7 FAQs about SaaS reseller programs

Want to scale your business reliably and repeatably, all while satisfying your clients with some of the best SaaS technology out there, from the most trusted and recognizable brands? That’s exactly what you can achieve through SaaS reseller programs.

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If you’re not entirely sure how SaaS reseller programs work or how they can benefit your business, this article is for you.

Here are all the most common questions resellers have, answered: from the who, what, and why, to how to manage a suite of programs to take your business to new heights.

1. What are SaaS reseller programs?

Big tech companies have great products to sell. You have an audience of small and medium businesses—your existing clients and prospects—who can benefit from the use of these products. SaaS reseller programs leverage this dynamic by selling you their products at a discounted price, so you can in turn sell them to your clients at a markup to make a profit.

Vendors benefit from engaging thousands of businesses like yours, such as agencies, MSPs, media companies, and other digital resellers, on the ground on their behalf, selling their products. Resellers gain by expanding their portfolio of products and adding more revenue streams to their business model.

So, which companies have SaaS reseller programs in place? Many of the most recognizable brands have reseller programs you can leverage. Google Workspace, Oracle, Mailchimp, Bigcommerce, and Intuit are all examples of industry-leading programs that are being successfully resold by businesses like yours (and generating healthy profits in the process).

2. Are SaaS reseller programs right for my business?

Do you have SMB clients that require digital services and products? These may include productivity suites, SEO, websites, review management software, social media tools, and many other products and services to help their businesses thrive.

The answer is almost certainly yes: even for very small businesses, these components of operating a business in our current age are virtually non-negotiable.

Whether you currently sell traditional ads, managed services, or even some of the digital solutions listed above, it’s highly likely that your clients are either already buying or looking for additional tools and solutions to grow their businesses. You can meet that need by joining SaaS reseller programs. Not only will your revenue grow, but you’ll become a more valuable partner to the clients you serve.

3. What are the best SaaS reseller programs to join?

With so many SaaS reseller programs to choose from, it can be hard to determine which will be the best fit for your business. You probably don’t want to sign up for everything available at once, because it will be difficult to sell every program effectively. Instead, consider your existing client base, and think about what they will likely find most valuable.

Is there anything your clients already ask for that you are unable to deliver? If you sell traditional media ads, digital advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) have likely come up in the past. These services are a natural fit for your existing offering because you are already broadly in the advertising space. Reseller SEO and PPC ad programs could be a great place to start.

If you sell IT services, web building and hosting would be a similarly good complement to your current offerings. Clients already trust you to manage their data and ensure it remains secure. Productivity suites like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are also excellent reseller ideas for managed service providers.

These are just suggestions to demonstrate how you can go about making decisions about which reseller partner programs to get started with in your business. The goal should be to start by offering what your client base will be most naturally interested in, enabling you to start generating profits right away.

4. I’m worried about diluting my specialization. Will SaaS reseller programs confuse my clients?

If you’ve built a hard-earned reputation around a certain specialty or niche, it makes sense to be concerned about how new additions to your products and services may be perceived. You want to make sure the same high standards you’re known for are maintained.

SaaS reseller programs are one of the best ways to grow your business because you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or make massive investments in infrastructure or staff. Instead, you can work with the most highly trusted tech companies in the world, like Google and Microsoft, to deliver top-quality products and services.

Clients will certainly appreciate the additions: having a one-stop shop they can rely on for multiple needs makes life much easier for them, especially if they are small. By offering them more products from other trusted brands, you can become more indispensable to your clients.

5. Can SaaS reseller programs help me sell more of my core service?

You can create product and service bundles for clients to sell more while offering greater value. Adding reseller software programs to your business model creates the opportunity to create service bundles that include your core offering so that you can sell more of both, maximizing profits.

6. Can I work directly with the partners of my choice?

Technically, you can often work directly with the vendor of a product or service to start reselling. However, this isn’t necessarily the best way to go about it.

Firstly, you may not be able to access the best wholesale prices unless you have very high sales figures. Since many reseller programs are structured as tiers that resellers achieve based on their sales, as a new reseller, the prices you get might make it hard to be competitive.

Secondly, if you want to add more partner programs, you may find that you’re managing a lot of different relationships, each with different criteria. It can become unwieldy and difficult to stay on top of it all.

The easier way to start growing your profits with reseller partner programs is by using a multi-vendor cloud marketplace that gives you access to many programs through a single account. This will allow you to access great pricing and have an easier time managing your reseller programs than if you were to handle each one directly.

7. How do reseller marketplaces work?

Reseller marketplaces provide a single venue where you can purchase as many reseller services as you’d like to offer from their vendor list.

Evolve your business model with SaaS reseller programs

SaaS reseller programs enable you to evolve your business model to better meet changing client demands. You can become a single destination for their most important business needs, increasing the value of each customer, reducing churn, and positioning yourself for growth with more products to sell.