Partner Profiles—A Letter to a Parent Company

Dear Recruiting Parent Company,

Hello! I recently heard of your need to recruit new and reliable channel partners for your well¬-known distribution network. I am a retailer that is bent on increasing profits substantially in order to expand as an independent business. Your program offerings and other incentives really stand out and provide great opportunities to affiliates you carefully recruit, and I am very interested to become one of your members.

I know that you are currently considering a lot of partner profiles of companies bigger than I am, but I hope that you will not close your doors to me for I am very capable and competent despite my size. I reviewed your company’s profile and found out that we have a lot in common in terms of mission, vision, objectives and goals. Like you, I am very keen on detailed, excellent work. I always strive for quality and above-average productivity levels. We also share similar views when it comes to the quality of the design and implementation of channel management approaches such as partner relationship management and channel sales strategies.

Hopefully, through these partner profiles, you will be able to acquire the partners that you are looking for. After all, we all know that recruitment is not about the number of partners you get. It’s all about quality and competence, and the overall fit. It is important that all the members mesh well and complement each other especially when it comes to business goals, objectives, operations and strategies. This will ensure the prevention of conflict and a smoother road towards exponential revenue generation.

I will certainly be an asset to your channel distribution network. But more importantly, I truly believe in your mission and vision as a business. I am determined to work hard for you because I am confident about the genuine truth behind your good reputation. You can count on my loyalty if ever you decide to engage me in a mutually profitable business relationship.

Best Regards,

Competent Retailer

About Sudden Cuts and Conflicts

I really don’t know much about channel management or partner portal. The only thing I do know about them is that basically they help the managers and the company organize the people around them.

As an ordinary employee, I shouldn’t be concerned with what the management specifically does since I should be busy with my own work. But when I think about it, perhaps I really should be. After all, whatever they’re going to look at or use or decide or even experiment on would most likely affect nobody else but me. So whether or not they decide to use partner portals, channel management or whatever they agree upon using means that I shouldn’t get involved but I’ll be affected anyway. Really, the points of authority.

I remember reading about the conflicts that happen with channel management on direct selling agents. Considering some companies, it’s really easy for them to cut out the middleman when they already think that the direct selling method isn’t suitable anymore for them. It’s really easy for them to slowly dis-intermediate then all of sudden they lean on eBay. Some companies are really sneaky when it comes to this because they’re already cutting channels, you’ll feel it coming but you can’t dodge it anyway.


What I do like about management is that some of them really make life easier. I remember a friend of mine always boasting about when he wins their small internal contests. In a way, that kind of management boosts the morale as well as the performance of the employees without the danger of suddenly cutting the agents channels out of nowhere. I think agents sell better when they feel like they can do anything, especially if the company lets them feel that way through promotions, contests and even small get-togethers.

Maybe I should start being more optimistic about the management or, more importantly, about myself. It’s hard to fight stress nowadays and it’s even harder when I am afraid of getting my channel cut suddenly. I do wish the management would give me something to look forward to or maybe even something to would boost my morale. In that way, maybe I can sell any product they would give me.

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.

Do You Have a Channel Steward?

Ensuring successful channel management solutions actually depends on more important things. Its success is not just reliant on how you implement it and what kind solution you choose to use. A big portion of its success is dependent on how you manage and lead the channel and oversee the use of the solutions and strategies through an effective channel stewardship. But what is channel stewardship?

Channel stewardship may seem unfamiliar at first, but think about it. It has in fact been around for a long time—even longer than the channel management solutions that you see and hear about online. A steward is defined as an entity that gets things done on his own volition which creates a condition that coaxes others to accomplish tasks as a group for the best interest of the group. It involves a lot of subtle actions such as arranging, influencing, informing, measuring, compensating, exemplifying, influencing and so many others that lead down to the alignment of the whole channel distribution network toward the end consumer. In a way, you can perceive this concept as governance—one that is executed with the consent of all members concerned for the enjoyment of mutual benefits. Channel stewards are in fact leaders in an industry. They are the ones who are willing to think out of the box and take risks by breaking free from old paradigms and embracing fresher and newer paths and ideas. So who should be the channel steward?

The responsibility is open to everyone in the channel. Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers—everyone! Any member can become the channel steward. Big players usually have an easier time making a go for it, but keep in mind that size isn’t really that essential. What truly matters it stepping up, setting aside corporate ego, defining the role, and assuming the responsibility before anyone else does.

If you’re gunning for a successful channel distribution network, then rethink your battle strategy. In fact, find out if you have a leader—a steward—because if you don’t have one, then you will most likely fail. Will you step up to be your channel’s steward?

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