Use the power of channel marketing

Peter Crocker

Selling products or services direct to customers is all good and well. But could you be missing out on a potentially larger and more lucrative marketing opportunity?

In the past I’ve done a lot of work on channel marketing for IT companies. Put simply, channel marketing involves selling through partners or resellers rather than direct to customers.

For example, Microsoft sells their products through a network of partners ranging from small IT retailers to large technology consulting firms. To do this they focus on educating resellers on their products and providing sample software, marketing collateral and industry news so that, hopefully, the reseller will choose to recommend their products to their customers.

This same principle can work for solo business owners. For example, as a copywriter I often get asked “Do you know a good designer / web developer / printer / ad agency / business consultant etc...?”

There are similar examples across all industries such as...

· Nurseries recommend landscape gardeners

· Real estate agents recommend cleaners or removalists

· Accountants recommend finance software

· Architects recommend builders, builders recommend cabinet makers

· Local printers recommend graphic designers

· Beauticians recommend beauty products or gifts

Which businesses sell products and services to the same type of people you do? Or, which meet a related but non-competitive customer need? These are your potential channel partners.

The secret here is leverage. By selling yourself to one loyal partner, they can go on to resell many of your solutions to their customers over time.

So, all you have to do is work out who your potential channel partners are and you have a completely new target market that may be more profitable than selling direct.

Has this approach worked for your business? We’d love to hear how.

In a future newsletter I’ll look at some specific ways you can target these partners.

Until then, love your work.

Peter Crocker is a director of Flying Solo responsible for the areas of marketing and advertising. He is a business copywriter specialising in websites, videos and marketing communications.

6 comments | Add your own

Absolutely on the money. Partnerships are the way to go. What goes around comes around so being able to freely refer clients on and nurture a network of partners that feel comfortable referring work back to you makes life easier for everyone. Besides, it saves time. One valued partner that may refer multiple jobs requires less effort than having to cold sell each of those individual jobs. The trick though is finding the time and investing the effort to build and nurture that partnership network. Allan Spencer-Stewart from Melbourne, Australia
Agree with all of the above - a win-win partnership is an unbeatable way to build your business (but PLEASE, don't get greedy - be prepared to lose a little in the transaltion of events and all partners will win WIN BIG overall)! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
Hi Peter,
You are so right. Channel marketing is so important for spreading information concerning your products to a much wider audience. We use Affiliate marketing and are linking with as many related web sites that will have us. All of this takes a lot of effort and time but is just so rewarding when it starts to work. PropertyBooks could not grow without the help of others. Paul Tooze from PropertyBooks.com.au
Strategic+ Alliance are the 'go' words for business of today. I align myself with all suppliers who help me to get my work done and l source the best in the industry l need to deal with, hence my suppliers become highly recommendable as well. I have an arrangement with my printer, web developer, training materials supplier, and performance management provider and even my real estate (sales) agent, just to name a few. If aligned businesses know you are professional and serious about helping other people, they do their utmost to make sure they give you 100% to deliver their products and services effectively. The spin off is they have no trouble recommending your services because they know you also put in 100% and work hard to to produce the best strategies and results for your clients. It is the universal law of reciprocity. l don't see my competitors as a threat either. I build relationships with them so if l get too busy l can recommend my clients to someone else reliable with the same values and standards. My competitor may be more 'specialised' in a certain area that would benefit my client, so l start to delegate where neccessary. This system works vice versa. We are all here to survive and "You catch more bees with honey than vinegar"- a saying worth remembering in business! Stephanie Rice from Cairns, Australia
Otherwise also known as 'Power Partners'. BNI uses this principal to help generate referrals for its members, as does the Leads Club too. Great way to help build up your business. There are potential 'partners' everywhere! Kathie M. Thomas, A Clayton's Secretary from Melbourne, Australia
Hi Peter, I am a real estate agent in his second year and in much need of good relationships which work with you to build a good source of client. I teamed up with a Mortgage broker which was in need of the same and it works great. We don't score every deal but we fully trust each other to do the best in the clients interest.
Frans from McLaren Vale / Australia

6 comments | Add your own

Add Your comments

Preview comment

Name

Website *

Town / city and country

Email (never sold, displayed or given away)

* This will link your name to your site. So please avoid self promotion elsewhere! We delete spam, disrespectful or off-topic comments.