Industry’s 1st & Best-Selling Channel Manager Training & Certification
Welcome to Chanimal University – the online campus for channel management training. Includes the different Channel Management, Marketing, Sales and elective courses. Chanimal has trained over 10,000 channel managers (from Microsoft, Adobe, VMWare, Citrix, IBM, HP, Autodesk, PAX8, Epson, Apple, Big Commerce, GE, Partner Optimizer, Ingram Micro, NetApp, Cisco, Disney, Dell, Toshiba, and more).
Below are current channel manager training courses accredited by the Channel Advisory Council. They each have a brief description. Click HERE to return to the main Chanimal.com site for a full description (opens in its own window). Click any of the courses below to find out more, enroll and begin.
Industry’s FIRST, #1 Best-Selling Certified Channel Management program. Covers SaaS, Retail, Soho, Enterprise, and Online Channels strategy and core tactics.
Enroll in the free trial. Includes four actual lessons: How to Determine Margins, Elements of a Partner Portal, Orientation Meeting, & Closing Techniques
Special 8 hour self-paced online course is a joint venture between Chanimal & SaaSMAX to learn the fundamentals of building, recruiting and enabling a SaaS channel.
Learn the basics of channel management–enough to know the terms, how to set up, recruiting and enablement. No cost – Apx. 4 hour course. Includes Certificate.
Channel roles, setting internal expectations, territory setup & mgmt, comp plans, sales onboarding, systems, recruiting dialogues, sales skills, model/coaching calls, quotas.
TACTICAL help with set up, agreements, policies, collateral, videos, PRM, portal systems, mass recruiting, onboarding, certification, and operations.
Requires CCM, plus validation of evidence of knowledge & skills. Sample, system, process review. Must demonstrate growth and success. Includes consulting to get it right.
Prerequisite: ALL course, plus adds instructional methodologies, metrics, internal & external consulting techniques.
Learn SaaS channel differences including how to price, set margins, which distributors if any, models - reseller or affiliate, program configuration & recruiting.
Learn the strategy & tactics to setup profitable alliances & OEMs. Plus, how to identify best, recruit & leverage. Includes OEM licensing, negotiating, enabling.
Learn basic to advanced retail channels with POP, ROP, Plan-o-grams, EndCaps, distributor, sell-in strategy, merchandising, retail enablement, online marketplaces.
Basic to Advanced sales training for direct sales of products and professional services--since direct sales is a channel. Includes advanced closing & overcoming objections.
Chanimal University course tutorial. Explains how to enroll, how to navigate the Chanimal University learning center, how to print certificates and more.
Which channel manager training course should I take first?
It is recommended that you take the Certified Channel Manager (CCM) first. It is the most comprehensive channel manager training and gives you most of what channel managers need to succeed with their job (marketing, sales, GM) need). MOST channel managers do about 30% of their job–they don’t know the difference and don’t know what they should be doing better–this is the material used for over a decade to train thousands of channel managers. It is the equivalent of an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree.
Then, I would take the specific discipline that you need the most. Channel Sales and Channel Marketing cover the high-level roles, but both dig DEEP into the hand-to-hand tactics of getting the job done. The specialties would be like a master’s degree level.
In addition, each of the three main courses includes one free elective. You would start with the area you are working on currently–then expand. Being cross-trained in all the disciplines and channel types makes you incredibly mobile within your own company (moving up the ranks, across divisions) and with future companies.
What is the ROI for Certification?
The easiest way to justify the cost for training is to roll the numbers:
The return for channel programs overall is the highest ROI of any marketing activity–so any investment in training typically gets incredible returns. You may want to use this example when trying to convince your management to invest in your training.
I asked ChatGPT, "Why Get Certified?" Response...
I asked ChatGTP the following question (here is the exact response):
Is there a group discount?
Yes. Chanimal University offers the following group discounts for channel manager training courses enrolled from the same company at the same time (percentage discount off the group total):
Please Contact Us for additional questions.
How do I get a refund if I’m not happy with the course?
Any course from Chanimal University includes a rock solid 30-day money back satisfaction guarantee as long as you have not completed more than 50% of the course, and request a refund within 30 days from the day you enrolled. Your refund will be returned in the same manner as your original payment (typically PayPal, VISA, etc.).
Contact Us if you are not completely satisfied for any reason for a full and pleasant refund.
What if I don’t pass the test? Can I re-take it?
Yes. Once you pay for the course you have access to the system and materials for 12 months. You can re-take the test as many times as needed until you know the material well enough to pass the test.
Please contact us if there are unusual circumstances and you need more time.
How and when do I select my FREE elective?
Any of the three MAIN courses (Certified Channel Manager, Certified Channel Sales Manager, and Certified Channel Marketing Manager) is a prerequisite and includes at least ONE free elective. You can also choose to purchase any other elective, or take a different MAIN course and get another elective for free.
When you have completed any of the MAIN courses you can immediately choose and request your elective and it is usually added to your account within minutes if during working hours. You will get an automatic email notifying you the elective has been added to your account, and it will show up in the My Courses section. For any additional electives, you would enroll and pay as normal.
Do the Electives have prerequisite requirements?
Most do. All but the Direct Sales & Services elective courses require that you take any of the MAIN courses since the electives do not contain the baseline (general education) content to be standalone. The main courses include the Certified Channel Manager (CCM), Certified Channel Sales Manager (CCSM), the Certified Channel Marketing Manager (CCMM) and the Certified SaaS Channel Manager (CSCM).
Can I share what I learn?
Yes. It is common for a company to have one person take a workshop and return to train the team (often a multi-part lunch-n-learn). Only the originator can use the online course and only the name of the person who signs up for the course may take the test and receive the certification.
However, each training module includes PowerPoints used in the video material that can be re-purposed to train additional internal team members. The templates can also be edited for internal use–but cannot be used to create other material that is re-sold.
Please remember, all Chanimal University content is copyright.
Do I get an actual certificate?
Yes. When you complete the course you will automatically get a personalized high resolution PDF certificate that you can print and display.
If you are located in the United States, you will also received a high quality 8 1/2 x 11 paper certificate, with an official number and a foil validation seal that is suitable for framing. It should look similar to your online version, but it may have some variations. Physical certifications are usually shipped within 1-2 business days and arrive within 2-5 days. Please make sure you registered with the name you would like on your certificate and your complete and current address.
Sometimes physical certificates can be mailed internationally–but it depends on the country. Some have major “decontamination” delays, or have been returned–typically due to Covid.
Below is a sample of one of the certificates:
Is there a LIVE component?
Yes. The system has a Chat which is LIVE during regular working hours–so you can ask questions and get help and additional resources. You can also schedule a one-on-one for specific questions.
In addition, there is a LIVE one-hour Q&A Lab every Thursday at 2 pm CST (Austin, TX). Just go to GoToMeet.me/TedFinch – no login required. Open session for any questions.
Below are products, channel manager courses, and service reviews. You can also see testimonials HERE at Chanimal.com:
| 5 star | 100% | |
| 4 star | 0% | |
| 3 star | 0% | |
| 2 star | 0% | |
| 1 star | 0% |
Customer Images
This was an amazing course! We are now identifying key alliances, so we can recruit their resellers-and make more money together than separately (as taught in the course). We might even set up a virtual alliance roadshow. Great content!
Patricia Heyssel
Channel Program Manager
FoodChain ID
Overall, I thought the course was very well structured and practical. What I appreciated most is that it does not just stay at a high level. It walks through real frameworks, real numbers, and real execution steps that you can actually apply. The templates and examples made the concepts concrete, especially around margins, ROI, partner levels, and the persuasive document structure.
I also liked how the course builds step-by-step from strategy into operations and then execution. By the end, you are not just learning concepts, you are thinking like a channel manager and understanding how the pieces fit together.
If I had one suggestion, it would be to include a few more quick reference summaries for the key frameworks. The content is strong, but having condensed recap sheets would make review even easier.
The quality of the material is high, practical, and clearly built from real world experience.
The Certified Channel Manager course is extremely practical and execution focused. It provides real frameworks, numbers, and tools that you can immediately apply to build and scale a structured, professional channel program with confidence.
Daniel DeAngelas
Channel Manager
Ontraport
I can’t put a price on the value of his micro-consulting, as we continue to reap benefits of his deliverables and guidance. I’d recommend Ted to anyone looking for assistance with developing a partner program, or just reviewing their overall value proposition!
Marc Villella
CEO & President
GryphonHR
This is a great course with hands-on knowledge and it provide a strong big-picture view of Channel strategy.
Xiofeng Guo
Sales Operation Analyst
NetBrain Technologies
I loved the amount of detail, material and experiences in the course. It should be a must for all channel manager’s curriculum.
Cristián Fuenzalida
Lead Customer Success Manager
OutSystems