Improving Reseller Education Can Lead to Higher Revenue
-
Get Them While They're Hot
When you sign up new resellers, their enthusiasm is high. Ensure they have access to the training material they need on the first day. -
Help Them Become Experts
If you can get your salespeople to use the product, they'll speak much more authoritatively about it. -
Keep It Brief
Salespeople are often on the road and between meetings. Produce courses that are 20 minutes or less and updated often to keep up with product changes. -
Use Video
Create videos of how the product is installed and used to reinforce knowledge with the customer. This tactic is especially importantly if your product can't be easily distributed or used in a demo—for example, an implanted medical device. -
Qualify the Customer
Teach your salespeople the key questions to ask early in the sales process to ensure the product is a good fit for the customer. -
Understand the Customer
Help employees learn how to tailor the benefits of a product to the customer's industry and needs. Speak in the customer's language. -
Tough Questions
Tell resellers about common objections prospects may have about your product and compelling ways to overcome them. Encourage honesty about known issues or weaknesses. -
Proof Points
Share customer success stories, ROI numbers, metrics, testimonials and more to excite the salespeople and provide data they can share with skeptical prospects. -
Know the Competition
Arm salespeople with information about the competition and how your product is different and better. Encourage role play for critical questions. -
Make It Painless
Salespeople are highly mobile. Make the training clear, simple and accessible wherever they are on any device, and they'll use it over and over again.
What Partners Need to Know About HP, Inc. 
MSPs Face Big Cybersecurity Talent Gap 
Why Tech Companies Are Eager to Invest in 5G 
The Problem With Partner Referral Programs 
Microsoft Taps Channel for Digital Business 
New Technologies Will Fuel Channel Opportunities 
Channel's Transition to the Cloud Requires More Time 
Microsoft's Cloud Channel Begins to Mature 
Defining MSPs' Goals, Challenges and Tools 
Why Metrics Matter to the Channel Product vendors can garner healthier sales by improving the way they educate their reseller channel and moving to e-learning programs that give them access to training materials anywhere and at any time. That is one key takeaway from a discussion with Randhir Vieira, vice president of product marketing, at Mindflash, an e-learning software provider. Resellers represent many types of products and services, so they must have a breadth of knowledge and be able to quickly go deep when they need to for a particular customer, Vieira said. E-learning training programs that focus on helping salespeople become more knowledgeable about the product, capabilities, benefits and proof points, as well as how the product stacks up against the competition and how it affects the prospect's business will drive increased sales in the order of two to four times from the same resellers selling the product, said Vieira. "The days of providing this information in webinars are over. If that information isn't available to the salesperson when needed, it isn't going to be effective." Vieira shared with Channel Insider 10 tips for improving an enterprise's training program for partners and resellers.