In Praise of Channel Sales Professionals

As I've been working on closing Q1 and the follow-on round of QBR's, I've been struck once again by the incredible versatility of the Channel sales role and how unique it is. As I've considered it, I've enjoyed really looking at the role and its incredible potential in a given career path. 

All of my professional life has been in IT sales roles of one kind or another. I've worked for OEMs, Distributors, and partners and I think I've developed a good appreciation of each. I've also learned a lot from each, but it's the Channel sales role that I keep looking at as a true calling.

Consider the following. As a Channel salesperson, these are just some of the hats that you have to wear:

1. Trainer: If you don't like to educate people, then this is going to be hard part of the job. As a channel salesperson you need to be able to effectively educate people on your products and services. Effectively in this case means communicating the value of the offering in terms that are appealing to your partner audience.

2. Marketeer: Coop and MDF are only as effective as the means by which they're deployed. I've been fortunate to work for some companies with great field marketing resources and I've also worked in others. Putting together effective campaigns that truly add value to the partner is key to having a successful partner relationship. 

3. Business Coach: By being exposed to a variety of reseller organizations, the Channel salesperson learns an incredible variety of ways to deal with some common challenges. Everything from sales compensation models to professional services engagements and more become subjects on which a good deal of expertise can be developed. Also, as the years of experience accumulate and a solid network of contacts is created, the Channel salesperson gets into a position to help facilitate their partners' business by brokering intros to complementary partners, or other valued contacts.

4. End-user Sales: Your partner has a prospect that needs a face-to-face meeting with your organization? A good Channel salesperson leaps at the opportunity. There is no better sign of commitment to a partner than the willingness to go and actively help the sales cycle along.

5. Issue Escalation/Resolution: The Channel salesperson is the partner's advocate within the OEM's organization. A lot of OEM's reach a certain size and then their focus shifts from outcomes to processes. And when the focus is on process, then it's not on partner satisfaction. A thorough knowledge of one's own organization and the key players within it, as well as good relationships with these folks are key to being an effective advocate. As an example, in my end-user sales days it was my practice to actively cultivate relationships with the supply-chain team, the bid desk team, the service delivery folks - basically anyone who had the potential to help or hurt my clients. The work and time invested in those relationships often made the difference for me in terms of pricing approved faster or allocation of scarce product. On the issue resolution side, a crucial part of being successful in this aspect of the role is the ability to remain calm and focused on the issue at hand. When issues are being escalated there is often a lot of emotion around it. Keeping your cool isn't just a nice to have, it's required.

6. Sales Manager: This aspect of the Channel Sales job is one of the most difficult. You are essentially acting as a sales manager over a sales team that you do not pay directly, have no formal authority over, and who are not obligated to listen to a single thing you say. In that sense, it's the most perfect training ground for future sales managers as it removes all of the coercion  from the toolset, and leaves you with only positive, persuasive tools to use. 

7. Liaison: If channel business is the greater part of your organization's sales, then the Channel salesperson is standing at the intersection where all of the OEM's corporate functions meet: Sales, SE's, Marketing, Services, and more, they all want to know something about your partner's business. Sometimes the volume of information to coordinate seems like a firehose. The other liaison role is between the OEM and Alliance partners that also deal with that partner. There is no end to the opportunities to increase sales, provide more complete solutions, and add value for the partner when there are successful field alliance engagements.

8. Business Development Manager: You're adding value when you know your local market, industry trends, and have the ability to spot emerging opportunities and help your partners capitalize on them. 

These are just some of the roles that  Channel salesperson has to fill, there are certainly others. With such a diverse set of skills and experiences to develop, it's no wonder that it's the most rewarding role in IT sales. It's a great way to learn about the entire IT sales ecosystem!