Unlike salespeople, channel partners don't have hands on access to sales/marketing training sessions or brand induction workshops. Watch this presentation to learn how a partner portal compensates these negatives by providing channel partners with easy access to critical elements that help them close deals faster.

1. 9 Must-Haves for an Excellent Partner Portal
Asset repository
Deal registration
Simplicity
Mobile access
MDF Management
Access to training & certification programs
Access to tools that help them market better
Access to a guided sales process
Making them feel like a part of your team

2. Selling through channel
partners is a great idea!
Of course it is! And you know it
too...which is exactly why you
chose this model to expand your
business.
But...now that you are working
with multiple channel partners,
you have also discovered that
this model brings a load of
challenges along with it.

3. Each channel partner is
unique; so are their
requirements.
So, how can you bring them all
on the same page as you?
Answer: A PARTNER PORTAL

4. A partner portal provides
your channel partners with
easy access to critical
elements that will help them
close deals faster.
Unlike your salespeople, your
channel partners don’t have hands­
on access to your sales/marketing
training sessions or brand induction
workshops. They don’t have the
luxury of having a solid sales game
plan chalked out for them every
quarter. A partner portal
compensates these negatives by
providing your channel partners with
easy access to critical elements that
will help them close deals faster.
Your channel partners
don't have hands-on
access to your
sales/marketing
training sessions or
brand induction
workshops
They also don't have
sales game plans
chalked out for them
every quarter.

5. A partner portal plays a key
role in helping you maintain
your partner relationships
better.
A partner portal plays a key
role in helping you maintain
your partner relationships
better. It can go a long way in
infusing transparency into
your relationship with your
channel partners and make it
easy for them to sell more for
you.

6. Invest in a partner
portal...train your channel
partners to use it and you
are ready to go....Right?
Did you know that partner
portals often receive step­
motherly treatment from
channel partners? Channel
partners often view partner
portals as a hassle­­as
something that gets in their
way of selling and no amount
of forcing or coaxing yields the
desired results.
NOTAS SIMPLE AS IT SEEMS

7. What if your channel partners gave you a list of things
they really wanted from your partner portal?
This whitepaper gives you just that...

8. Asset Repository
Your channel partners have multiple
vendors and every one of those
vendors provides them with marketing
and sales materials. How do you make
it easy for your channel partners to
search, identify and use your sales
and marketing materials? If you expect
them to pull it out from a shared drive
or that email update you sent them, or
expect them to download it from the
link you provided them, then
sorry...that’s not going to happen. If
you want your channel partners to use
your sales and marketing materials,
you need to make it easy for them.
That’s the first item to check off your
partner portal requirement list­­easy
access to an asset repository where
you can store all your sales and
marketing materials for your channel
partners.
Easy access to an asset
repository where you can store
all your sales and marketing
materials for your channel
partners

9. Tip: Your partner portal’s
asset repository should also
track asset usage and
access details.
This is a great way to measure the
engagement levels of channel partners
with their leads, as well as a way to
measure the actual usability of your
sales and marketing materials.
If your channel partners use your
marketing and sales collateral more
often, it means it really works for them
and helps them connect better with
their prospects.
On the other hand, an asset repository
that is barely accessed hints at
serious problems, such as poor asset
quality or poor partner
engagement/interest levels.
Ensure your partner portal’s asset
repository tracks asset usage and access
details.

10. Deal registration
Today’s competitive business
environment is making profit margins
slimmer than ever. When multiple
channel partners are competing for
business, it is your duty to protect
their interests. Channel conflicts can
strain your channel relationships and
cost you valued channel partners. One
way to avoid channel conflicts is by
making sure your partner portal allows
deal registrations. These allow you to
control the flow of leads to your
channel partners. Since every lead
has to be approved by you, the
chances of two channel partners
pursuing the same lead drops to zero.
Once the lead has been approved by
you, one channel partner can follow­up
with the lead and the others will move
on to other business.
Added bonus for you: You can use the
information from the deal registration
process as a metric to judge partner
performance as lead registration
numbers are key indicators of channel
partner success.

11. Tip: Look for a partner portal that can alert your channel
partners when a lead is assigned to them or when their
lead registration request is approved. It will help them go
after the lead as soon as it falls in their funnel.

12. Simplicity
Your channel partners have a
lot going on. They have their
own business to run and
multiple vendor products and
services to promote.
If you really want them to
promote you over other
vendors, then you need to
make your products and
services the easiest to sell.
One way to do that is by
offering them easy access to
stuff they really care
about. Make sure your partner
portal is easy to navigate and
use, and offers clean access to
key marketing and sales
collateral and lead metrics.
Sales and marketing materials so
they can share your messaging with
their leads
Channel sales playbooks so they
know what to say, how to say it
and when to say it to their leads
Lead activity metrics so your
channel partners know which lead
to go after immediately, etc.
Your partner portal should offer
clean access to elements such as:

13. Mobile access
If you want your channel partners
to use your partner portal
regularly, you need to make sure it
is available at their fingertips,
whenever they need it.
That means making sure your
partner portal is accessible on
smart phone and other internet
enabled devices.
The more hassle­free your partner
portal, the greater the chances
your channel partners will actually
use it.
Give your channel partners on-demand
access to your channel portal

14. MDF Management
Market development funds are a key
element in the channel sales model.
As a vendor selling through channel
partners, you want to ensure your
channel partners have sufficient funds
to market your products and services.
You also want to make sure your
channel partners make optimum use of
the marketing funds.
Having a platform that allows your
channel partners to apply for MDF
Funds, while allowing you to disburse
them on time and letting you see the
details related to their utilization can
work wonders for your partner
relationship management.
An MDF fund management mechanism
is a must­have for your partner portal.
Added bonus for you: You can use the
MDF usage information to see whether
your channel partners are actually
making good use of your funds and if it
is really yielding results.

15. Tip: Check if your partner portal can generate alerts for
your channel partner if the allotted MDF is about to expire.
This will ensure timely and optimal utilization of your MDF.

16. Access to training &
certification programs
A partner portal should offer your
channel partners easy access to any
training and certification programs that
you have.
Make sure your channel partners can
take certification exams and watch
training videos or attend training
webinars online via your partner
portal.
Added bonus for you: You can use the data from the training and
certification program section as a metric to judge partner engagement levels.
Check which partners are actively relating with your brand and which ones
just don’t bother. Why invest your resources on partners who just don’t care
to learn more about you?

17. Tip: Check whether your partner portal can generate an
alert for you and your channel partner if their certification is
about to expire, or if a new certification requirement has
been introduced.
New
Certification
Alert!

18. Easy access to tools that turn
them into super sellers
Your channel partners are more likely to
use your new partner portal if it helps
them sell. Like we said before, unlike your
sales team, your channel partners don't
have the luxury of in­house training
sessions and marketing teams.
Your channel partner portal should be
able to plug this gap by offering your
channel partners quick access tools that
help them sell.
Channel sales playbook is one such tool.
A channel sales playbook tells your channel
partners what to say, when to say it and how
to say it to their prospects. It helps make your
sales process repeatable and is almost as
though you are present on every sales call that
your channel partners make.

19. Added Bonus: Apart from offering your channel partners a
guided sales process, you get to replicate your proven sales
process via the channel sales playbooks that you share with
them, thus boosting their sales success.
Lead Prospect Customer
Create a guided, repeatable sales
process and repeat your sales
success across multiple channel
partners

20. Easy access to tools that help
them become a marketing
rockstar
One way to increase the popularity
and adoption of your partner portal
is to include tools that make
marketing easy for channel
partners
Often times, channel partners rely
on the corporate marketing arm of
their vendors to market their
products and services. However, it
doesn't have the desired impact.
A partner portal that helps your
channel partners market your
products better will be an instant
hit with them.
Your channel partners will love you if your
partner portal offers them ways to generate,
segment and nurture leads easily.

21. Make them feel like a part
of your company
Help your channel partners feel
like they are a part of your team by
making them your brand partners.
Help them engage in local
marketing, building their local
brand presence as they push your
products.
Examples include co­branded
marketing & sales assets, joint
social media marketing campaigns,
localized marketing for product
promotion webinars, etc.
Personalized sales/marketing materials that
are co-branded to reflect your channel
partner's local brand are a great way to make
them feel like they are a part of your team.

22. Tip: A partner portal that offers content syndication is a great
way to help your channel partners engage in localized co-
branded marketing campaigns for your products and services
while retaining control over your brand and messaging.
Create a guided, repeatable sales
process and repeat your sales
success across multiple channel
partners

23. Your partner program is
equally important
While investing in a partner portal with
these features will go a long way in
helping your channel partners sell more, a
lot also depends on your partner program.
Your partner program has to offer solid
support that will help them sell your
offering. A channel sales model is not
about recruiting a channel partner and
having them read a few marketing/sales
docs and and then leaving them to fend
for themselves. A channel partner who
believes in your product/service offering is
your best advocate. You need to win their
trust in order for them to push your
offerings.
It is all about hand-holding your channel
partners throughout your entire sales process,
helping them understand your
product/service, your vision and messaging,
so they feel like they are truly a part of your
sales network.

24. Who is Mindmatrix?
Founded in 1998, Mindmatrix is the most comprehensive channel enablement
software in the marketplace that offers sales, marketing & operational
enablement of partners on one platform
Only Mindmatrix supports sales and marketing teams throughout the entire
buyer’s journey –Lead to Revenue using Asset Management, Sales Enablement,
Marketing Automation and Channel Enablement functionalities.
Channel sales
enablement
Channel marketing
enablement
Channel operations
enablement

25. W W W . M I N D M A T R I X . N E T
2403 Sidney Street, Suite 150,
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Phone: 412.381.0230
Fax: 412.774.1992
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