How valuable are channel partners in your business?

The question came out of a great conversation with Steve Rogal, a panelist in Balihoo's upcoming October 14th webinar, Practical Practices for Increasing Channel Revenue Through Marketing.

Steve Rogal, Senior Manager in charge of Channel Marketing and Lead Management for Masco Cabinetry shared insight into his company's channel partner relationships.

Masco is a B2B2C manufacturer, and for them, channel marketing is about a lot more than marketing.

In his specific example, Masco may sell $5,000 of cabinets to a customer, but as Steve put it, no consumer goes out to buy just cabinets. Instead, they buy a $50,000 kitchen remodel and they get that from a kitchen contractor that provides the customer with cabinet, counter top, fixture, lighting, paint, flooring, appliance, and hardware options.

Steve continued to relate the challenges working with partners. While their partners are typically great craftsmen and women, they are often unsophisticated in other parts of their businesses including marketing, finance, hiring, and sales.

The picture Steve painted made me realize just how dependent his piece of that $50,000 sale was to the partner who must successfully:

1. Drive demand to the show room
2. Design the perfect kitchen
3. Close the sale
4. Manage the installation and
5. Provide customer service

Steve made the point that Masco's brand reputation is linked to that customer's experience with that partner. Steve, and his channel marketing peers at Masco are not only marketers, they are small business coaches providing strategic, and tactical guidance to their partners for the collective good of both parties.

Exciting for you and me, we'll be able to hear more from Steve and a panel of other experts at Balihoo's October 14th Webinar, Practical Practices for Increasing Channel Revenue Through Marketing. You'll want to join. They will share insightful tips about the solutions that you can employ to help your channel partners be successful.