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This is why it’s important for VARs carry a diverse line of products and partner with vendors that release fresh, innovative solutions on at least a semi-regular basis. And once you have a good customer base and strong vendor partnerships, how do you go about introducing those products to your base? Here are a few tips.

Work with the vendor to create appropriate messaging: You need to understand the messaging and key benefits of your vendors’ new products on the market. Attend webinars, meetings and conferences to get up to speed — oftentimes vendors provide tips for positioning products in different verticals and highlight how they can solve major pain points for your customers. Take advantage of the vendors’ product and market expertise and ask questions during these sessions. These are  great opportunities to see the products in action before they’re released. 

Assess the needs of current customers: Ask yourself how the new products will benefit your customers. Hopefully, the vendors have asked for partner input into their product roadmaps. This will allow partners to start the process of identifying how the new products will solve customers’ needs earlier. And if you’ve attended the seminars and talks regarding the new products you will be more prepared to take this step.

Create a tiered list of customers who may be interested in this product: Once you have an understanding of how the products will address customer pain points you need to decide not only which of your customers are most likely to benefit from the new products, but also which ones are most likely to understand the benefit(s). You, the VAR, who have built a relationship with the customer can identify these organizations. Create a tiered list of all the customer targets.

Communicate the message to your customers: As a VAR, your most important resource is your relationship with your customers. As such, you probably have multiple vehicles for communicating to your customer base. Newsletters and email campaigns are great ways to introduce a new product or concept. Use these resources to invite customers to a webinar or information session where you can discuss the product(s) in more depth.

Follow up: Finally, be sure to follow up with your customers to make sure they are aware of the product(s). Let them know why you thought a particular product would help their company. Then, offer a demonstration or free evaluation.

Monthly guest blogs such as this one are part of The VAR Guy’s annual platinum sponsorship. Read all of Sophos‘ guest blogs here.