ChannelVision Playbook Volume 8

enough to just offer support with pric- ing exercises. The modern master agent must bring order to the chaos of the marketplace, reduce complex- ity and show agents on the front line which suppliers fit best in each unique situation. They must offer continuous education, innovative tools and assis- tance in setting and reaching growth goals. Master agents that check these boxes not only become a necessary resource for the selling agent, but they also are an extremely valuable extension to the suppliers’ training and marketing teams. As a channel professional of more than 15 years, and a chan- nel chief for the last 11, I’ve heard multiple viewpoints regarding the positive and negative aspects of the national master agents. On the negative side, I’ve heard arguments from carriers and providers such as: “Master agents are pay to play” (due to increasingly expensive sponsor- ship packages), “Why would I pay more money for the same sale when I can sign the agent directly for a lower commission percentage?” and “We like a more intimate relationship with the partner in the field.” All of these points are rooted in some level of validity. However, they reflect a lack of understanding for how to effectively use master agen- cies to their maximum capabilities. If the name of the game is winning, we must understand and empathize with the selling agents and provide them with the necessary assistance to help them do so. In the end, as a channel executive, suppliers only win when our partners win. Here are the key components that lead to a supplier getting the most value out of a mas- ter agent program. Data entry support – Sales sup- port teams only scale so far. Most selling agents want to spend their time and resources in the field selling to and supporting their customers, not in the office entering quotes into multiple portals. Learning each sup- pliers’ pricing portals takes time, and often agents will gravitate toward suppliers that take this burden off of their shoulders. This is where mas- ter agents can help suppliers in a big way: Master agents will typically take on the quoting process for their producing partners, ultimately help- ing the supplier control the number of full-time staffers needed in sales support. The quoting teams at the master agents are generally edu- cated on each supplier’s portfolio, so they know which suppliers to use for specific applications. This saves time and effort on both sides that would be spent on bad opportunities. Marketing support – Master agents tend to be marketing ma- chines. Master agents allow sup- pliers to reach thousands of selling agents with each dollar spent, in- stead of producing separate events and activities for a large number of partners. Many master agents 20 THE CHANNEL MANAGER’S PLAYBOOK

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