Why Do We Have So Many Bad Distributors?

So many channel partners just don’t seem to “get it,” according to suppliers.

Whether it’s producing accurate sales forecasts, providing market information, or making good on purchase commitments or agreed investments, many partners just seem bent on working in a different direction than you.

There are usually many reasons for this, but it often starts with how (or if) you recruited those channel partners, and whether the partners you once recruited are still good fits.  A better recruitment process always produces better channel partners.

So how do you recruit good partners?

Follow this process, and you’re guaranteed to find and keep better distributors/channel partners.

• Clearly articulate why you want to use indirect sales channels, and how you plan to use them.  Analyze carefully what’s worked and what hasn’t.
• Look at your value proposition through the eyes of potential partners. Tweak or refresh it as necessary.
• Visualize your ideal partner.  Be as specific as possible.  Write down those criteria and assign a weighting to each quality.  Put each and every partner – both existing and new – through this scoring process.
• Investigate potential prospects carefully.  Most companies don’t spend enough time on this step.
• Have a good process for negotiating a joint business plan and then afterwards, a solid contract.
• Implement solid processes to onboard and continuously support your partners.
• Review your program and all of your partners regularly — not just new ones — to ensure they continue to be a good fit.

Companies that carefully design and execute each of these steps end up with partners that are much better fits.  And that means less headaches and better results for suppliers — and for the distributors as well.

Learn about our 10-step, no-fail process to consistently recruit better partners in our upcoming webinar!  Register here.