From a LinkedIn update I wrote last week: “In sales? Are you a channel manager? Don’t know what to do? Call people and just ask them how they are doing. It is that simple. (But you have to actually mean it or don’t bother). All about being Human right now. Invite folks to a virtual happy hour or coffee break. Teach people how to use the tools we have been selling for years! (Now is the time!) And of course wash your hands and stay home. Thanks for listening.”
One of my clients shared it channel wide. I figured I would share my follow up tips for CMs (and others in sales) here.
Remember, right now partners are hearing much bad news: COVID19 updates, ransomware attacks, outages, congestion, blah blah blah. They are also helping users with getting set up with WFH tools for free. Sales are stalled.
A few follow up/contact ideas:
(1) I know you are hearing a lot of bad news right now, what can we do to help? [Do you have any resources the partner can leverage?]
(2) if you know the partner well, share a cartoon (or some humor) to offset the bad news right now. Or invite them to ESPN’s fantasy college basketball .
(3) Invite them to a 10 minute virtual coffee with another partner. Everyone wants to hear how others are doing (so they don’t feel alone). Be the Connector! I have been doing video chats with handfuls of partners a couple of times a week just to hear what the market level set is.
(4) Share a podcast you like or a poll about shows to binge during a pandemic. Be Human!
(5) Share a win! If you just sold a solution that had impact (not cost savings, but impact), share it!
Good time to connect and build relationships.
If you want a copy of the first chapter of my new book – Channel Sales Enablement – just email me for a copy.
