Channel Partner’s Role in Mobile Technologies

Cloud computing is hailed as the new revolution in computing technology. More and more IT software companies are coming out with cloud versions of their conventional software and flagship products.

The cloud is not the only buzzword in the industry though. There is mobile, apps, iPhone, and smart phone. Incredible as it may sound, I think that in the future, we would all have the one gadget for everything. As lap tops are still hard to carry and heavy with their considerable dimensions, smart phones like the ubiquitous iPhones and smart portable gadgets like the iPad is turning out to be the go-to gadget in times of boredom and also in idle times when a busy executive could be doing something productive.


partner profiling

Since the conception of the smart phones, applications or “apps” are no longer confined to a desktop computer. They are being used for all sorts of, well, applications be it to enhance productivity at work, help with household tasks to gaming. The business of the mobile apps just keeps growing and with the advent of the Google’s Android phones, Steve Job’s iPhone iTunes just met their match.

When vendors are directly offering these mobile software for their user directly, what then is the role of channel partners and does channel management service play a role?

Well I think channel partners and resellers are more focused on the hardware rather than the software. The iPhone’s exclusive deal with AT&T has definitely caused frustrations for their fans, including me, because of the level of service AT&T brings to subscribers. Dropped calls, low signal, and even the lack of signal are all complains of the customers who wish to own every new iPhone model that comes out.

Fortunately, smart phones are not limited to Apple. Motorola, for example, has a new channel partner program called PartnerEmpowerment. The different program levels reflect different sets of solutions each with requirements and benefits that fit the channel partner’s capabilities. Channel management service is needed to streamline Motorola transactions to ensure that both vendor and reseller get exactly what they want.

Industries Reliant on Partner Portals

Recently, I have observed the growing number of companies that are relying on partner portals. I understand that they really are important and the production and exchange of information between parent companies and their associates however I also think that it’s absurdly difficult to rely on just that. I also think that big companies who ally themselves with significantly much smaller ones not much to gain. Banks are a good example for these types. After all, it is almost a requirement to them today that they have to get the right information they need to carefully calculate their next move. Experimenting is not so bad but I learned that it may also cost you.


channel management solutions

I learned this from my brother. He is an associate manager of a bank in the city which is aiming to expand and experiment applying their type of business on the countryside. They found themselves some good small time banks to exchange information with so as to know how to determine the cost they are going to invest in their little experiment. Months later, the result was a negative sign for them since their bank system needed a minimum number of clients and customers who were not available on the countryside they chose. Of course, the other small time banks they traded information with now knows a lot about the business on the city, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those banks suddenly aimed to expand their business in the city.

Some start-up marketing companies are also not an exception to this. Those marketing companies who want to do their business on different channels always had the problem of transferring from one channel to another; especially since some of them really don’t have much flexibility in their system to begin with. Plus if these companies don’t have partner portals or channel management of some sort they often end up on channel conflicts. I remember a close friend of mine often getting angry for having competition over the same prospect with people from the same company. This just goes to show that companies in the industry of marketing and banking are becoming more and more dependent on technology.

Saved by the Partner Portal

My friend and I were talking about how channel cooperation worked for us. And as the discussion went on, I noticed that most of our collaborations were only possible because the company we worked for had a partner portal. Somehow having partner portal allows us to do our job in a harmonious and strategic way as compared to how we did our work before.

I remember having trouble over the same prospects and arguing about who would take the target and who would find another prey although basically we were from the same company. When I was still a direct seller for our company, my friend who was somehow part of the managing team of the indirect selling force usually reported to me on our free time that we had the same target. Meaning to say, there was a channel conflict occurring outside of the original arrangement. This also meant that the boss had to change the channel management solution service he just ordered. He was quite furious, more or less.


channel partner strategy

Still, with the company growing by the end of last year’s third quadrant, all of a sudden the company had three additional partners. It was good news the company was growing and having more partners but I would have really like the company to be smaller than it is now. Why? This only means one thing to me: bigger competition with the same tactical performance.

While the number of people who I had to share my work with grew, meaning an easier sell sometimes but not all the time, the number of people who I had to avoid bumping into also grew. Needless to say, we were not managed carefully and precisely. I had several troubles of the same kind I mentioned before until the management thought that if they also shared their processes of management with their partner, perhaps selling different products in the same location would not have been a bother.

In the end, creating a portal which shared management and allocation data and not only sales information proved to be more than effective for our company and its partners. I should really be more appreciative of what technology brings.

Getting to Know the Channel for Effective Partner Portals

It is important to understand and familiarize oneself with the parts of a channel before delving into the details of partner portals. Comprehending the true essence of the role of partner portals and keeping it streamlined depends on the knowledge and understanding of the parts and nature of channels. Here are the some of the basic components of a good channel distribution network for optimum management:


channel management solutions

• Big box reseller – Intermediaries that are interested in moving bulk volume instead of special services.
• Master Distributor – The kind of distributors that buy adequate amount of supplies from small-scale dealers.
• Buying Group – Loosely affiliated companies that buy products by the bulk from a distributor or manufacturer to benefit from discounts.
• Channel – A general term that refers to companies that are focused with sales and transporting goods and services down to end consumers. Often referred to as marketing or distributing partners and are alternatively known as sales network, sales channel, and channel clouds.
• Broker – Super intermediaries that are full of network contacts and negotiate deals, business relationships and sales between companies.
• Independent Representatives- Companies that provide sales services so that distributors will gain access to the local market. They also headline competing goods and services.
• Dealers – These are resellers that are authorized by vendors to provide customer support as well. Usually, dealers are independent companies involved in heavy equipment and machinery.
• Export Management Company – Independent sales brokers who work internationally and are dependent on the support from partner portals.
• Franchisee – They are provided with the license to sell another company’s products in a specified region.
• Catalog House – Groups that buy a specific line of goods that they specifically purchase from online and printed catalogs/
• General Line Distributor- Organization that buys and resells a wide range of different products.
• Hybrid Channel – A kind of channel that combines the different types of functions.
• Specifiers – They have specific influence on the product flow and specify opportunities. Examples are designers and engineers.
• Integrators – Provide consultation services to customers.
• Jobbers – Wholesalers that offer limited services

Before Partner Relationship Management Software

What did companies and organizations do before the creation of partnership management software tools? In the past companies were a lot more complacent when it came to their partnership management. Of course, there were already several strategies and methods in place back in the day. But these were crude. The crudeness is understandably so. Back in the day, the global market is not as fully integrated as it is today. Companies are more for expansion than for partnership.

channel management



What where the tools that were used for partner relationship management in the past? Companies used to rely on basic methods for their PRM. They also formulated these processes on their own. It is basically a hit and miss, trial and error activity for getting to the right process of PRM. The tools that were used were pretty basic. Basic spreadsheets for keeping track of everything were employed. Communication was mostly done by phone if not through email. These were crude times. However, as times changed, so did PRM. The advent of the internet created e-commerce. And this eventually lead to the sophisticated Partner Relationship Management software systems that we know of today.

One can find a hard time imagining those days when PRM software was so crude. That is because back then, the internet was not fully integrated to business. But now, it is indispensable. Partner Relationship Management Software is a key factor to the running of large channel clouds.

As time goes by, a business, especially those in manufacturing electronics, will inevitably grow its partner lists. As partner channels become more complex, it is harder to keep track of all the data of shipments, marketing, sales, etc. The necessity for streamlining of Partner Relationship Management was the mother of PRM software invention. And in this increasingly integrated business environment, it is indispensable.

Amazon 4Q profit climbs 71 pct on strong holidays