The other day, I heard from yet another convergence reseller about the woefully weak recruiting methods of so many convergence vendors.  Haven’t vendors figured out yet that resellers are bombarded by vendors wanting to recruit them as “partners”?  According to resellers that I talk with, there are very few vendors who have raised themselves above the noise and babble of everyone looking for partners.

One of the comments that I hear most often is that most vendors are unable to articulate a meaningful or clear value proposition for their product.  A reseller wants to know that his customers will buy what the reseller is offering – and they’ll only buy if they have a reason to do so; hence the importance of the vendor’s value proposition.  According to one very successful reseller, vendors don’t appear to have thought through why someone would need their product.

The other comment that I hear just as often is that vendors don’t articulate WHY a reseller should want to partner with them – what competitive advantage will the reseller gain?  I’m baffled that vendors don’t approach reseller recruiting as if it were a sales process.  What are the reseller’s primary needs and how does the vendor’s product and partnership address those needs?  How will the vendor’s product(s) help the reseller to grow their business, become more profitable, differentiate themselves from their competitors, etc.?  It’s amazing how almost every vendor’s recruiting presentation looks like every other vendor’s…. here’s who we are, here’s our product, here are some big name customers who have bought our product, and here’s our partner program….. blah, blah, blah.  What about “Here’s how our product will help your business grow”?  Or “Here’s why your customers will want to buy our product from you”?

So here’s something to think about…. if, as a vendor, you

• aren’t articulating a solid end-user-focused value proposition,
• you don’t have a solid reseller-focused value proposition,
• and you expect your partners to do their own marketing….

don’t be surprised when the reseller shows you out the door as they answer yet another call from one of your competitors.   

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