Integration of Sales Partners into Lead Management

“The Internet has radically changed the buying process!” How many thousands of technical articles or lectures in recent years have begun like this? So by now, word should have spread to the last technology denier that customers get their information on the Internet and often make their first preselection for their purchase there. Nevertheless, it is still astonishing how many companies ignore the changes in buying behavior. For example, companies that market their products through sales partners. Just a few years ago, the first place customers looked when looking for a new bathroom, car, or furniture was at nearby dealers. Today, customers configure their dream bathroom or next car on their sofa. For many products, manufacturers’ digital platforms are the first point of contact and no longer the dealer, installer, or consultant. How do you now connect customers, manufacturers, and sales partners in such a way that you can rightly speak of a positive customer journey? How do you create the often-cited 360-degree view of the customer when he is being handled by sales partners? How do you get the data from the sales partner’s lead processing in order to launch perfectly fitting follow-up actions or cross- and up-selling programs? The article is dedicated to the challenges of organizations with indirect sales on the way to the digital enterprise.