Friday, June 11, 2004
Trend: Using the Web to Cover Unmanaged Accounts
Typically, companies have used a three tiered model for account coverage: managed, tele-managed and unmanaged accounts. The reach of managed accounts is limited by the number of accounts a Channel Account manager (CAM) can cover. Because tele-managed accounts can extend field rep coverage by 500% (assuming 100 accounts per inside rep) this has been the focus over the last few years. Companies such as MarketStar lower the cost of coverage even further by allowing vendors to outsource these positions. With Executive Conversation, I successfully taught these young sales people in Utah the same concepts used by leading vendors with their direct and channel account managers.
The next step is to touch the unmanaged account in a meaningful way. Most vendors call these accounts more palatable names (e.g. broad channel members or authorized channels) but they still ignore them. Admit it, recruiting a channel provider into the base program and sending them direct mail via distribution is not even managing mindshare let alone managing the account.
Databases and CRM SW for tracking Point of Sale (POS) and direct mail contacts are just the ante. The real action will be using blogs and interactive tools to create a community among the massive number of unmanaged providers and unaffiliated influencers. Instead of unmanaged accounts imagine web-managed accounts. The opportunity is 10 to 20 times bigger than what has been achieved with tele-managed accounts.
The first vendor to figure it out will set the direction and standards of channel management for the next 10 years.
Scott Karren, The Channel Pro
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Typically, companies have used a three tiered model for account coverage: managed, tele-managed and unmanaged accounts. The reach of managed accounts is limited by the number of accounts a Channel Account manager (CAM) can cover. Because tele-managed accounts can extend field rep coverage by 500% (assuming 100 accounts per inside rep) this has been the focus over the last few years. Companies such as MarketStar lower the cost of coverage even further by allowing vendors to outsource these positions. With Executive Conversation, I successfully taught these young sales people in Utah the same concepts used by leading vendors with their direct and channel account managers.
The next step is to touch the unmanaged account in a meaningful way. Most vendors call these accounts more palatable names (e.g. broad channel members or authorized channels) but they still ignore them. Admit it, recruiting a channel provider into the base program and sending them direct mail via distribution is not even managing mindshare let alone managing the account.
Databases and CRM SW for tracking Point of Sale (POS) and direct mail contacts are just the ante. The real action will be using blogs and interactive tools to create a community among the massive number of unmanaged providers and unaffiliated influencers. Instead of unmanaged accounts imagine web-managed accounts. The opportunity is 10 to 20 times bigger than what has been achieved with tele-managed accounts.
The first vendor to figure it out will set the direction and standards of channel management for the next 10 years.
Scott Karren, The Channel Pro
0 comments
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