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How to Choose the Right Channel Sales Enablement Platform

Written by Leigh Perez | Feb 2024

Channel sales enablement software equips your network of partners with the resources they need to effectively market and sell your products. However, navigating the complexities of choosing the right channel sales tool can be challenging.

This guide explores the key factors to consider when choosing a platform that strengthens your channel sales efforts, enabling your partners to excel and helping to optimize the sales process for better results.

What you'll learn from this blog:

 

What Does A Channel Sales Platform Enablement Solve? 

Channel sales enablement tool empowers your external partners just as much as your internal sales team– equipping them to overcome common hurdles in selling your offerings.

By integrating the right channel sales enablement tools, these obstacles can be efficiently addressed:

Unifying Brand Messaging

Channel sales enablement tools ensure that your partners are equipped with uniform marketing materials and sales scripts, safeguarding your brand's consistency across all touchpoints. This uniformity is crucial for maintaining a positive brand image and customer perception.

Simplifying Access to Sales Resources

With sales enablement tools for channel sales, partners can easily access the most current sales content, including product updates, presentations, and case studies. This not only saves time but also prevents the creation of unauthorized content that could misrepresent your offerings.

Accelerating Partner Training and Onboarding

Channel sales enablement facilitates the rapid onboarding and training of new partners by providing them with structured, tailored resources. This ensures they can quickly become productive members of your sales ecosystem, contributing to your revenue goals more effectively.

Enhancing Visibility into Partner Performance

Channel sales tools offer insights into your partners' sales activities and content utilization outcomes. This visibility allows for the identification of improvement areas and the optimization of your content and channel sales strategy.

Simplifying Content Distribution

Efficient content sharing mechanisms within channel sales enablement platforms eliminate the need for cumbersome email attachments, promoting better accessibility and engagement with sales materials.

4 Key Features to Look For in A Channel Sales Enablement Tool

Having these key features into your channel sales enablement platform not only simplifies the sales process for your partners but also enhances your ability to monitor and support their performance effectively. By focusing on channel enablement through the right tools and resources, you can ensure a successful and mutually beneficial partnership.

To effectively implement this, it's crucial to select a platform that incorporates the following key features:

 

Centralized Content Hub

This hub acts as the definitive repository for all sales-related materials, product details, and training resources. It's designed to be easily accessible by partners at any time and from any location, streamlining the process of content management maintaining brand consistency across all sales channels.

 

Content and Channel Seller Performance Visibility

Choosing a channel sales tool that provides insights into partner activities, the utilization of content, and its impact on sales outcomes is vital. This functionality allows you to fine-tune your channel sales strategy and offer targeted support to your partners, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your channel sales efforts.

 

Secure Content Sharing

A platform that facilitates the secure distribution of sales materials directly to partners via branded digital environments is preferable. This approach addresses the limitations and security risks associated with traditional email attachments, ensuring that your content remains protected while easily shareable.

 

Mobile Access and Offline Capabilities

Keep in mind that partners require immediate access to sales tools and information, regardless of their location or internet connectivity. Opt for a sales enablement tool for channel sales that includes a mobile application and supports offline access, enabling seamless selling activities without interruption.

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How To Select The Ideal Channel Sales Enablement Software for Your Business

Now that we got the features covered, here are other critical elements you should keep in mind when selecting the best channel sales enablement software for your needs:

Transparent Pricing

Not every solution will be a perfect fit for your needs, and straightforward pricing helps establish a foundation of trust between your organization and the channel sales enablement provider. It's essential to meticulously review each pricing tier, evaluating the features provided and the number of users permitted.

This careful examination is crucial for determining whether a sales enablement tool for channel sales is in line with your budgetary constraints and for conducting an effective cost-benefit analysis relative to other sales enablement tools for channel sales.

Security Measures and Regulatory Compliance

The sensitive nature of channel sales necessitates stringent security protocols. Your chosen channel enablement software must incorporate advanced security features and adhere to regulatory standards, including GDPR and CCPA.

Opt for channel sales tools that bolster data security with multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) functionalities, ensuring the safeguarding of your critical information.

User-friendliness

The hallmark of superior channel partner enablement software lies in its simplicity and ease of use. A platform that is intuitive and straightforward minimizes the learning curve, enabling channel partners to concentrate on sales activities rather than navigating the software.

This is essential for sustaining high productivity levels in dynamic sales environments and for streamlining the integration process for new partners, thereby facilitating the expansion of your channel sales initiatives.

Onboarding and Training

The caliber of onboarding and educational support provided is indicative of a channel sales tool provider's commitment to your success. Quality training materials and sessions reflect the provider's dedication to ensuring that both you and your partners fully leverage the software's potential, enhancing the effectiveness of your channel sales enablement strategy.

Dedicated Support and a Commitment to Customer Success

The quality and availability of support from a channel sales enablement tool provider are paramount. Dependable customer service ensures prompt resolution of any challenges faced by your partners, keeping sales processes smooth and efficient.

A provider's focus on customer success reveals their interest in fostering a lasting relationship, offering strategic advice and insights to maximize the benefits of the channel enablement software for your enterprise.

Multi-language Capabilities

For businesses with a global footprint, multilingual support in channel partner enablement software is invaluable. It guarantees that channel partners across the globe can access and engage with the tool in their native language, markedly enhancing adoption rates and overall satisfaction.

Showell: Channel Sales Enablement Software

Showell is an award-winning channel sales enablement tool that offers comprehensive, user-friendly capabilities at a competitive price point—including a free plan starting at $0 per user per month. It provides scalable solutions for businesses of all sizes, consolidating content management and distribution to optimize workflows for channel sales and marketing teams worldwide.

  • Digital Sales Room: One of Showell's standout features is its Digital Sales Room, which facilitates the secure distribution of sales materials directly to partners via branded digital environments. This approach addresses the limitations and security risks associated with traditional email attachments, ensuring that your content remains protected while easily shareable.
  • Sales Content Management: Designed to enhance your channel sales initiatives, Showell ensures your partners have on-demand access to the latest sales documentation and resources. Its adaptability guarantees seamless brand alignment and a uniform experience across all platforms.
  • Learning Management System: Additionally, Showell includes a built-in Learning Management System (LMS) that enables you to provide training and educational resources to your partners, enhancing their product knowledge and sales effectiveness.
  • Web and Native Apps: Accessible via web and native mobile apps, Showell's universal compatibility allows your team to access information on the go, a crucial feature in channel sales contexts.
  • Integrations: It seamlessly integrates with existing marketing and sales ecosystems like Google Workspace, SharePoint/Teams, and Dropbox, amplifying your channel sales strategies by working with the tools your team already relies on.

For a premier solution to empower your channel partners, choose Showell. Experience the difference with the Showell Free plan or request a demo from our sales enablement specialists to elevate your channel sales approach.

Learn more about Channel Sales Enablement: