Companies are digitalizing their processes at a rapid pace, in order to remain competitive in their industries, keep up with the needs of customers and improve their balance sheets. More than ever, companies need the help of value-added resellers to help create digital solutions that meet their needs. But what sets a software reseller apart? How can you really ensure you are adding value for your customers?
Here are 4 ways for resellers to ensure they are adding value for the organizations they serve:
- Make sure you thoroughly understand the problem before suggesting a solution. Your customer wants to see results quickly; you want to close the deal and deliver value to your customer. While that’s all well and good, jumping in headfirst can cause both you and your customer to miss the mark. No matter how cutting-edge your technological tools are, if you are not first listening to the problem and assessing the needs based on that information, you will simply be adding to the noise. Before suggesting any solutions, make sure you have a clear understanding of the challenges facing the organization. Then create a solution to directly solve those specific problems.
- Consider the organization’s short and long-term goals. Introducing a digital solution without a clear understanding of the company’s objectives, both short and long-term, not only fails to add the right value to the organization, but can even be detrimental. Digitalization is an investment. In order to do it right, a company needs to focus their digital transformation budget where it can generate the most value. When consulting with the organization, make sure they clearly outline their goals. What matters most to them? Is it streamlining internal processes? Simplifying the customer experience? Cutting costs associated with paper? In 10 years, where do they want to be? Determining these goals will help you to create a solution that brings the company the most value, and can even help you create long-term solutions that can be implemented in stages, in order of importance. Moreover, it will demonstrate to the organization that you are a trustworthy resource, and keep them coming back to you for your expertise.
- Keep it simple. Today’s organizations are flooded with data. Documents, spreadsheets, physical mail, emails, shared files—the list goes on. Any solution you bring to the table should help to simplify the company’s processes and data, not add to the chaos. Make sure the solution you are offering will really help the organization cut through the clutter and help them harness their data in a practical way.
- Focus on sustainability. Part of understanding and responding to a company’s long-term goals is creating a solution that can be sustained over the long term. Five or 10 years down the road, you don’t want to be the company that came in once and set up a system that none of the employees know how to use now. Not only does that not add long-term value to the organization, but it reflects poorly on you as the solution provider. Instead, make sure you do your part to provide adequate training and assistance to the organization throughout the process. You can’t completely guarantee user adoption for a company—a large part of that responsibility lies on the leaders of the organization. However, you can do your best to help them along and be a resource.
Adding value as a reseller isn’t a quick and easy process. It takes time and effort, and it requires you to be as invested in the success of the company’s solution as they are. But the long-term payoff of providing your customers with a solution that truly adds value to their organization and simplifies their day-to-day processes is truly worth the effort.
