Build a Sales Training Wiki to Educate Partners to Attract New Business

joint venture marketing

joint venture marketing

joint venture marketing partners attract new business and well trained partners close deals. Setting up at least a basic online wiki about the partnership, company or products is important so that everyone who needs to know can have access to. Creating a working document like a wiki allows your businesses to have a central location where specific product information, new product announcements or special sales information can be found. A wiki should be a tool that partners refer to on a regular basis rather than a FAQ that might be provided in an early training session with a new partner. There are both complex software and easy “drag and drop” applications to set up online wikis that can be built quickly with existing marketing collateral and company information that’s essential for sales reps and others to know in order to close deals.

The following are a few important elements of an online wiki for part of the communication channel between partners.

• Company Overview

Include a few paragraphs about the company just as a quick reference to reinforce the way that the company needs to be represented to a new potential customer. By keeping short paragraphs that can teach a sales representative a short blurb about the history of the company and a supporting comment related to the industry is a great piece to develop at the top. Have additional information for supporting details through a link out to the website, but always concentrate on the first couple of lines for each section as those need to be short and punchy and allow the sales reps to then do their work to attract new business so you get leads that will result in closed deals.

• Points of Contact

This is a very important segment of the wiki that needs to be kept up to date on a regular basis. This can help ensure that when a specific problem occurs or a unique opportunity is presenting itself that the right person is being contacted. Make sure for critical points of failure that a business partner has at least two people that can be contacted if the primary person is unavailable during an emergency. It is not essential or necessary to have the executives listed in this portion of the sales training wiki unless relevant. The point of this is to have a working document that keeps all of the active people implementing roles in the business partnership related to selling and servicing a customer.

• Product / Promotions

Keep links to product information and sales sheets that can be quickly downloaded and emailed by sales reps to potential customers. Sales representatives should be reviewing this section on a specific time determined by the two companies. This way they’ll know that any new products or special promotions will be in the system every Monday at 10AM for the week ahead or whatever schedule fits the company.

• News

If there is important company news within the last few months, have this in the wiki so the sales rep can answer accordingly if asked a question regarding the news. This is very important if there has been something negative; as it is essential people have an appropriate response.

• References

If applicable, have a basic reference list that can be provided by a partner when they are discussing the partnership with existing clients or at least have a past / current client list that can be shared.

• Attachments

It’s important to always have a list of attachments with the link to download the document. Make this list in order by date so that the newest items are always at the top. Making a wiki that is only text really does not take advantage of the benefits a wiki can provide. A well-developed wiki can help attract new business with the support of partners that are fully educated about the partnership and the product and services available.

If you have a team that is supporting your website, ask them to recommend an easy to use wiki platform that can be hosted on your server. Another option is to select a cloud based wiki tool like Zoho Wiki and use the drag and drop features to set up the wiki training page. Don’t think a basic FAQ will get the job done in terms of educating a partner’s sales force. You need to develop many tools that will ensure the information is absorbed and a sales training wiki can be a great fall back tool for anyone that needs to quickly catch up to speed before meeting with a customer.

christian fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A joint venture marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

Discover more joint venture marketing Strategies join his free report on joint venture marketing.

joint venture marketing

joint venture marketing

Preparing Your Staff for a Joint Venture

You might think your upcoming joint venture will be a boon to your business, but your staff may not be so sure. Most employees tremble at the thought of any sort of change to their current business status, especially a change that encompasses bringing an entire company onboard to increase your customer base and profits.

To ensure your joint venture is a success for everyone involved, it is a good idea to properly prepare your staff for the potential changes that are ahead. We have tips to help you help your staff transition into your new joint venture with ease.

Know Your Plan

Before you communicate your joint venture plans to the rest of your staff, know what those plans specifically entail. It may be best to approach your staff with the idea after you and your JV partner have put your strategies in writing. This includes knowing the precise reasons you entered into the agreement in the first place, so you can easily articulate the potential benefits to your staff.

It is also good to know what your overall objectives are and how the anatomy of the partnership will look to reassure your employees of their role in the process.

Adjust Your HR Philosophies

If the joint venture will affect your staff’s responsibilities or training, adjust your human resources procedures to match those changes. For example, train staff to properly manage customers that might come from your JV partner, give them the necessary resources to handle a larger customer load and communicate a change in corporate culture if one is to be expected.

It is also a good idea to develop incentive programs that reward current employees based on the success of the joint venture to help get them onboard with the partnership.

Acknowledge Your Staff’s Value

Changes in a business can always leave some employees feeling less than secure, so offer reassurances to your staff by recognizing their value and rewarding it accordingly. If you have an employee with specific skills that would be beneficial to the joint venture, talk to that individual about how he can become an intricate part of the process. Take the time to talk to your staff about their feelings towards the upcoming change and address their concerns as they arise.

Open communication will go a long way in showing your employees they are valued and that their positions will be secure throughout the endeavor.

The most important way to get your staff enthused about your upcoming venture is with communication. Let your employees know what is coming, so they don’t feel blindsided during the process. Appoint a leadership person to communicate the details regularly if you don’t have time to do so yourself. Exude a positive attitude toward your new partnership and your staff will be more likely to do so as well. An accepting staff is an important component to a successful joint venture, both now and well into the future.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free report on Joint Venture Marketing.