Casey Potenzone
Chief Strategy Officer
 

The Nexway Reseller Portal simplifies channel management and makes multi-tier software distribution and subscription management a breeze

Businesses are always looking for new ways to grow, and there are many ways to go about this. From creating new product lines to expanding into new channels or launching new countries, online businesses can pull a variety of levers to spark growth.

The same is true for software companies selling one-time licenses or subscriptions online. In fact, you can combine different growth levers and expand into new territories while also opening up additional channels. You just need the right tools to scale this growth effectively.

You already know that software revenues come from scale. With the Nexway Reseller Portal, you can automate the entire process of selling perpetual licenses and subscriptions via multi-layer reseller and distribution networks—from enterprises to mom-and-pops.

Here, we’ll provide a quick overview as to why you should consider developing a strong reseller program to get your products in front of more end-users, fast.

WHAT IS A RESELLER?

A simple definition of a reseller is as follows:

A reseller is a type of channel partner that acts as an intermediary between companies that make, distribute, or provide online products or services and their end customers.

In other words, resellers purchase online goods at a discounted price from the product manufacturer and then resell those goods to their own end-users, oftentimes at a markup.

One of the biggest perks of working with resellers is simplified order fulfillment. But sometimes, in an effort to boost profit margins, resellers will choose to offer additional services to add value to the end-user experience. These are called Value-Added Resellers (VARs). Whether it comes in the form of implementation or certifications and training, they go a step above and beyond simply reselling goods and services.
WHY ARE RESELLERS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR CHANNEL MANAGEMENT STRATEGY?

If you already have a well-established business and your products and services have a track record of success with end-users, chances are you’re already running a reseller program.

If not, now is the time to start.

A reseller program is designed specifically to build upon existing sales growth. If your product works well and provides value to end-users, it’s an easy sell for resellers.

If you’ve hit a “plateau” via your current owned-and-operated sales channels, casting a wider net with a reseller program can scale your sales in a pretty noticeable way. And if the growth of your current reseller program has stalled—or if it never took off in the first place— chances are you don’t have the right tools to empower them to drive meaningful sales growth.

You’ll be poised to win if you think about resellers as an extension of your salesforce. They are trusted experts who can speak knowledgeably about your products. Even more, they often bring marketing and sales resources of their own to reach new end-users. This is especially helpful when branching out into new markets or territories.

For resellers to succeed, you must arm them with the same tools used by your own salesforce.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT RESELLER PROGRAM?

The truth is, many businesses haven’t properly leveraged resellers as part of their broader strategy in the past because they don’t really know how to start a reseller program or how to scale one. It can feel daunting if you don’t know the right steps to take.

Running a reseller program is like running a business: you get exactly what you put into it. This is why deciding to deploy a reseller program of your own shouldn’t be taken lightly. You need the right tools and strategy in place to make this seamless for everyone involved.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you decide to start your own reseller program:

AUTOMATION

Many businesses rely on a combination of spreadsheets and past due invoices to manage everything flowing in and out of their reseller networks. This can get tedious and unnecessarily complicated very fast. Even worse, because you end up spending so much of your time dealing with the administrative operations of your program manually, you have less time to focus on growing your program and profits. You also tend to end up behaving like debt collectors, chasing past due invoices and trying to get paid on small deals.

Automation is the key for ensuring that your program runs smoothly and can scale up and down, as needed, as your business develops and grows. This is especially important when dealing with subscriptions and subscription renewals—tasks like this become nearly impossible to manage effectively if done manually—and expanding into new markets. Coupling the automation of the Nexway Reseller Module with payments capabilities native to Monetize puts an end to all the paperwork and past due invoices.

SIMPLICITY

Every aspect of your program should enable revenue growth, not block it. Your online platform for resellers should be user-friendly, easy on the eyes, and 100% secure. It’s also a good idea to implement a thoughtful and effective onboarding program so that quality standards, rules of engagement, and expectations are set upfront to ensure the success of every reseller. Otherwise, you risk breeding channel conflict, which can quickly undermine your program.

What makes reseller programs so attractive to many brands is that they help overcome the hurdles that brands oftentimes face when entering new markets. Nexway lets you first focus on acquiring partners and customers by taking care of the legal complexities of selling in-country.   This approach accelerates your ability to reach new audiences quickly. It can also help you avoid having to deal with complex local compliance and tax regulations on your own.

The easier you make it for resellers to get on board fast and begin selling, the quicker you can unlock new revenue-driving opportunities, especially in high-growth emerging markets. These tools allow you to respond to rapidly changing market dynamics, even in the face of ever-evolving global economic, social, and political challenges.

SECURITY

As with everything in the online world, it’s critical to maintain the integrity of the purchasing process, including making sure that sales and cash collection are easy. When done right, you can avoid falling into a debt scenario (i.e. waiting on invoices to be paid) and minimize any opportunity for potential revenue leakage. You can also create additional revenue programs for your partners, rewarding them for subscription renewals in real-time.

Again, this all comes down to automating many of the processes within your reseller program—including distribution, licensing, entitlement, and payment collection—to ensure that nothing serious ever slips through the cracks.

BUILDING YOUR RESELLER PROGRAM WITH NEXWAY

Fortunately, the Nexway Reseller Portal offers a full-service solution for selling licenses and subscriptions to B2B channels while simplifying interactions between resellers and internal teams. Our platform can also help you:

• Boost B2B sales initiatives to accelerate revenue growth via new distribution channels.
• Automatically enable you to identify and track revenues to Value-Added Resellers (VARs) and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) in the course of subscription renewal.
• Offers resellers a loyalty program that rewards high volumes and premium status, as a way of incentivizing brand loyalty and offer stickiness.

With Nexway, you can get access to new distribution channels by automating reseller management and outsourcing multi-tier payment processing, giving your sales team more time to focus on larger and more strategic partnerships. But seeing is believe. If you’re ready to take your online business to the next level, contact us today for a demo.