Description
Industry’s FIRST, #1 Best-Selling Channel Management Training & Certified Channel Manager program (with over 10,000 channel managers trained). Covers SaaS, Software, Hardware, Retail, Soho, Enterprise, and Online Channels strategy and core tactics.
Click HERE (opens in own window) for a detailed description and course outline. Click HERE to view more in-depth review from one of the Channel Managers who took the new ONLINE course.
Certified Channel Management Training
This channel management training is one of the MAIN courses to be a Certified Channel Manager, for channel sales, channel marketing, AE’s, Managers, Directors and VP’s who are responsible for overall Channel Management.
“Great education – unbelievable depth of content here. It is more than just a certificate – It is an MBA in the channel!” Jay McBain, Principal Analyst – Forrester (2021 Channel Influencer of the Year)
It is the most comprehensive channel management training and covers channel sales, channel marketing, and channel operations. It contains the core curriculum and is typically the first course taken for all channel management.
Click HERE to see a PDF (opens in its own window) that compares the different Certification Courses.
Problems
- You’re new to the channel–and need to know what and how to do your new job
- You’ve done sales, but never touched the channel. Or, you did channel marketing–but need to know how it works with channel sales
- Or, you were in SMB, and need to know how the enterprise channel works (or vice-versa)
- Perhaps you lead the entire global organization and need to level-set all your teams
- Maybe you’re a channel superstar, and cover channel marketing and channel sales, so you’re looking for new ideas to hit your numbers
Perhaps you should consider…
Solution – Channel Management Training
Certified Channel Management training, by Chanimal University ™, the industry’s first institution to offer accredited channel certifications, and is the most widely-used global training and standards organization over the last two decades–having trained over TEN THOUSAND channel manager professionals from some of the tech industry’s most successful Fortune 500 companies (Intel, Microsoft, Apple, Toshiba, VMWare, Epson, IBM, plus folks from tons of start-ups).
All courses are reviewed by the Channel Advisory Council which sets industry standards for channel management training. All courses teach toward those standards.
Course Outline – Certified Channel Management Training
1) Channel Management Defined
- Industry terminology
- Direct vs Indirect Channels – Why Use a Channel?
- Reseller continuum – models by type
- Purpose for distributors – Pros & Cons
- Alternative channels (Affiliate, OEM, Alliances, Affiliate Publishers)
- Channel by product type & geography
- Competitive channel analysis – Best practice
2) Preparing Your Company & Management for Change
- Channel Success & Failures
- Educating Management – Proper Expectations
- Channel Mentality – Us vs Them
- Smooth Transition from direct to channel
- Areas of Control vs Influence
- Roles of channel sales & channel marketing
- Minimizing channel conflict
- Aligning Channel Compensation – models
- Roll-out phases and typical timelines
3) Phase I – Defining (or re-defining) Channel Program – Elements
- Four phases of a channel program
- What resellers look for when selecting a vendor partner
- Partner Program Checklist
- Levels – purpose, delineators
- Portal, Matrix, White Papers, PowerPoint, Forum, Collateral
- Tech & Sale Support (training, evals, RMA, Configurator, Certification)
- Lead Gen – leads, Bud desk, Reseller Locator
- Policies: Leads, MDF/Co-op, Certification, NFR
- Deal Reg – vs Territories
- Requirements & Partner Experience
4) Phase II (Part I) – Program Setup (systems, policies, process)
- Partner profile, type (vertical, affiliate, lifetime deals, online-retail-VAR-MSP-SI, OEM)
- Portal / PRM – how to select, set up, key elements
- Reseller application – information to capture (partner profiling)
- Reseller & Distributor Agreements – key elements
- Policies: Leads, MDF/Co-op, Locator, Deal Registration, NFR, RMA
- NFR process, special promotions, jump-start
- Reseller Type/levels/Margins & How to Pay
5) Phase II (Part 2) – Content – Overview
- Competitive Matrix
- Product positioning (3-5 reasons to buy)
- Persuasive document – How to Articulate
- PowerPoint – Reseller specific
- 25/50/100 word description
- Market Info, Graphics, white papers, case studies, videos
- Pricing and Price List – Margin details, how to pay
- Demo Scripts – Product & Portal
- SEO – landing page
- Training & Certification
- Retail (Kits: sell sheets, disti numbers, POP, specials)
6) Phase III (Part 1) – Recruiting (Strategy)
- Decisions – do it yourself or outsource? Pros/Cons
- Affiliate Publisher Models (Netscape, AOL)
- Aggregators
- Navigating distribution agreements
- Creating the reseller profile (Ideal Partner Profile (IPP))
- Partner Optimizer – perfect matchmaking
- Guerilla/Chanimal approaches to recruiting
- Competitors & Alliances
- Recruiting – what really works
- Alternate channels – affiliates, retail, OEM, rep firms
7) Phase III (Part 2) – Recruiting (Tactics)
- Building Your Database
- Best sources to find resellers
- Software to capture names
- Direct response format (e-mails, postcards)
- Persuasive Format – articulate / examples
- Recruiting national and Regional
- Recruiting independents – Marketing campaigns
- Email, PR, Advertising, Direct Response, Events
- Roadshows (alliances)
- One-on-one phone dialogues
8) Phase III (Part 3) – Recruiting Alternative Channels
- Agents
- Major Accounts (Accenture, IBM Services, CapGemini, CDW)
- Original Equipment – OEM
- LifeTime Deals
- Distributors & Market Places
- Retail (local, regional, national)
- Online resellers & Mail Order
- Affiliate Recruiting
- Alliances – as a channel
9) Phase IV (Part 1) – Enablement
- Channel Care vs Neglect
- Initial Onboarding – Follow-up Worksheet (Tracking)
- Acceptance process
- Orientation Meeting – How to Get Attendance
- Marketing Meeting – Plan of Action
- SEO Landing Page & Email Campaign
- Quarterly promotions & Thank You responses
- Newsletters and Promotions
- Refine Levels, set Quotas & Certification
- Ongoing Training – Product, Sales, Marketing
10) Phase IV (Part 2) – Channel Motivation
- Three phases of a new reseller
- Creating loyalty within the channel
- What works – spiffs, rebates, contest, NFR’s
- Field Management – model calls & coaching calls
- The Game of Work – tracking
- Integration – inside sales, field sales, FAE’s, channel sales
- Channel maturity – weeding out non-producers
- Increasing dedication & barriers to entry
11) Refining or Fixing Your Program
- 360 Review Analysis
- Creating & leveraging a reseller partner council
- Ongoing recruiting – replacing non-producers
- The plan of action – details with timelines
- Q & A to address common channel questions
12) Channel Sales – Overview
- Prospecting
- The Approach & Voice Mail
- Presentation Skills & Persuasive Demos
- Group Presentations
- Price Savings Build-Up
- 3rd Person Selling
- Closing Techniques
- Overcoming Objections
- Sales Management (quotas, game of work, goals, motivation)
13) Channel Operations
- CRMs, PRMs, other Software Systems
- Industry ratios, time lines, expectations (Accenture 2017 study)
- Forecasting models
- Budgets
- ROI – Channel Program, Training
14) Resources (for You & Partners)
- Websites
- Rep Firms – Retail to System Integrators
- Software
- Research & Publications
- Consultants
- Reseller Training
I really loved the recruiting part and when it comes to channel enablement. All the Excel sheets and provided data was helpful in setting up the channel plan.
Sara Othman
Partner Manager
Autodesk
One of the best certification courses out there! So detailed and includes so many extra resources– it is set up to really help you succeed. I loved that everything was easily digestible and broken down.
Sierra Escobedo
Marketing Manager
I liked the way it was set up. It’s easy to find everything. I like that all the course documents are in one zip file so if I missed anything, I can get it easily.
Patricia Hayssel
Marketing Manager
Great work! Wow!
Thank you for your diligence in preparing this expansive body of work. You are an expert Chanimal and it shows.
Things I liked:
– Great real life examples
– Wide breadth of topics covered
– Wide breadth of templates
– Great website to reference further reading
– Great organization. Easy to refer back at a later date
Things to consider:
– Some of the content is dated. It happens, I get it. A few post script add-ons would go a long way. I’d bet you could get some of our friends in the channel community to record them too!
– Lacked content on Cloud GTM… now one of the largest partner GTMs.
– I could have benefited from more content focused on my line of work – Enterprise SaaS. You did work it in through out.. But I could have benefited from more focus on this.
– I would have liked to see more about actively managing the partners and making them successful in Year 2 and beyond of the partnership. The Definition through enablement focus was great and I will surely be using it in future program building roles. However, I could have also benefited from lessons on how to develop partnerships further after your first $1M in sales together (how to keep them happy long term).
Thanks again, Ted. I am truly grateful for all the work you put into this. And the breadth of the content you were willing to share. I would have been happy with 1/10 of this. And I’m now eager to take more of your courses.
Hope we can get connected on LinkedIn.
Wishing you and your family the best during the holiday season!
Cheers,
Ryan LaCourse
Partner Sales & Alliances Director
Traceable
I just obtained the Channel Manager certification. This is a great course for a professional to develop, manage, and scale a large channel program with affiliates, resellers, distributors, and alliance partners. It’s like an MBA in the Channel!
Francesco Murgia
Global Strategic Alliances
Quest Software
Refreshingly sprinkled with a good amount of humor to keep it from being monotonous, this program starts with high level topics like jargon and vocabulary and quickly moves on to much more in-depth and almost tactical advice on best practices.
Don’t even get me started on the resources provided: over 275mb of sample documents, spreadsheets, collateral – basically a nearly complete channel program in a box ready to be customized and deployed. In addition to this, tons of links to articles, examples, and outside resources are provided.
Ted’s delivery is such that case studies seem more like a warm personal story (they often are) than boring corporate copy. When combined with all the pre-built resources, tips, and best practices, it really feels like you’ve got the benefit of Ted being right there as an advisor.
Based on talking with a large number of really amazing and hard-working channel managers I’ve met while working at my current company, I’m sure it is a challenging role. I couldn’t even wrap my head around some of the issues people would encounter. Chanimal makes it seem a whole lot easier, and easier to understand.
Definitely a great investment and a quality service.
Dominick Bruno
Tackle.io
The course itself had great content and pacing but the real gem is the outstanding amount of support material available for future reference. Truly worth the investment.
Paul MacCready
Great program! I really loved the general sales training toward the end, it reaffirmed lessons I had learned long ago but was done with much refinement. Great stuff!
Scott Pqquette
Channel Manager
IBASIS
Wonderful content and easy to follow. The resources are invaluable and I appreciated that I could download the slides while the presentation was going so I can read in lieu of listening or listen and read. Very flexible delivery format. The additional course that is gifted to graduates is truly appreciated as we do have specific industry needs and that more detailed presentation will be tremendously helpful. Thank you for sharing your talents and gifts Ted! Oh and another thing… you are funny! You made the experience fun and your stories are truly epic!
Alison Kravchuk, CEO
Living Legacy Consultancy
Fractional Sales Management Services
Awesome and engaging course content throughout the program! Very thankful that Ted was willing to compile all of this information while keeping the course fresh and entertaining. His real-world experience shines through in so many units, highly recommend to anybody looking for a fresh perspective on the channel and how to build one effectively.
Jordan Miller
Account Manager
ValuSource
The most comprehensive and powerful channel training that I have ever seen. Decades of best practices made digestible for channel pros at every level!
Luke Gunter
Vice President Sales & Marketing
After previously taking a Channel Management training at another vendor I kept thinking: “There should be more..” And I found it here. The amount of content and tools provide multiple ways of addressing any channel situation when working in this industry. I almost look forward to setting a channel up from scratch now or engage in channel conflict 😉
The sheer amount of content is dazzling, the depth is amazing. Great new insights and a ton of new inspiration to work with. Thanks Ted!
Frans Kurvers
Partner Manager
Boltrics
The course kept me engaged with its entertaining approach while providing a wealth of knowledge. Real-life examples effectively reinforced concepts, and I am excited to apply my newfound knowledge. I only wish I enrolled myself earlier!
Matt Aronson
Channel Manager
Sky Payments Group
The Chanimal Course exceeded my expectations with its clear, user-friendly approach. Each lesson was easy to understand, and the provided materials were invaluable for reinforcement. The ability to adjust video playback speed and download all materials in an organized file made learning effortless. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to enhance their skills in channel management.
Jacob Aronson
Channel Sales
Pair Payment Group
The course had really helpful, and easy to understand. I liked the user-friendly approach. Learning was effortless. They gave us materials right after each lesson, and when it ended, we could easily download all the materials in an organized file. Also, you can speed up the videos if want to learn even faster, which is cool. Overall, the course made learning easy and enjoyable. I’m excited to use what I learned in my future projects!
Marianne Melo
Channel Marketing
Sky Payments Group
The course had incredibly useful material and was very intuitive and easy to follow. I am a channel chief at my current company and have already been able to adopt many of the lessons learned from the course into my everyday life.
Frank Seltzer
Channel Chief
Cloudli Communications
I am excited to go back through these and apply the information. Learning it without the application and “seeing” it in person for me doesn’t work as well as actually doing it. Another thing that might make it more interactive is showing you live going to do some of these things. I have taken other courses that are slightly more engaging because of this piece. I am open to sharing some examples of this with you if you would like.
Overall, amazing content! Thank you!
Brandon Zayhowski
Channel Manager
AeroClave
As a tenured Channel professional for 20+ years, I finally made the time to complete this certification. I found the course to be a great opportunity for honing my skills and learning many new things to help perfect my craft. Ted runs a great program and is a wonderful resource for support and offers a wealth of knowledge to anyone in the industry.
Thanks Ted!
Trish Riling
CEO
Grititude, LLC (Channel Consulting)
I really enjoyed the content of this course. The course is structured so you continuously build off of previous lessons and by the end I feel confident that I can successfully run my company’s channel program.
Gabe Davis
Channel Manager
Cinch.io
This is an IN-DEPTH course that bridges the gap between theory and practical implementation of effective strategies. All strategies are based on data and years of experience in the field. You get insights into Ted’s specialized expertise in Channel Marketing with a virtual TON of resources. Highly highly recommended!
Joanna Ellis
Channel Manager
High Level Marketing
Loved this course. So much in-depth knowledge about Channel Managing and I learnt a lot. There is more than just one way to do my job and they just showed me how. Looking forward to putting this into my job and helping increase sales and opportunities.
Rob Bolt
Auto-ID Channel Manager
Toshiba
Thank you so much! This was so helpful – a refresher and completely new information rolled into one great course! I appreciate the course being interactive. I also enjoy how informational it is, without seeming too overwhelming.
Samantha Hart
Channel Sales
TouchPlan
Great way to get acquainted with the channel world and use a step-by-step guide to start a program from scratch!
Casey Clark
Mobile Mind
This is the 2nd time I have had the privilege to work with Ted, on both occasions he led us to victory!! This time around I took the Certified Channel Manager course and it was so practical and useful that I would recommend it to anyone who wants to be successful (no matter how much experience in the field you have), because THERE WILL BE SOMETHING YOU CAN LEARN!
Ted thank you very much!!! I hope to stay connected to you both personally and in my growing career.
Tony Burgireno
Channel Sales Manager
HIGHLY recommend! The Channel Management Certification created by Ted Finch is a must whether you want a career in Channel Management or have been working in Channel Management for years – you’ll absolutely gain more knowledge, expertise, and an abundance of resources through this program, regardless of your experience level.
The best part? Every module is engaging thanks to Ted’s level of charisma, knowledge, and expertise – you just want to keep learning!
I’m looking forward to acquiring additional certifications with Chanimal University!
Imogen Fannon