‘Try before you Hire’

Are you a B2B SaaS founder and have heard of channel sales, getting inbound enquiries from potential partners and have given it as a project to sales?

The concept of Channel as a Service is that you can try before you hire to provide the data that will validate your decision to invest headcount into a channel program and fully understand the benefits.

So why don’t I just hire that person and get started?

Resources

CaaS demonstrates the internal resources required to build a program and what will be needed to maintain it moving forward. Why spend salary on someone for six months who then builds processes and drives no revenue.

Headcount Costs

If starting from no channel model the average organisation brings in a channel person with a salary of $175K OTE and a guarantee for 6 months.

Justification

Its easy to approve and validate a direct sales person hire as the company has hit the threshold of its sales team and needs to add extra heads to grow, indirect is unproven and carries risk so gaining approval without validation is a challenge.

BENEFITS

How will this help me?

TRAINING

Training the direct sales team about how the channel can assist them to open up new opportunities but also expanding out their service offering.

RESOURCES

Reviewing the resources/materials available to train the channel will make you more aware of your direct sales force training capabilities and onboarding new staff process.

CLIENT ACCESS

Extend your logo accounts by working with channel partners who can take you into new geographies or who have access to clients that you can build no relationship with short term

So go on convince me…

WHY NOT?

Why would you not invest a small amount to research and test the market? Do you enter a new territory without data to validate it?

READY TO GO

You will have a framework that a new hire can work with and adapt to their style but also some valid conversations with partners already.

COSTS

Costs and ongoing resources will be already in a budget, rather than adding them post hire and having to gain approval.

HIRING

You will have a hiring requirement defined and more clarity on the type of person needed.

ROI

One partner could bring in it’s first lead that would pay for the program entirely.

MARKET AWARENESS

Shows the market you are a serious player but also do you have direct sales that understand the cultures in all territories.

CONTRACTS

Certain sectors only purchase their contracts through validated partners. (Government especially)

SERVICES

Extend your resources for services contracts not only with new clients but existing, can you send people on site in new territories.

Note – still not convinced, then jump on a 15-minute call to discuss how we can help and work with you build an indirect program that is successful and proven before you hire.

“Try before you hire”