Events such as annual summits or new product launches are an excellent way to engage your entire channel partner network. Here's why.
Your channel partner network is your lifeblood - they sell your products and ultimately help your company thrive. But how often do you meet your resellers, and how frequently do they get to meet each other? That's where events come in. Organising regular conferences, product launches and invitations to your head office or factory floor is a great way to engage your channel partners, helping to keep your brand front of mind and above the competitions'.
So how exactly can you use events to engage your channel partners?
1) Align channel partners with your organisational objectives
When you host an annual channel partner summit, it's a great opportunity to let resellers know about your business' goals and strategy for the coming year. You can then show them exactly how their work fits into that, thereby helping to align their organisational vision with your own.
A great way to create excitement and get channel partners thinking about your brand more is through debuting a new product.
2) Debut a new product
A great way to create excitement and get resellers thinking about your brand more is through debuting a new product. You can either set up an individual product launch or include this as part of your annual summit. In addition to creating a buzz, you can also demonstrate how the product itself works and give channel partners the opportunity to use it. This will mean they'll be able to sell the product better in future as they'll have had first-hand experience at using it.
3) Provide hands-on experience
In addition to letting channel partners have the first go with your new products, you can also use events to give them experience with other things you have to offer. For example, if you're working on new technology (for example IT software) that's still in its early stages, giving resellers a chance to see that is a great way to bring them closer to your brand and let them visualise what the future might look like for them.
An alternative event idea is to offer your channel partners a trip around your factory floor or head office as part of a wider travel incentive or reward. Again, this helps to foster closeness to your brand and link a positive experience (travel) to your organisation.
4) Tell channel partners about new incentives
Your Channel Partner Incentive Program is one of the key drivers of high sales among your resellers. But only if you keep them engaged in it. An event is an excellent opportunity to remind your resellers of what the program is for and announce any new rewards or other exciting changes you might be making. You can also use this as a chance to highlight the great work of individual channel partners and show others the rewards they have received, particularly if this involves going on holiday or to events.
5) Offer an opportunity to network
All channel partners operate in slightly different ways, so by holding a conference you can give different resellers a chance to network and find out about each others' selling techniques. This may help to inform their own sales tactics, ultimately resulting in higher revenue for both you and your channel partners.
A Channel Partner Incentive Program with Power2Motivate
If you're considering introducing a Channel Partner Incentive Program in your network, the team at Power2Motivate can help. We have years of experience working with vendors across the world to encourage loyalty and high sales. Contact us today or request a demo to learn more.