European Business Magazine, Autumn Edition 2020
Lothar Stadler, p 89-95
Nothing stays as it was – global business changes, fast innovations are emerging, and new developments in digital solutions help us to work differently. Today’s search for business partners is different – no traveling, no physical meetings, no personal checks. Different approaches to build up relations can make it possible to reach our goals in this changed world.
This article is supposed to give you an idea on how to find multipliers for your commercializing efforts. The search for the right partner is characterized by choosing the right channel roles and an optimal incentive system. The current pandemic has made it even more important to add value for customers with the right partners. B2B business is still strongly dominated by the role of personal selling. Local agents with a well-established network of contacts can help even more nowadays.
The high degree of shifting to e-commerce makes a good coordination of multi-channel commercializing essential in the future. We defined some of the core elements of a remuneration framework and typical agreement principles, which should be brought into balance for a successful partnership. Virtual formats have also changed working practices in partner networks. By using communication and collaboration tools, work can be done more efficiently. Customer relationship data management will enable automatization and will become a key success factor in the future to keep the customer in focus.
Powerful partnerships rely on mutual trust. Remember, most great things in history happened in cooperation – the right partnerships can be a great foundation for future success.
