Once you’ve secured a discovery call, it’s important to understand if your candidate is genuinely interested. Companies get approached all the time. What makes your deal unique?
It’s also an opportunity to learn if your candidate has any blockers, as companies have existing terms, partners, and agreements that may prohibit a partnership. A discovery call will help you understand the scope of these blockers. Are they too significant to overcome?
Here’s how that call should go:
1. Introduce yourself and share stories.
Explain who you are and what you do. That is, share your company’s story, the value your product delivers, and the perceived benefits of a partnership. Then ask your candidate to share their own story. People love talking about themselves — their roles, their professional worth — and this is an ideal opportunity to engage them on that level.
2. Share your partnership idea.
Talk about the high-level idea of a partnership. Lead with what’s in it for them and how you’ll add value to their business. Then listen: you wouldn’t want to ramble on about why a partnership would work without getting their initial feedback first.
3. Define next steps.
If there’s interest, determine what the best next steps are:
- Should a basic terms sheet be sent over?
- Should there be a follow-up call with higher-ups?
- Should another call be scheduled to solidify details?
Ultimately, both parties should agree on a next action.
4. Getting a commitment
Once next steps are identified, get specific on when they’ll take place.
This should include setting dates and times for a follow-up call with a decision maker — if you’re not already speaking to one!
Resources
Want more information around channel partner sales? We’ve curated some great content on this below:
- 3 Tactics of Your Partner Sales Process That Are Supposed to Work — But Don’t: Many strategies that were once proven to move the needle in your partner sales process have, over time, stopped working. In this piece, we identify these antiquated tactics — and provide more modern alternatives.
- The Foundation of Successful Collaboration: Partner engagement is the foundation of channel sales success. In this piece, we explain how to enable your partners to successfully sell, service, or support your products.
- How to Motivate Channel Sales Reps to Sell More: Unless your salespeople are ambitious, driven, and determined, they won’t overcome the hurdles of channel sales. In this piece, we break down how to motivate your people, keeping them focused, eager, and successful.
- Want to Improve Your Partner Sales Support? Ask These 5 Questions: Channel partners require materials to educate, engage, and sell prospects. In this piece, we show you how to evaluate the strength of your materials.
The post Part 3 to Establishing a Channel Sales Model: Closing Your Partner appeared first on Partner Relationship Management Software (PRM).