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Partner Training 101: How To Develop Your Channel Partners

Feb 13, 2023

For your company to grow beyond the resources you have and your team, you need partnership. In order to create successful partnerships, you need partner training. If you're selling products or offering services via affiliates, value-added resellers (VARs) and indirect (third-party) suppliers as well as service suppliers, you can't assume that your partners will successfully market your products and deliver services in the absence of proper education.

Failing to provide proper education for your channel partners to effectively help and guide your channel partners can result in less sales and shorter customers' lives. How can you make sure that your channel partners benefit the most benefit from their training?

Read on to find out the essential information you should learn about training for partners. This article will cover the topics to incorporate into your program of training and ways to gauge its success. Plus, we'll provide tips about how you can keep your participants engaged and engaged during the course of your training.

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What Is Partner Training and Why Is It Important to organizations and companies?

The training of channel partners is a worthwhile investment because strong partnerships allow you to get in touch with more potential clients and expand your customer base quicker. Additionally, they gain access to market opportunities and channels that you may not already have access to, channel partners are often more cost-effective than relying solely on the sales and marketing efforts.

Training of your partners will ensure that your channel partners are knowledgeable regarding your services and products which allows you to be at ease with them being the additional image of your business. Investing in training builds relations between the channel partners and you that encourage your channel partners to increase sales of your product and deliver a higher quality service.

The most popular methods to educate channel partners is through web-based courses or webinars. Online learning has several advantages that include tracking progress, as well as ensuring that participants remain engaged with the material. It also provides the most cost-effective method to learn as it's a multi-to-one solution instead of one-to-one sessions.

   Your Partner's Training Options  

The format of your channel partner training will depend on your industry the size of your team, its budget and other resources. If you are in a competitive industry it will require closer relations with your channel partners, so investing in ongoing training is beneficial to your company.

   Training remotely  

Since you can easily update the LMS resources, remote learning helps ensure that the partners remain up-to-date on the latest product information and updates. Training for channel partners via LMS can be a flexible and efficient option to both the parties involved and can be adapted to fit a variety of schedules and learning styles.

   Training on-site  

Another popular channel partner training strategy is classroom-based training. The training is conducted on site and usually requires channel partners to spend several days or even weeks studying about the product or service. Learning on-site is a great method to impart in-depth product knowledge and build connections with partners face-to-face.

By carefully selecting the appropriate form of channel partner training will give you a simpler means of communicating, enhance understanding of the product of the product and establish profitable connections between your channel partner.

Selecting the Best Type of Partner Training for your business

A single size doesn't fit all when it comes to the training of channel partners. In order to ensure your partner are getting the best they can from their training it is important to pick an educational management software (LMS) that fits the particular requirements of the business model you're operating.

Here are some factors to consider when choosing an LMS for channel partner training:

  • Scale the number of channel partners do you have? If you've got a huge variety of partners, then your LMS must be able to accommodate all of your users.
  • Training requirements: What type of training do your channel partners require? Each channel partner's training will involve some element of audio, video, or text-based materials. Training may also include a testing component to complete before moving onto the next section So make sure you have the appropriate controls on your platform.
  • Integration Do you know if the LMS connect to your current software? Check to see if the LMS you pick can connect to your CRM or ERP as well as other systems.
  • Support Do the LMS provider provide customer service? It is important to ensure that you get assistance by the LMS supplier if the users or you run into tech issues.

Tips for Implementing and Making the Most of Your Partner Training Programm

A channel partner program will help expand your reach into new regions while decreasing costs and the duration required to promote and sell your product or services. Therefore, it's worth it to plan ahead to create a robust education program.

If you are implementing a partnership training program, be sure to keep these guidelines in mind:

   Plan out your channel partner training program  

First and foremost, it's essential to have a clear channel partner plan. It will help ensure that the program is in line with your overall business goals. Outline the criteria of the partnership. What kinds of companies would you like to work with? What are the prerequisites for a strong partnership?

   Select the right learning platform that meets your requirements  

When you've put a strategy in place, you'll need to choose the appropriate learning management system (LMS). There are a variety of LMS platforms on the market which is why it's essential to choose one that will fit the needs of your customers.

   Develop your interactive, engaging training materials  

Once you have the LMS set up Once you have it in place, you are able creating your own partner training programmes. It's important to create engaging and interactive programs, since this helps partners retain the information they've been taught. This should include product training as well as marketing and sales training. You should adapt your training according to the needs of each participant and their interests.

   Determine the return on investment of your training programs  

Define your goals and objectives. What do you hope to accomplish through the channel partner program? What are your most important performance indicators (KPIs)? Don't forget to measure the results of your programmes. By tracking key metrics, you'll be in a position to continually improve the training of your partners and make sure they are providing benefits to your business.

The Bottom Line on the Training of Your Channel Partners to Successfully Sell and Deliver Your Products and Services

The partners of your business or company need adequate training for them succeed in selling your products and delivering your services. The training program should include all aspects of the product from its overview to tutorials and sales techniques.

You must ensure that you offer enough training so that partners feel at ease selling your products and services. Also, don't forget to revise your training curriculum when your products or services develop.

An LMS is a great option to supply your clients with all the support they need to succeed. It must include product information, training materials, marketing collateral, tools for sales as well as other. If you have the best online learning platform in place, you can train your employees effectively, and assist to sell more of their products, boosting your bottom line.

Now that you know what it takes to create a robust channel partner training strategy, you're now ready to improve your course on one of the LMS platform.

Download our free template for channel partners onboarding and begin training your channel partners today.