Channel Incentives
Your channel is one of the greatest avenues to sell product. Sometimes it needs a little push.
Find your channel’s points of influence, amplify your offering, and deliver business results.
Read more about finding your point of influence.
Use this chart to plot out your perfect channel incentive strategy
First, Who Are You?
Successfully growing sales through your channel means finding the Points of Influence you’re looking to grow with.
For example, let’s look at a typical building materials / construction channel.
What’s Your Channel Look Like?
Successfully growing sales through your channel means finding the Points of Influence you’re looking to grow with.
Manufacturer
Distributor
Dealer/Retailer
Next, who do you want to grow more business with?
Sales Reps
MFG Reps
Distributor
Dealer
Growing with your direct sales team
Do you have relationships with an indirect channel?
Getting the attention of your MFG Reps
Do you have relationships with an indirect channel?
Distributors are great Channel Partners!
Your indirect channel helps grow sales with customers you don’t have visual on.
Next, Who’s Your Point of Influence?
Who at the distributor do you do you want to grow with?
Principal
Branch Manager
Outside Sales
Inside Sales
BDR / CX Team
Distributor Principals
A lot of great channel programs target distributor principals.
What about other POIs?
What’s stopping you from targeting sales reps? Programs often grow when targeting another POI at the same level.
Distributor Branch Managers
Branch managers have strong influence on your products, especially if your product isn’t already sold at their location.
What about other POIs?
What’s stopping you from targeting the sales org? Programs often grow when targeting another POI at the same level.
Outside Sales Team
Big orders and strong relationships make Outside Sales a great target for a sales incentive to grow mindshare.
What about other POIs?
Have you considered other POIs within the sales org? Inside Sales can be the best product promoters.
Inside Sales Team
Often considered the face of the distributor branch, this group is ideal for “sell this, get that” mindshare plays.
What about other POIs?
Are your distributors starting a BDR / CX team? This emerging group can help grow sales by targeting smaller accounts.
Distributor Sales Organization
An emerging group who can be good for growing low sales groups, they commonly target smaller house accounts and try to build them.
What about other POIs?
Have you considered targeting outside sales reps? They target bigger accounts and have a lot of influence on purchases.
Going Direct with Dealers
Going direct leads to higher margins and give you great data to be effective with your marketing.
Next, Who’s Your Point of Influence?
Who at the dealer do you do you want to grow with?
Principal
Tech
Architect
Targeting Dealer Principals
Principals have a lot of influence over purchases. They’re the perfect place to start.
What About Other POIs at the Dealer?
Techs can often have a lot of discretion in parts & supply purchases.
Targeting Techs and Installers
While not typically responsible for large purchases, techs can often be drivers of parts & supply business.
Have You Thought of Including Your Distributors?
Including partners means saving money and more reach within your channel.
Targeting Architects
Architects can have more influence over purchases than a principal. This would be a mindshare play.
Have You Thought of Including Your Distributors?
Including partners means saving money and more reach within your channel.
Next, Who do you want to grow more business with?
Manufacturer
Sales Organization
Dealer
Providing Value Up Channel
Customers / Dealers, Growth and Loyalty
Dealers have a lot of discretion to buy, which makes them a good target of a program.
Who’s Your Point of Influence?
Who at the dealer do you do you want to grow with?
Principal
Tech
Architect
Targeting Dealer Principals
With all else equal, dealers will move their business 74% of the time with an incentive. Let’s capitalize on that.
Any other POIs worth targeting?
There could be people responsible for purchases underneath the principal. Let’s take a look.
Targeting Techs and Installers
While not typically responsible for large purchases, techs can often be drivers of parts & supply business.
What about your vendor?
Spotlighting your vendors can help pay for these types of programs.
Targeting Architects
Architects can have more influence over purchases than a principal. This would be a mindshare play.
What about your vendors?
Spotlighting your vendors can help pay for these types of programs.
Next, Who do you want to grow more business with?
Manufacturer
Customers
Employees
Providing Value Up Channel
Grow With Your Customers
Motivate Your Employees
Elevate Your Brand. Capture Mind Share. Deliver Results.
With your POI found, follow the arrow to start your Channel Incentive strategy.
Step 1: Goals. What Does Success Look Like?
When companies use channel incentives, they’re looking to skip a layer or two of their channel.
You can have more direct contact with an audience down stream.
Your program can achieve better engagement with partners. You can grow your market share in a certain sector. You can train and enable channel partners that need it most.
Step 2: Data. Know Your Audience
Channels aren’t always captive, and sometimes you don’t have visual on the right people. What you need is a way to build a better relationship, get closer to the right people.
Use data in your program to make it easy to target the right individuals at the right place with the right reward.
Need more insight into who those people are or what they’re buying or selling? Our mobile invoice reader can help with that, too.
Step 3: Solution. Achieving Your Vision
Are you building off an existing program or are you brand new to the idea of a channel incentives?
Either way, we’ll work between your process and our goal-oriented approach. Together, we’ll make an ecosystem of learning, enablement, and growth for your channel.
Choose your solution: Group Travel, Point Program, Promotion.
Step 4: Analysis. For Ongoing Success
Beginning, middle, and end, your program will help you prove KPIs important to your success. Each step of the way, it’s important to measure the data and results against your original goal. We’ll do that, because data’s part of our DNA.
You’ll have access to the most robust analysis platform in the incentive market. You’ll segment, build the case, and track continued success.
“When we decided to refresh our technician loyalty program, HMI delivered with the collaboration and creative insights that helped us build the highly successful Trane Supply Tech Rewards. We are proud to be partners in this award-winning work that will drive customer loyalty and success in our supply stores for years to come.”
Ready to Get Started? Start the Conversation Now!
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