Channel Strategy Workbook
The QDI Channel Strategist Planning Workbook
The QDI Channel Strategist Planning Workbook was developed to help Channel Strategists and Channel Managers develop more committed and effective channels.
The workbook focuses on building the social and structural bonds that increase the strength of your channel relationships.
We use the term “Bonds” as a way to visualize the ideal relationship you should have with your Channel partners.
- Social Bonds result from the personal relationships the channel manager, field sales rep and internal staff builds with their counterparts within the channel partner and its members.
- Structural Bonds result when there are operational, economic, technical, logistical, and strategic links between your company and the channel partner or the channel partner’s customer on behalf of the channel.
Social Bonds are required to build an effective working relationship throughout the channel partner. The object of building Social Bonds is to have access to and the trust of key decision makers and influencers within the channel partner.
While Social Bonds are important, they are not enough to counteract competitive price pressures. Social Bonds must be combined with Structural Bonds to help offset competitive price pressures. These Bonds have a measurable economic value, as well as an “entangling” nature, which makes it difficult to quickly change suppliers. Strong Social and Structural Bonds promote a relationship similar to a business partnership where both parties share a long-term commitment to each other.
The QDI Channel Strategist Planning Workbook leads the user through a set of exercises designed to define and quantify the strength of your social and structural bonds.
The Workbook has been organized into five sections:
I. The Channel Value Management Philosophy
II. The Channel Bonds Development Model
III. The Role of the Channel Manager with His/Her Account
IV. Building Channel Knowledge to Create Valued Bonds
V. The Ongoing Management of Social and Structural Bonds
The Workbook includes four exercises designed to help a company assess the strength of its relationships with key accounts or specific target customers. They are:
1. Define personal bonds within a customer / channel organization
2. Measure the strength of your social bonds
3. Define the structural bonds you have in place and measure their value to the customer
4. Measure the mutuality of structural bonds – how important are they to each participant?
These exercises are best conducted by the account or sales managers who handle the target customers (or channel members) who represent major portions of your sales.
Channel managers will learn how to view their role and optimize channel effectiveness. Channel strategy managers will learn how to increase the strength of their channel relationships by building social and structural bonds. Succeeding at this effort will give businesses a competitive advantage that translates into greater market share and more time to react to disruptive competitive moves. Learn how to build your organization’s long-term capability to manage growth and profitability.