ZINFI Technologies, Inc.

It is no secret that content is still king in the world of digital marketing. There is absolutely no way to get around the need for content to boost search engine optimization (SEO) over the long haul. Everyone is trying to get attention for their products and brand by leveraging SEO strategies and tactics. The name of the game is to improve your website’s page ranking by driving visitors to your site. Digital marketers know they can boost SEO through paid banner ads and keywords, but unlike content, these are short-term wins. A paid SEO campaign only lasts as long as you pay for it. Content, on the other hand, has teeth and staying power. A unique article with strategic keywords can create organic SEO that lasts as long as it is posted on your website.

Great digital marketing executives are quickly learning that there is really no way to escape the “content war.” Not only do you have to continually develop and distribute content just to stay in front of your audience, but the content you create also needs to be compelling and relevant to your target audience. To this end, it’s important to be up to date on industry trends and developments, and write compellingly about them. It is equally important to create a coherent digital marketing content strategy.

Here are 10 strategic steps you can take to engage in—and win—the digital marketing content war:

* Grab a set of keywords that are relevant to your target audience and use them as often as possible across your website and in published content. Gone are the days that digital marketers write articles just for the sake of producing content. The new game is to leverage keywords that potential prospects may use to search for products or services like yours and distribute those keywords strategically throughout your content.

* Post provocative digital marketing content that is targeted to make decision makers THINK. These days, business decision makers prefer to get information from content rather than advertisements. You can no longer win simply by advertising on a two-dimensional platform. As social communities grow, so does social selling. Industry leaders and decision makers are responsive to digital marketers who approach selling in an educational and conversational way.

* Use your digital marketing content to push brand awareness, presence and reputation. The benefit of one article extends well beyond the content and keywords on your website. As your content library grows, you will begin to catch the attention of potential customers as they search for information. This effect will reinforce perceptions of your company as an industry thought leader.

* Push digital marketing content that supports major events or announcements to regularly stay in front of your prospects on a schedule, and create how-to and self-help documentation for products and services. While diversity of content is important, content should always be created with a specific purpose in mind—to gain attention at a strategic moment, for example, or to deepen a prospect’s understanding of specific offerings or solutions.

* Encourage and reward “likes” and “shares” on social media. Content sharing on social media is the new form of word-of-mouth (WOM) advertising. Now more than ever, people look to their friends for advice and recommendations. End users who share content are your most reliable messengers when it comes to referring products and services.

* Leverage your internally produced content to save money. Why not benefit from lower marketing costs? When you use internal staff to develop content, it helps them gain confidence and expertise. Content marketing requires some savviness, but can it be done by multiple employees and is typically much, much cheaper than a new advertising campaign. Not only will you save money in the creation of content, you will also create a long-term ROI.

A well-crafted cold email template transforms outreach efforts by combining personalization, value propositions and clear calls to action that convert unfamiliar recipients into engaged prospects ready for meaningful business conversations. Organizations that master cold email template strategies consistently generate higher response rates and stronger lead pipelines across competitive markets.

Email marketing remains one of the most effective methods for generating leads today. Other approaches like social engagement and content marketing continue gaining momentum rapidly. However, the personal nature of email makes it ideal for first-time outreach.

Creating effective outreach emails requires understanding recipient psychology and anticipating questions. Prospects evaluate every message through filters of relevance, value and risk assessment. Addressing these concerns proactively separates successful campaigns from ignored correspondence.

Developing a cold email template set rather than a single version improves results. Different audiences require tailored approaches that reflect their unique industries and roles. Marketing automation platforms enable segmentation that delivers customized versions to each audience.

Key Takeaways

Effective outreach emails speak conversationally and personally to each recipient rather than using generic scripts.

A cold email template must communicate immediate value that connects with the prospect's current needs.

Reducing perceived risk through client success stories encourages prospects to engage with your message.

Collaborative messaging positioning makes recipients feel involved in the conversation rather than lectured at.

Simple and accessible calls to action dramatically increase response rates from outreach campaigns.

Segmenting mailing lists by job title and industry improves personalization across all email templates.

Multiple template variations covering different audiences outperform single generic approaches consistently across campaigns.

Why Does Personalization Matter in Outreach Email Design?

Recipients immediately sense whether an email speaks directly to them or uses generic language. Conversational tone that references specific roles and industries creates genuine human connection. The best outreach messages feel like personal correspondence rather than mass broadcasts.

Your cold email template should use first-person language that emphasizes authentic human interaction. Marketing automation platforms allow inserting recipient names, job titles and company references automatically. These personalization elements transform standard messages into targeted communications that resonate deeply.

Segmenting mailing lists by industry and role enables crafting specialized template variations. One generic approach cannot effectively address diverse audience needs across different sectors. Creating multiple personalized versions dramatically improves engagement rates and lead quality overall.

How Should Value Propositions Connect with Immediate Needs?

Recipients open emails only when subject lines speak directly to their current interests. They respond to calls to action only when solutions address immediate business challenges. Speaking to present needs creates urgency that future-oriented messaging simply cannot match.

People continuously scan emails with their finger hovering over the delete button instinctively. Your cold email template must communicate powerful value within the first few sentences quickly. Failing to establish immediate relevance means losing prospects to competing priorities and messages.

Even exceptional products become irrelevant when timing misaligns with recipient needs completely. Focus messaging on solving problems prospects face right now rather than hypothetical scenarios. Immediate relevance drives higher open rates and stronger engagement across all campaigns.

How Can Success Stories Reduce Perceived Risk in Outreach?

Prospects who show initial interest still evaluate whether engaging further involves unnecessary risk. They assess inherent benefits against potential downsides of beginning new vendor conversations carefully. Overcoming this hesitation requires demonstrating proven results from existing client relationships.

Rather than listing product features in bullet points, reference specific use cases showing growth. Show how current customers achieved measurable business improvements using your company's solutions. Real-world examples carry more persuasive weight than technical specifications or marketing claims.

Your cold email template should include brief references to relevant client achievements naturally. Solutions need not be the absolute best available to win prospect confidence effectively. Demonstrating fit for unique requirements matters more than claiming market superiority overall.

Why Does Collaborative Messaging Outperform Directive Communication?

Nobody wants to be spoken to passively when they prefer genuine collaborative conversations. Educating prospects rather than lecturing them builds trust and encourages meaningful engagement. Collaborative language positions your team as supportive partners rather than aggressive sales agents.

Phrases like "we work with your team" create inclusive messaging that resonates deeply. Under advisement positioning makes readers feel they control the engagement process comfortably. This approach reflects well on recipient teams rather than overshadowing their expertise.

Your outreach emails should leave the ball in the prospect's court deliberately. Ask recipients when would be the best time for a brief conversation naturally. Giving prospects control over communication timing increases their willingness to engage significantly.

Dimension

Ineffective Email Outreach

Professional Cold Email Template

Personalization approach

Generic scripted messaging that ignores recipient context entirely

Conversational first-person language with personalized recipient details inserted

Value communication

Future-oriented benefits without immediate relevance to current needs

Present-focused solutions addressing specific challenges prospects face now

Risk reduction

Feature lists and technical specifications without proof of results

Client success stories demonstrating measurable business growth outcomes

Messaging tone

Directive lecturing approach that positions vendor as sole authority

Collaborative educational messaging making recipients feel valued and involved

Call to action

Complex multi-step processes requiring excessive effort from prospects

Simple one-click scheduling or direct phone invitations for convenience

Audience targeting

Single template sent identically to all recipients regardless of context

Segmented variations tailored by industry, role and business needs

Follow-up strategy

Aggressive scheduling demands that pressure prospects into responding immediately

Respectful invitations leaving timing control with the prospect entirely

What Makes Calls to Action Effective in Outreach Emails?

Complex response processes discourage prospects from taking action on your messages entirely. Requiring multiple steps or excessive information creates friction that kills engagement immediately. The easier you make responding, the more likely prospects will reach out.

Effective outreach emails include clear, simple and actionable communication methods for recipients. Short forms, direct phone numbers and one-click calendar scheduling links work exceptionally well. Inside sales teams increasingly use appointment booking apps that simplify the process.

Your cold email template should make the response path obvious and frictionless for every recipient. Enticing invitations to call at prospect convenience demonstrate respect for their time. Removing barriers between interest and action converts more readers into active leads.

How Should Multiple Template Variations Be Developed Strategically?

One template simply cannot address every audience segment across different industries effectively. Email marketing tools enable segmentation that delivers customized versions to each group. Strategic variation development ensures relevant messaging reaches every target audience appropriately.

Segment your mailing list by job title, industry and organizational size for maximum impact. Each segment receives messaging that speaks directly to their specific challenges and priorities. This targeted approach outperforms generic broadcasts in every measurable engagement metric consistently.

A cold email template library should contain variations addressing different buyer personas thoughtfully. Testing different approaches reveals which messaging resonates strongest with each audience segment. Continuous refinement based on response data optimizes campaign performance over time systematically.

What Role Does Subject Line Strategy Play in Email S

Email marketing is still a very effective method of lead generation, even though other methods like social engagement, content marketing through thought leadership and group dialoguing on networking sites are rapidly gaining momentum. The tried-and-true solution of email is still about as personal as you can get for a first-time touch. But this is not “spray and pray”…one template will not work for everyone! Not everyone likes pizza, so make sure you also have a hamburger or grilled cheese handy.When developing a cold email template, keep in mind that you are often going to create a set of them—to be used for various audiences or approaches—in order to add some custom touches and answer important questions. Most marketing automation platforms and solutions these days have emailing tools that allow you to segment your mailing list and deliver different versions of your email marketing template(s) based on audience type. Here are 5 tips, in the form of questions that your recipient might ask themselves (and that you should anticipate!) when you create your cold email template(s):* Are you talking to me?Hang on, this is not Robert De Niro threatening you. No need to start fearing taxi drivers. What this question implies is that the recipient of your email might begin to read your email and wonder who you are talking to. Are you talking in third person, in a general “scripted” sort of way (like a generic, operational-type sales pitch), or are you actually speaking to your target reader in a personal and connected way? The best emails come across as conversational. Speak in first person, refer to yourself in a way that emphasizes your humanness, and talk about what needs or solutions might be personal to your audience. You can do this in a cold email template by personalizing the speech, using your marketing automation platform to insert the recipient’s name and job title, and customizing the email content to the recipient’s industry. One template won’t cover all titles in all industries; if you segment your mailing list by job title or industry, you can craft a handful of templates that will customize to your audience much more effectively.* Why should I care?The only reason someone would open your email is if the subject line speaks to their interest, and the only reason they would respond to the call-to-action (CTA) or engagement promoted in it is if they see it as a solution that provides them some sort of business value. Even if you offer a value pitch that may benefit recipients at some point in the future, the fact that you are in their mailbox means that they are currently looking at you from within an immediate and categorical reference point. People scan emails and always have their finger on the delete button. You have to speak powerfully, and you have to speak to the “right now.” You might have the best BAND-AIDs in the world that are waterproof up to 300 meters deep and will adhere even during a gorilla attack…but I have little use for them unless I have a cut at that exact moment. Yes, people do look for valuable products and services that they think they might need down the line, but at best they’ll make a note of items that come across their radar for later research when the need arises. If your cold email template does not speak to them right now, you lose the lion’s share of its potential power and urgency and often find yourself in the trash folder.* Am I taking a risk here?Okay, let’s say you got them to open and now they are actually reading your email. Bravo! Give this marketer a chocolate bar. At this point they have seen some value in what you are providing, but the next question that comes up is if it is w...

Email marketing is still a very effective method of lead generation, even though other methods like social engagement, content marketing through thought leadership and group dialoguing on networking sites are rapidly gaining momentum. The tried-and-true solution of email is still about as personal as you can get for a first-time touch. But this is not “spray and pray”…one template will not work for everyone! Not everyone likes pizza, so make sure you also have a hamburger or grilled cheese handy.

When developing a cold email template, keep in mind that you are often going to create a set of them—to be used for various audiences or approaches—in order to add some custom touches and answer important questions. Most marketing automation platforms and solutions these days have emailing tools that allow you to segment your mailing list and deliver different versions of your email marketing template(s) based on audience type. Here are 5 tips, in the form of questions that your recipient might ask themselves (and that you should anticipate!) when you create your cold email template(s):

* Are you talking to me?

Hang on, this is not Robert De Niro threatening you. No need to start fearing taxi drivers. What this question implies is that the recipient of your email might begin to read your email and wonder who you are talking to. Are you talking in third person, in a general “scripted” sort of way (like a generic, operational-type sales pitch), or are you actually speaking to your target reader in a personal and connected way? The best emails come across as conversational. Speak in first person, refer to yourself in a way that emphasizes your humanness, and talk about what needs or solutions might be personal to your audience. You can do this in a cold email template by personalizing the speech, using your marketing automation platform to insert the recipient’s name and job title, and customizing the email content to the recipient’s industry. One template won’t cover all titles in all industries; if you segment your mailing list by job title or industry, you can craft a handful of templates that will customize to your audience much more effectively.

* Why should I care?

The only reason someone would open your email is if the subject line speaks to their interest, and the only reason they would respond to the call-to-action (CTA) or engagement promoted in it is if they see it as a solution that provides them some sort of business value. Even if you offer a value pitch that may benefit recipients at some point in the future, the fact that you are in their mailbox means that they are currently looking at you from within an immediate and categorical reference point. People scan emails and always have their finger on the delete button. You have to speak powerfully, and you have to speak to the “right now.” You might have the best BAND-AIDs in the world that are waterproof up to 300 meters deep and will adhere even during a gorilla attack…but I have little use for them unless I have a cut at that exact moment. Yes, people do look for valuable products and services that they think they might need down the line, but at best they’ll make a note of items that come across their radar for later research when the need arises. If your cold email template does not speak to them right now, you lose the lion’s share of its potential power and urgency and often find yourself in the trash folder.

* Am I taking a risk here?

Okay, let’s say you got them to open and now they are actually reading your email. Bravo!

Over the past few years there has been a lot of excitement about partner relationship management (PRM) process development and automation. However, this segment hasn’t really grown as fast as the marketing automation platform (MAP) or customer relationship management (CRM) segments. What is holding back the growth in deployment of partner relationship management (PRM) automation? Here are some key factors that present barriers to deployment and are frequent causes of failure:

Short-term focus. Most channel organizations are busy managing activities by the quarter, and typically very few dollars are invested in mapping channel processes that require redesign and redevelopment to build out a state-of-the-art partner relationship management (PRM) infrastructure. The channel is a great way to go to market, but when the market changes (as it inevitably does) and organizations fail to remap their channel infrastructure accordingly, they struggle to stay relevant. We have seen this repeatedly over the years across multiple Fortune 1000 customers. Those who are adaptive and constantly redesigning their channel—not just quarterly, but whenever necessary and in anticipation of opportunities—tend to outperform those who are chasing market evolution.

Inadequate resources. It is one thing to remap a go-to-market model—e.g., by adding an OEM channel to sell via OEMs or adding franchises to increase reach—but without significant investment and patience these activities really doesn’t produce results. As a result, most deployments of partner relationship management (PRM) automation tend to be underfunded and underdeveloped. This leads to frustration within the channel sales and support organization and, of course, a poor partner experience.

Lack of a unified approach. The channel is a complex way to go to market. While it’s true that having a robust channel can not only increase reach but also provide a huge competitive edge, it takes time to develop relationships and competencies to truly be a channel leader. This is where a unified approach to partner relationship management (PRM) comes in. Organizations need to think carefully about how to set up partner onboarding, training, enablement and management by deploying end-to-end process steps, most of which should be fully automated to reduce variability and cost of operations. Having a unified approach also increases the self-service nature of the engagement, which not only reduces operating costs but also significantly increases partner satisfaction.

Homegrown automation. Most organizations today have some way to automate their partner relationship management (PRM) activities. Too often, however, automation is achieved by using SharePoint or some other portal as a primary interface with a document library, deal registration and other homegrown applications tied to partner training, incentives management and so on. The total cost of ownership (TCO) for patchwork arrangements like these tends to be significantly higher than for the purpose-built partner relationship management (PRM) automation platforms like ZINFI and others provide today.

Lack of simplification. We have talked about the importance of simplicity and ease of use in many previous articles. Too often a channel program gets bloated with archaic partner recruitment policies, training, incentives and demand generation programs. Premier channel organizations systematically revamp their partner relationship management (PRM) initiatives to eliminate redundant and confusing programs and process steps. This is essential for keeping partner relationship management (PRM) fresh and relevant to the partner base. Keeping things simple also reduces costs and increases transaction velocities substantially.

In summary, a thoughtful approach with a passion for continuous improvement can keep your partner relationship management (PRM) program fresh and relevant to the partner base. However, to address the ever-changing needs of a dynamic channel, it is essential to invest in an appropriate automation platform that allows organizations selling through the channel to quickly redesign and redeploy process steps. These new steps should be fully automated and end-to-end, and organizations will need to make partners aware of the changes by deploying various outbound automation and training tools. By making appropriate investments in a channel automation program that addresses the requirements for Unified Partner Management, an organization can not only build a state-of-the-art partner relationship management (PRM) program, but also drives top and bottom line success in a very logical and sequential way.

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Over the past few years there has been a lot of excitement about partner relationship management (PRM) process development and automation. However, this segment hasn’t really grown as fast as the marketing automation platform (MAP) or customer relationship management (CRM) segments. What is holding back the growth in deployment of partner relationship management (PRM) automation? Here are some key factors that present barriers to deployment and are frequent causes of failure:* Short-term focus. Most channel organizations are busy managing activities by the quarter, and typically very few dollars are invested in mapping channel processes that require redesign and redevelopment to build out a state-of-the-art partner relationship management (PRM) infrastructure. The channel is a great way to go to market, but when the market changes (as it inevitably does) and organizations fail to remap their channel infrastructure accordingly, they struggle to stay relevant. We have seen this repeatedly over the years across multiple Fortune 1000 customers. Those who are adaptive and constantly redesigning their channel—not just quarterly, but whenever necessary and in anticipation of opportunities—tend to outperform those who are chasing market evolution.* Inadequate resources. It is one thing to remap a go-to-market model—e.g., by adding an OEM channel to sell via OEMs or adding franchises to increase reach—but without significant investment and patience these activities really doesn’t produce results. As a result, most deployments of partner relationship management (PRM) automation tend to be underfunded and underdeveloped. This leads to frustration within the channel sales and support organization and, of course, a poor partner experience.* Lack of a unified approach. The channel is a complex way to go to market. While it’s true that having a robust channel can not only increase reach but also provide a huge competitive edge, it takes time to develop relationships and competencies to truly be a channel leader. This is where a unified approach to partner relationship management (PRM) comes in. Organizations need to think carefully about how to set up partner onboarding, training, enablement and management by deploying end-to-end process steps, most of which should be fully automated to reduce variability and cost of operations. Having a unified approach also increases the self-service nature of the engagement, which not only reduces operating costs but also significantly increases partner satisfaction.* Homegrown automation. Most organizations today have some way to automate their partner relationship management (PRM) activities. Too often, however, automation is achieved by using SharePoint or some other portal as a primary interface with a document library, deal registration and other homegrown applications tied to partner training, incentives management and so on. The total cost of ownership (TCO) for patchwork arrangements like these tends to be significantly higher than for the purpose-built partner relationship management (PRM) automation platforms like ZINFI and others provide today.* Lack of simplification. We have talked about the importance of simplicity and ease of use in many previous articles. Too often a channel program gets bloated with archaic

Over the past few years there has been a lot of excitement about partner relationship management (PRM) process development and automation. However, this segment hasn’t really grown as fast as the marketing automation platform (MAP) or customer relationship management (CRM) segments. What is holding back the growth in deployment of partner relationship management (PRM) automation? Here are some key factors that present barriers to deployment and are frequent causes of failure:

* Short-term focus. Most channel organizations are busy managing activities by the quarter, and typically very few dollars are invested in mapping channel processes that require redesign and redevelopment to build out a state-of-the-art partner relationship management (PRM) infrastructure. The channel is a great way to go to market, but when the market changes (as it inevitably does) and organizations fail to remap their channel infrastructure accordingly, they struggle to stay relevant. We have seen this repeatedly over the years across multiple Fortune 1000 customers. Those who are adaptive and constantly redesigning their channel—not just quarterly, but whenever necessary and in anticipation of opportunities—tend to outperform those who are chasing market evolution.

* Inadequate resources. It is one thing to remap a go-to-market model—e.g., by adding an OEM channel to sell via OEMs or adding franchises to increase reach—but without significant investment and patience these activities really doesn’t produce results. As a result, most deployments of partner relationship management (PRM) automation tend to be underfunded and underdeveloped. This leads to frustration within the channel sales and support organization and, of course, a poor partner experience.

* Lack of a unified approach. The channel is a complex way to go to market. While it’s true that having a robust channel can not only increase reach but also provide a huge competitive edge, it takes time to develop relationships and competencies to truly be a channel leader. This is where a unified approach to partner relationship management (PRM) comes in. Organizations need to think carefully about how to set up partner onboarding, training, enablement and management by deploying end-to-end process steps, most of which should be fully automated to reduce variability and cost of operations. Having a unified approach also increases the self-service nature of the engagement, which not only reduces operating costs but also significantly increases partner satisfaction.

* Homegrown automation. Most organizations today have some way to automate their partner relationship management (PRM) activities. Too often, however, automation is achieved by using SharePoint or some other portal as a primary interface with a document library, deal registration and other homegrown applications tied to partner training, incentives management and so on. The total cost of ownership (TCO) for patchwork arrangements like these tends to be significantly higher than for the purpose-built partner relationship management (PRM) automation platforms like ZINFI and others provide today.

* Lack of simplification. We have talked about the importance of simplicity and ease of use in many previous articles. Too often a channel program gets bloated with archaic partner recruitment policies, training,

Over the past couple of decades, two major channel management automation platforms have attracted widespread attention: partner relationship management (PRM) automation and partner marketing management (PMM) automation. However, the most important area in channel automation—an area that has been neglected and remains a major opportunity—is partner sales enablement or partner sales management. If you are considering an investment in channel automation, you should look at partner sales enablement automation first. Why? It’s simple: If you can make your current reseller even 10% more productive (selling more at the same channel investment rate), the result will be a huge impact on both your top and bottom lines—and it can happen almost instantly.

Before we delve into the details, let’s very briefly discuss partner sales enablement and how you can make this happen, either through the infrastructure you have today or by investing in a partner sales enablement automation platform. Partner sales enablement has two core points of focus: 1) contextual sales training and enablement (i.e., during the selling process), which leverages the relative wealth of sales resources vs. technical or marketing resources; and 2) buyer engagement tracking and measurement to assess how the end buyer is engaged in the sales process.

In addition to this two core areas of focus, your partner sales enablement program or platform should have other core capabilities such as a content management system (CMS) for you to upload and set up training materials, sales slicks, price lists, battle cards and other tools. But in the end, the primary focus of partner sales enablement is driving sales productivity by using all of the content and resources you have today, making those resources available when the sales rep needs it, and gaining insight into the interaction and engagement with the end buyer. Why does all of this matter? Because of the following reasons:

Sales people are overwhelmed. Most sales people have to deal with half a dozen product lines, if not more. With the rate of changes that are happening in the market place, it is almost impossible for them to be fully conversant with every product or service they are selling.

All sales people are not created equal. While many great sales people are highly organized and can absorb a lot of complex content, they are not all equally capable. Therefore, making relevant content available for them to learn from as a part of the sales process reduces the overload. It also makes them better learners in the long run.

Sales people should be treated as consumers of content. Product marketing tends to create volumes of materials and content, but organizations rarely understand what is actually effective or not. When they have a system that allows content delivery in stages, as well as precise tracking of consumption patterns, product marketers can become much more effective in creating useful content

Sales people should be able to track engagement. It is not unusual in the B2B selling process for buyers to disappear, leaving sales people wondering whether they did something wrong or whether the buyer simply lost interest. Disappearing buyers are not necessarily a reflection of the inability of a sales person to make the buyer confident. B2B selling is complex, and at times the decision process halts or slows down internally due to a variety of reasons. That’s why it’s so important for the sales person to be able to track interactions and outcomes in detail and gain a more systematic and nuanced understanding of what’s working and what isn’t.

Selling is a competitive sport. An effective partner sales enablement platform can offer leader boards, gamification, rewards alignment, and other motivators to create a highly competitive—yet sharing—environment. Gone are the days where sales people are expected to smile, dial and close. Today most B2B sales people are assumed to be sales or solution consultants, roles that requires deeper knowledge of the customer’s environment. This is where cross-learning and sharing are critical.

Partner sales enablement automation can be a big help in establishing a distributed sales team that connects, collaborates and communicates to become more effective. It can also create a highly competitive and transparent selling environment, and encourage increased sharing among reps and teams. The great news is there are multiple tools available for direct sales teams, and new partner sales enablement automation solutions are being offered by several companies—including ZINFI.

A typical deployment cycle for partner sales enablement typically takes two to three months. It takes about a month or so to organize content that is already available and tag it by sales stage and by product line. Once the content has been organized, the next step is training the sales team and making them aware of how to use the existing content and tools to track buyers’ engagement. Once these two steps have been completed, a partner sales enablement platform is ready for rollout and can start producing results.

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Over the past couple of decades, two major channel management automation platforms have attracted widespread attention: partner relationship management (PRM) automation and partner marketing management (PMM) automation. However, the most important area in channel automation—an area that has been neglected and remains a major opportunity—is partner sales enablement or partner sales management. If you are considering an investment in channel automation, you should look at partner sales enablement automation first. Why? It’s simple: If you can make your current reseller even 10% more productive (selling more at the same channel investment rate), the result will be a huge impact on both your top and bottom lines—and it can happen almost instantly.Before we delve into the details, let’s very briefly discuss partner sales enablement and how you can make this happen, either through the infrastructure you have today or by investing in a partner sales enablement automation platform. Partner sales enablement has two core points of focus: 1) contextual sales training and enablement (i.e., during the selling process), which leverages the relative wealth of sales resources vs. technical or marketing resources; and 2) buyer engagement tracking and measurement to assess how the end buyer is engaged in the sales process.In addition to this two core areas of focus, your partner sales enablement program or platform should have other core capabilities such as a content management system (CMS) for you to upload and set up training materials, sales slicks, price lists, battle cards and other tools. But in the end, the primary focus of partner sales enablement is driving sales productivity by using all of the content and resources you have today, making those resources available when the sales rep needs it, and gaining insight into the interaction and engagement with the end buyer. Why does all of this matter? Because of the following reasons:* Sales people are overwhelmed. Most sales people have to deal with half a dozen product lines, if not more. With the rate of changes that are happening in the market place, it is almost impossible for them to be fully conversant with every product or service they are selling.* All sales people are not created equal. While many great sales people are highly organized and can absorb a lot of complex content, they are not all equally capable. Therefore, making relevant content available for them to learn from as a part of the sales process reduces the overload. It also makes them better learners in the long run.* Sales people should be treated as consumers of content. Product marketing tends to create volumes of materials and content, but organizations rarely understand what is actually effective or not. When they have a system that allows content delivery in stages, as well as precise tracking of consumption patterns, product marketers can become much more effective in creating useful content* Sales people should be able to track engagement. It is not unusual in the B2B selling process for buyers to disappear, leaving sales people wondering whether they did something wrong or whether the buyer simply lost interest. Disappearing buyers are not necessarily a reflection of the inability of a sales person to make the buyer confident. B2B selling is complex,

Over the past couple of decades, two major channel management automation platforms have attracted widespread attention: partner relationship management (PRM) automation and partner marketing management (PMM) automation. However, the most important area in channel automation—an area that has been neglected and remains a major opportunity—is partner sales enablement or partner sales management. If you are considering an investment in channel automation, you should look at partner sales enablement automation first. Why? It’s simple: If you can make your current reseller even 10% more productive (selling more at the same channel investment rate), the result will be a huge impact on both your top and bottom lines—and it can happen almost instantly.

Before we delve into the details, let’s very briefly discuss partner sales enablement and how you can make this happen, either through the infrastructure you have today or by investing in a partner sales enablement automation platform. Partner sales enablement has two core points of focus: 1) contextual sales training and enablement (i.e., during the selling process), which leverages the relative wealth of sales resources vs. technical or marketing resources; and 2) buyer engagement tracking and measurement to assess how the end buyer is engaged in the sales process.

In addition to this two core areas of focus, your partner sales enablement program or platform should have other core capabilities such as a content management system (CMS) for you to upload and set up training materials, sales slicks, price lists, battle cards and other tools. But in the end, the primary focus of partner sales enablement is driving sales productivity by using all of the content and resources you have today, making those resources available when the sales rep needs it, and gaining insight into the interaction and engagement with the end buyer. Why does all of this matter? Because of the following reasons:

* Sales people are overwhelmed. Most sales people have to deal with half a dozen product lines, if not more. With the rate of changes that are happening in the market place, it is almost impossible for them to be fully conversant with every product or service they are selling.

* All sales people are not created equal. While many great sales people are highly organized and can absorb a lot of complex content, they are not all equally capable. Therefore, making relevant content available for them to learn from as a part of the sales process reduces the overload. It also makes them better learners in the long run.

* Sales people should be treated as consumers of content. Product marketing tends to create volumes of materials and content, but organizations rarely understand what is actually effective or not. When they have a system that allows content delivery in stages, as well as precise tracking of consumption patterns, product marketers can become much more effective in creating useful content

* Sales people should be able to track engagement. It is not unusual in the B2B selling process for buyers to disappear, leaving sales people wondering whether they did something wrong or whether the buyer simply lost interest. Disappearing buyers are not necessarily a reflection of the inability of a sales person t...