Changes in the indirect channels of a business:
People in the sales and marketing team undergo hectic business schedules every day with respect to being abreast with the changing marketing channels and strategies.By doing so, they are able to attract their target customers and further, yield success for their brands.
This rule not only applies to products but to services as well. Over 50% software sale still happens through specific channels and the traditional channel partners keep diminishing often. Therefore the vendors need to re-direct their channels and the most common strategy adopted here is to make use of e-channels.
This clearly communicates that there is an increasing pressure on the traditional sales channels which in turn puts more pressure and emphasis on business leveraging such as channel control and partner loyalty.
Existing e-channels for businesses:
These e-channel offers are speculated for different business processes to meet the requirements of different partners of a business, its logistics and needs of the customers. Businesses are forced to leverage on these e-distribution channels to reach their customers and their target audience better.Some of the best e-channel distribution systems include:
- SCI Extranet that offers services to complete the entire order to cash cycle. It also helps in statistics and document management, managing financial accounts, order tracking and call management.
- The B2B system to system integration model partners with customers and business proposals which are further sent in PDF formats in an email with advanced electronic signatures.
- Electronic billing services that are in full compliance with the European directive and the national laws help to create system to system integration. The reporting is done via email in xml formats and strong electronic signatures.
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| [Image Credits: cloudtimes.org] |
While some of these transitions happen at the business level to leverage sales through channels, there are transformations happening at the customer level as well. Let us discuss the important transformations here:
Transformations at the customer level:
Taking the end customer expectations into account, both the customers and the businesses place excessive emphasis on the control and consistencies of the user experiences. These are communicated over the touch points and the distribution channels.It is important that marketing and sales professionals and those who are in the channel distribution team be aware of these important changes in customer’s perceptions.
- Customers are constantly keeping track of the changes happening over the software distribution industry and its distribution patterns. They gather enough information over the internet regarding the same and spread information to their peers via word of mouth or through the social media.
- They constantly monitor and predict the implications of these changes for the resellers and what do the partners of a business require from software vendors. The results of these implications influence their investment protocols as well.
- They take into account the key drivers that enable the channels of the business to manage its customers throughout its life cycle. The life cycle of a business has phases such as elevation, plateau and dips as well, how well the business carries away with these changes is what matters the most for the customers.
- Customers also tend to compare businesses and analyse how well similar software companies are able to manage and propagate their channels.
David BuchholtzAbout the Guest Author:
David Buchholtz is a software developer who works for an IT firm located in New Hampshire. His hope is with his technological skillset he would be able to replicate Charles Phillips path. Follow him on Twitter @DavidCBuchholtz.
