Channel Analyzer, Part II: Recruit Your Ideal Channel Partners :: nelson schmidt

Channel Analyzer, Part II: Recruit Your Ideal Channel Partners

In our previous issue, we shared how our proprietary Channel Analyzer is an effective tool for marketers to identify market expansion opportunities, as well as improve the sales performance of channel partners. Another strategic challenge the Channel Analyzer helps solve is how to find and recruit the top-notch channel partners needed to deliver more customers.

To stay ahead in today’s business climate many competitors battle each other to win over the limited number of available, high-quality channel partner candidates. Companies are now faced with having to dedicate substantial marketing efforts to recruit channel partners - just as they do for customers - by segmenting and targeting with custom communications.

So, how can the channel analyzer enhance your recruitment?

Because it accurately identifies and evaluates your potential new partners’ success, our Channel Analyzer can provide you with a profile of who your new channel partners should be. It becomes a road map for you, as you develop the exact messaging and targeted recruitment materials needed to reach, acquire and convert candidates into new, high performing channel partners.

According to Robin Michael, who spearheads our channel development, recruitment, and franchise integration efforts for clients, "In the old days, you had to wait for your Field Sales staff to identify new prospects, in addition to handling the servicing of their existing client base — and there was always a trade-off of time. Now though, with proprietary software, such as Nelson Schmidt’s Channel Analyzer, we are not only able to identify prospects by geography, but we can identify that they are EXACTLY who our clients want to do business with based upon their business goal parameters."

Case Study: XRT Dealer Recruitment Campaign

Club Car, Inc. used our Channel Analyzer data to develop a targeted campaign to recruit quality dealers into their XRT utility vehicle distribution network.

Discover
Club Car’s XRT utility vehicle channel consisted of dealers throughout the U.S. The number of dealers was not sufficient to reach 2007 sales targets, nor was it close to the amount of dealers that their top competitors had. Club Car’s existing channel for these utility vehicles was not a preferred network based upon capabilities, geographic location, and/or core competencies.

Formulate
Analyzer data combined with an extensive questionnaire scorecard profiled what these potential new XRT dealers needed to look like, and where they were located in order to close the gaps. Nelson Schmidt then worked with Club Car to design and develop a targeted direct marketing recruitment campaign, with an interactive element that would resonate with prospective dealers.

Execute
In the first phase, target 2,500 potential dealer prospects in the top 100 geography gap areas, with a goal of increasing the XRT channel base. Integrated campaign communications consisted of:

Dimensional direct mail "X-Box" with factoid cards that featured the benefits in becoming a Club Car XRT dealer
Interactive XRT dealer microsite, complete with online profiling scorecard application
General information brochure

Measure

Exceeded recruitment goal by 40% in the first year
Identified high-caliber prospective dealers — many with microsite profiling questionnaire scores greater than existing XRT dealers
"The response was immediate, we received many leads from both the 1-800# and dedicated dealer site," said Mike Cotter, Club Car’s Director of Channel Development. "It has given us confidence going into 2008 that we have the right road map for where we want to take the XRT brand."

Contact Nelson Schmidt to learn how our Channel Analyzer can provide you with the same logical, data-driven approach to recruit the best channel partners available to grow your business.

Nelson-Schmidt

Channel Analyzer, Part II: Recruit Your Ideal Channel Partners