution. This will help reps be able to explain the “why” of your product to potential customers instead of feature dumping.
2. Provide Product Updates
Your solution is going to grow and change as time goes on. It can be a big enough pain to get everyone in your organization updated on the latest and greatest, so updating channel sales partners is an even larger challenge.
Similar to providing training, you can showcase new features and changes through both interactive and video methods. Now, channel reps will have a returnable place to go to reference changes.
You’ll also have insights into which topics are being watched over and over, indicating you might need to cover that topic again. Because these demos are shareable, you can have reps share these updates with potential customers so they’re not blindsided when changes happen.
3. Support Channel Sales Reps at Scale
With so many plates spinning, your channel sales partners need your support, and they need it on their schedule. Giving them demos they can watch anytime and anywhere, allows them to receive the information without having to schedule meetings or wait around for your team to answer their questions.
Sending automated demos helps resellers feel less like an outsider and more like a true extension of your team. It provides them access to invaluable resources and lets reps see your authentic excitement with this partnership.
Channel sales reps want your input and provide their own feedback at manageable levels. The lines of communication need to be open but not flooded with messages. Being able to provide timely information and answers to frequently asked questions in the form of a video demo gives a personal touch.
4. View Analytics from Customer Views
Understanding how channel reps are performing is a huge challenge when working with a third-party seller. You have to put a lot of faith in them that they’re providing you with accurate data. Adding demo software into your strategy can bridge the data gap.
Depending on the type of sales demo environment you’re using, you may have the ability to purchase channel-specific licenses that let channel reps share your content directly with customers. The view analytics should then automatically populate in your regular demo analytics.
Your channel partners might also have their own demo creation platform that you can use to house some of your demos. This way might not be as advantageous for seeing analytics on your own since different programs might not integrate. But, in that case, channel reps can still share the insights from their platform.
Come see how easy buying can be.
5. Make Buying Smoother
Buyers want a self-service process that’s more like B2C than B2B. Just like when shopping online, they’re doing their homework by scouring the internet for customer reviews and any tidbits they can pick up on your site.
There’s nothing that slows a deal down faster than making a customer wait to see a product. With a demo automation platform, you can enable your channel partners to provide that experience.
By arming your channel sales reps with automated demos and interactive product demos, you give them the ability to engage with customers between planned meetings. They can even take it a step further and create demos that align with buying stages. Then buyers don’t have to wait, and channel reps can engage with customers without setting up endless meetings.
Don’t Leave your Partners Hanging
Channel sales is a solid strategy for increasing your own sales, but not without some assistance from you as the vendor. These reps aren’t only selling for you (otherwise, they’d work for you), so they have to wear many hats and understand many solutions.
By providing accessibility to resources, vendor support, and a smooth buyer journey, you set your channel sales partners up to win more, win faster, and close bigger deals. With the help of demo automation software, you can enable channel reps to sell faster and more easily. And when they win, you win.
For more way interactive demos can boost performance, check out our blog, research, or even your own custom demo.
