When a Swiss SME wants to grow internationally, it frequently works with distribution partners. Particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, such partnerships are often the most practicable way to develop new markets without immediately setting up their own subsidiaries. Surveys of Swiss companies show that distribution partnerships play a central role in entering foreign markets. Many SMEs lack the resources, market knowledge, export experience and contacts to gain a foothold quickly on their own in foreign markets. This makes it all the more important that distribution partners represent products competently and with commitment.

At the same time, it is precisely the management of such partnerships that poses a major challenge for many companies. Partnerships often arise by chance, are evaluated too unsystematically and are not developed actively enough in day-to-day business. Manufacturers sometimes invest too little in training their partners or rely too heavily on financial incentives rather than on genuine enablement and joint development. On top of this, the capacities needed for structured support are often lacking. A survey of 155 Swiss SMEs also shows how much this topic concerns many Swiss companies: more than 70 per cent of the companies surveyed rated the management of foreign distribution partners as a major challenge.

This is precisely where the collaboration between Zeller Automatik AG and Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) came in. Zeller Automatik AG is a small Swiss company with deep expertise in mechanical engineering and control technology, with competencies ranging from development and manufacturing through to commissioning, training and service. Originally, the project centred on the question of what additional potential could be unlocked in existing and new markets. In the course of the collaboration, however, it quickly became apparent that before further market potential could be tapped, the existing international setup had to be strengthened first – in particular distribution partner management.

This realisation proved central. Rather than rushing to prioritise new markets, Zeller deliberately focused on the fundamentals: structures, roles, enablement, steering and the further development of existing partnerships. In short: first back to square one, then forward in a targeted way.

The added value lay not in a purely theoretical discussion, but in an approach that was both structured and very close to practice. It began with an orientation and assessment workshop, in which Zeller's starting position, the state of its internationalisation as well as its strengths, weaknesses, challenges and opportunities were analysed. On this basis, the further support was specifically tailored to the company's actual needs. This was followed by in-depth workshops on distribution partner management.

In terms of content, the collaboration was structured around the four central phases of professional distribution partner management: selection, qualification, motivation and evaluation. In practice, it is precisely these four elements that often determine whether a partnership works over the long term. Who are the right partners? How are they enabled? How do they stay engaged? And how is their development reviewed in a structured way? For many companies, these are not theoretical questions but concrete operational levers.

Lukas Zeller particularly emphasises how precisely this starting point fit the company. «What was especially helpful was that we didn't simply receive general recommendations, but support tailored very concretely to our situation», says the CEO of Zeller Automatik AG. «Starting with an orientation workshop and the individualised support built on it was a very good fit for us.»

A central element of the project was the consistent focus on ready-to-use tools. Instead of getting stuck on questions of principle, Zeller worked with concrete aids, checklists and structures that could be applied directly to its own case. These included, among other things, approaches to dividing roles and tasks, training and enablement measures, more structured evaluations, considerations regarding the internationalisation strategy as well as a business-plan approach for distribution partners.

It was precisely this application-oriented approach that made the difference. Many SMEs underestimate how actively distribution partners need to be managed, enabled and developed. In day-to-day business, awareness of this leadership task is often lacking, as are time, structure and suitable tools. This is exactly where individualised workshop support can create leverage: it translates strategic questions into concrete next steps. «The tools were very valuable for us because they were directly applicable», Zeller emphasises. «You don't just leave the workshop with a few ideas, but with documents and approaches that you can actually continue to use in the company.»

The project exemplifies what many Swiss companies currently need: not an off-the-shelf standard solution, but individualised support that combines strategic orientation with concrete implementation. This is decisive precisely in distribution partner management. Because distribution partnerships do not run by themselves. They have to be built up, nurtured, reviewed and further developed. They become successful where both sides invest – not only financially, but also in know-how, communication, clarity and joint development.

The collaboration not only made existing challenges visible, but also produced concrete next measures with which distribution partner management can be developed further in a more systematic way. In this way, what was initially a broadly conceived internationalisation undertaking became a focused project with direct added value: closer to the reality of a Swiss SME, closer to the actual levers and closer to what is effective in practice.

For other Swiss companies, this is precisely where the relevance of this success story lies. Anyone who works with international distribution partners – or wants to rely more heavily on such partnerships in the future – should ask not only where growth is possible, but also how well the existing setup is equipped for it. Often the greatest potential lies not in the next market, but in the more professional management of existing partnerships.