FRAM SYSTEMS ^blog

A sale can be simple and easy or arduous and complex. For a gas station or newsstand, the sale is easy, they have what you need when you need it and you make a purchase based on convenience. Business to Business sales can, on the other hand, be very complex, requiring many inter-related fields and disciplines and buy in on many levels like technical, planning, executive and financial.

Sales, like the B2B one can be direct or through channels like the gas station or newsstand. Where channel sales are appear simple they can be quite complex. In this article however, we will examine B2B sales and how sales partnerships can open new doors, create new opportunities and increase your bottom. The path of sales partnerships however, like any partnership, can be a difficult and thorny one.

Let’s Dance

Some companies, especially those in the technology fields like software and medical equipment have both horizontal (technology centric) sales teams and vertical (industry centric) sales teams within a single company. The reps on both sides must work together in mutual support to cultivate new business. Sometimes this causes some turf wars inside sales organizations. The road becomes more difficult when the sales teams for different companies in different industries need to come together in mutual support to make a complex sale that will benefit one or more organizations. For example when one company can’t supply everything that is needed to create a unified solution their potential customer. Machine builders need to rely on engineering firms, sub Assembly manufacturers, plant designers, production planners, compliance experts and the like in order to make a credible end-to-end solution presentation to the end user of the equipment. Sales alliances with such expertise all aligned to accomplish the goal of selling their service together can be extremely effective yet enormously tricky.

Finding such partners may be critical for you to make a sale. Yet there are many obstacles that need to be overcome before any presentation is made to ensure that things work a smoothly as possible. First off, when meeting with potential partners make sure they know that your relationship will be a contractual one. Every detail of the selling relationship must be spelled out clearly: compensation, costs, responsibilities, leadership and logistics must be thought out and assigned and agreed upon before making any presentation. Lines of communication must be established and tested. All matters must be transparent and in the open, no aspect can me made occult, no information, and thereby power, can be withheld. Trust must also be established for things to work as planned.

Human Nature

It seems unnatural for experienced sales reps to have to share control of a project. It is in the nature of every rep to want to be in control of the situation, especially if there is some disagreement about the direction of the sale is headed. While reps from one company may have an established sales team where every player knows their roles and performs them well, reps from different firms and different industries have no experience of working together as team. Ultimately they will need some guidance from executives or managers to help them forge a unified team; left to their own devices it is almost certain that a degree of territorialism will creep in leading to a breakdown in the sale process.

Keep Focused

Partners must learn to keep focused on a target that when hit will benefit them all. The benefits must be clear and equitable and it is the sales managers that must make sure they are communicated and understood. The basis for the relationship must be clear to all involved, if only for one sales or an alliance intended to make many.

Do the Right Thing

OK, credit to Spike Lee. You will read these words many times from me. Do the right thing. Be flexible and tolerant of your partners differences and their mistakes or missteps. You will undoubtedly have your own. Do not find fault in your partners processes or culture. Corporate cultures are like religions and have brought many companies huge successes. Remember you religion or corporate culture may seem just as wacky to your partners as theirs does to you. Treat you partners right, keep your front unified and your alliance strong. In the face of temptation, do not cheat your partners. Sorry if this sounds like a sermon.

Putting It All Together

When looking for partners that bring skills your firm needs to the game, look beyond their specific skill set to their ability to be able to play well with you firm. While they maybe true experts in an area where you are not, you must assess whether their sales team is sound and if they can are ready and willing to share their methods as well as their expertise with you and vica versa.

This requires that you and your sales force have a firm understanding for strengths and weaknesses. You may know your field very well but not have a firm grasp of what businesses in your clients industry what, need and expect but your partner does. Be clear with yourself, your sales team and your potential partners about what you bring to the table and what you expect from them.

Put together a plan of action that has specific milestones and responsibilities assigned. Make it part of your signed contract. Make your commitment and stick to it. Keep careful track as to how things are progressing on both sides of the partnership and work like mad not disappoint your partners. Keep in mind that although this is like a slow and maddening seduction, the marriage that results can bear luscious fruits and fragrant roses for years to come.