In today’s fast-paced business landscape, companies seek to expand their reach, drive revenue, and ensure sustained growth. Direct sales to customers have long been a rational and expected approach. At some point, direct sales can stall leaving the business to scramble for alternatives.
Flywheel Advisors encourages our clients to diversify revenue sources and embrace the power of indirect sales channels. Partnership programs may take longer to generate results and come from unexpected sources, however, they give your company new options and insights into new customer segments.
The Limitations of a Direct (Only) Sales Strategy
It is only human to seek control over your environment.
The reflex for companies to build direct sales ‘motions’ aligns with this fundamental instinct, offering a sense of authority and oversight. Companies often find comfort in the familiarity of direct customer interaction, managing the sales process from start to finish.
The B2B sales landscape changed thanks to 30 years of digital transformation.
Internet marketing, sales, and service delivery are not only powerful tools but essential components of success. Successful direct sales efforts must gather data, connect with customers in novel ways, and outpace competitors.
But, your direct sales activities can and likely will hit roadblocks.
- Your product lost relevance
- You exhausted the pool of available customers
- Your sales direct expenses skyrocketed.
It’s vital for companies to explore other strategies.
The Value of Indirect Sales Channels
Indirect sales channels offer a valuable and natural evolution for companies seeking sustained growth.
Contrary to the notion that direct marketing and sales are the sole drivers of success, indirect sales channels often provide a cost-effective means to reach a broader audience.
Your company gets:
- Increased visibility and engagement across different industries
- New sales channels at or lower cost than direct sales
- Strategic relationships that may become acquisitions, mergers, or other creators of shareholder value.
Our process to capture high-impact indirect sales channels
1) Find ‘Right-Fit’ Partnerships
Flywheel Advisors helps our clients identify partnerships and indirect sales channels that align with their mission and objectives. We emphasize finding ‘right-fit’ partners. These entities not only complement the company’s offerings but also share a vision for mutual success.
2) Uncover Value and Successful Deal Structures
Understanding the value a company brings to potential partners is crucial. We uncover and articulate this value. We craft successful deal structures that lay the foundation for productive, long-lasting partnerships.
3) Enhance the Product Roadmap
Flywheel Advisors identifies enhancements to their current product roadmap to support your new indirect sales strategy. We ensure that the offerings align with the needs and expectations of both partners and customers.
4) Ensure Your Company is “Partner-Ready”
Culture, team dynamics, and processes play pivotal roles in partnership success. Flywheel Advisors guides companies to become ‘partner-ready‘. Your organization will have the right cultural mindset, skills and competencies, and processes to capture success through your new distribution channels.
5) Construct Execution Plans
Executing a successful partner program requires meticulous planning. Flywheel Advisors constructs detailed execution plans, including sales and marketing playbooks, outlining the steps necessary for seamless collaboration and achievement of your goals.
6) Understand Financial Implications
A successful partner plan ensures efficient use of capital and positive financial outcomes. Flywheel Advisors helps you understand the financial benefits and timing of your new indirect sales strategies. We create a detailed 3-year profit and loss (P&L) analysis that shows the investment required and the positive financial gains.
Proven Success Across Different Industries
Our partnership strategy process generated outsized results for a diverse range of companies. From pre-revenue startups navigating their initial foray into the market. To established corporations, generating $200MM in revenue and backed by private-equity sponsors seeking sustained growth. Even Global Fortune 500 companies looking to optimize their indirect sales channels.
All have experienced the transformative impact of Flywheel Advisors’ expertise.
The journey to building productive indirect sales channels is about the “what” and the “how”. Flywheel Advisors unlocks the immense potential of indirect channels and propels its clients toward success.
With Flywheel Advisors as your guide, the path to sustained growth and thriving partnerships becomes clearer, more efficient, and more rewarding.