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 The road to marketing mayhem is often paved with good intentions. If you distribute through a channel, be it agent, broker or store, sometimes you may feel like your intermediaries are working against you by taking matters into their own hands. You both have the desire to communicate with your end-customers — again, good intentions — but their methods may not be the most professional, brand-consistent or even cost-effective. Frustrations arise when your sales representatives are not in line with corporate marketing objectives and actually become obstacles in solidifying the ultimate goal of a profitable customer relationship.
The truth is that you and your sales force have the same objectives —
to increase revenue and customer lifetime value, to get customers to purchase more products and services over time, and refer family and friends to do the same. It is possible to knock down channel barriers that get in the way of building lifetime value. It is possible to collaboratively manage the relationship with the end-customer. |
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Two paths — one goal
Channel conflict arises from a disconnect between your shared goal of
a strong customer relationship and how you accomplish this goal. You and your sales force may be approaching the end-customer through incongruent ways, which creates more challenges:
Corporate
> Under pressure to ensure brand consistency across regions/national markets
> Challenged to control the waste incurred when sales materials go out of date
> Frustrated with trying to effectively manage sales force ad hoc requests for collateral materials
Sales force
> Forced to create own materials to build personal relationship with customers
> Struggling to stay informed on new products and services and key corporate messages
> Challenged to find a way to communicate relevant localized messages
This conflict can be overcome through a common set of tools that you both agree are the right way to approach the customer and that allow you both to share control of the relationship. |
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 Win-win solutions
Creating these tools first requires understanding your channel’s business needs as they relate to the end-customer, needs like efficiency, profitability, differentiation from competitors and providing value. What services can you provide that will make life easier for your sales force while also achieving your customer relationship goals?
The solution centers on customer business development. Your agents may not have the know-how or the time to market effectively to your customer base. But at the corporate head office, you may be able to provide advice and resources to help them build business. This includes sharing customer data, assisting with targeting specific market segments and providing customizable, corporate-approved marketing materials.
Technology at work
Advances in communication and technology make control of localized campaigns much easier than in the past. Through the marriage of online ordering and variable print-on-demand, channel partners can access a myriad of materials, such as newsletters, postcards, welcome kits, brochures and even promotional items.
Your sales force can now customize marketing materials approved by the head office and request these materials when they need them. By providing a higher level of service and marketing support, you allow your channels more room to succeed. You’re taking care of brand consistency and the creation of marketing communications, yet allowing your sales force to infuse some of their identity in the piece through variables that could include a picture, contact information and choice of personal messages.
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Selling the salespeople
Once you’ve found a solution that works for your organization, getting intermediaries on board can become its own campaign. But, remembering those earlier challenges, there are benefits for both parties that make very persuasive arguments:
> Enhancing personal credibility with customers by delivering professionally produced, personalized materials
> Reinforcing the bond between the salesperson and the customer
> Controlling the amount of waste incurred when sales materials go out of date
> Ensuring a consistent brand identity in the marketplace
> Empowering salespeople to manage their communications
If your sales agents are currently out of sync with your mission, finding a solution that saves them time and money will help bring them into alignment. It’s all part of developing a solid relationship with your channel that will, in turn, build solid relationships with your end-customers.
Enhancing opportunities
It’s easy to resolve channel conflict when you remember that you and your sales force are both working toward the same goal. Empowering your channel through a shared set of tools can help them respond to customers efficiently, effectively and personally. In other words, turn would-be obstacles into open doors. |
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| Ariana Nied, a channel marketing strategist with First Marketing, helps companies turn obstacles into open doors through effective communications solutions. She can be reached at
anied@first-marketing.com. |
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