A business partnership can be a powerful thing. But are you getting the best deal possible? As a software reseller, sometimes your relationship with your vendor can be a bit lopsided – with one side (not you) getting all the benefit.
Here’s how to tell if the grass is really greener elsewhere, or if you are actually getting the best deal possible with your current vendor.
The Onboarding Was Great
You should always know early on if you’ve got a winner. From the moment you first reach out to them, a great software vendor will be eager to respond to your expression of interest (EOI). Everybody hates feeling like they’re just number 71 in the queue.
Did your software vendor offer up extensive product training and resources for you to use? Do they offer you marketing materials you can pass on to your customers?
… And it Didn’t Stop There
Have they kept in contact since you signed the deal? A great vendor keeps in touch to tell you about the latest selling opportunities, and doesn’t just abandon you once you’ve dotted the i’s.
Even if they don’t personally ring you, a great backup vendor will still keep you in the loop when it comes to things like End-of-Life selling opportunities, new software releases, or limited time discount offers.
The Product Actually Works
Let’s face it, you’re only going to be able to sell the software if it reliably works, no matter what kind of money you’re saving. This is especially important with backup software, since your customer’s data is literally in the hands of this product.
The better the product works, the happier your customers are, and the easier it is to sell (or upsell) to them. It’s infinitely easier to sell to existing customers than obtain new ones, which is why customer retention is so important.
So ask yourself does the product work? Have your customers complained about it a lot in the past? Do YOU find it easy to use? These are all vital questions to ask if you’re re-evaluating the deal you’ve struck with your vendor.
No Channel Conflict
Your backup software vendor may offer their software directly to customers through another channel. You don’t want to be competing against them for customers, so your vendor should offer you something that gives you an edge.
There should be a reason people would buy their software off you instead of directly from the source, reducing or eliminating channel conflict. This might take the form of a massive discount, or the vendor simply might not offer a certain service directly to the customer.
For example, you might have exclusive rights to sell the software as a service (SaaS) directly to the customer, while the vendor only ever sells it as a perpetual once-off purchase.
A Great Support Team
When disaster inevitably strikes, you want the software vendor to pick up the phone. Quick resolutions are vital in the field of backup software. Ask yourself this – if you needed help with using their backup software, could you rely on them to get back to you quickly and with a satisfactory response?
If the answer is ‘no’, then this is a big sign it might be worth considering your other options.
Great Profit Margins
At the end of the day, you’re selling backup software to make money. And if the profit margin isn’t great, you’re putting in a lot of work for limited reward.
A great backup software vendor will be able to offer you considerably high margins compared to what they sell their software for. Not only does this make you more profit, it means there’s no channel conflict.
Feedback Channels
Your backup vendor should occasionally reach out to ask your advice on topics, whether or not that’s through running surveys, asking you to test out beta software and give feedback, or simply emailing you to check in. A partnership should be a two-way process.
Does Your Vendor Tick The Boxes?
If you’re looking for a backup software vendor who does, you should look into BackupAssist. They offer two reseller programs with large profit margins: selling their software as a perpetual license or as a service.
BackupAssist is a channel-focused backup vendor who is easy to do business with. If your current vendor isn’t meeting your standards, why not submit an EOI and get the product partner you really deserve?
You can try out their name-named backup and disaster recovery software, BackupAssist, as part of a 30-day fully-featured and free trial. There’s nothing to lose from checking it out, so why not see what your other options are?
