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What makes a good reseller program? Here are my "top ten" tips, drawn from my own experience and that of the industry's top market makers.
Computer telephony resellers: Opportunity is knocking! The maior CT platform and product makers want you in their channel, and they're making an unprecedented effort to bring you on board. Over the past few months, several industry leaders (including Alliance, Brooktrout, and Dialogic) have instituted stellar new reseller and partner programs, aimed at helping you obtain leads, provide more complete solutions, and maximize profits.
What makes a good reseller program? Over the years, I've designed several. I've also canvassed some of the industry's most savvy businesspeople and produced this "top ten" list of what makes a good reseller program. If you're a company looking to enfranchise the channel, hitting these high points can make the difference between clear-cut and marginal success for your program.
1. "SEARS GOOD. BETTER. BEST."
Establish well-defined "layers" that differentiate mediocre resellers from "platinum" ones. In practice, if "charter" resellers and "old friends" of the company are already in place, sweeten it for them by making them "platinum" resellers out of respect for their continued loyalty. This is important from a PR perspective, because you'll want to get two or three of them in the loop as party to your big announcement of the program. This includes quotes from their presidents and possible joint press conference/hospitality events at major trade shows.
Decide now what the requirements are for being a reseller. Develop contracts. Include minimum sales, product breadth, territories, payment terms, spares, response times, etc. If you have some legacy contracts, now is...