To ensure the success of channel partnership and your channel sales strategy, you need more than simply recruiting the best resellers or partners. The most crucial aspect of successful channel marketing is the training and certification process of your channel partners. Developing an effective partner training program and offering a good incentive package is something that can make or break channel partnerships.Benefits of training and certification programs• Training and partner certification programs not only benefit your customers, but also enable your channel partners to provide value-added services to steal an edge over their competitors.• Certification guarantees that your channel partners and reseller network has the credentials required to provide quality service and products.• Partner training can be customized to suit your and your partners' requirements. You can choose from online learning sessions via your website to real time sessions in the office.Training program must-havesAn effective partner training program should include the following components in order to be successful. • Product InformationYour salespeople need to be thoroughly aware and updated about the functionality, specifications and design of your product. Ideally, this information should be easily available through various sources such as manuals, partner portals, demo videos, as well as hands-on training sessions.• Customer InformationHowever, just knowing the specifications of a product won't be of much use. Your partners also need to be aware of the context in which the product is being sold. For instance, if you are selling a laptop and the buyer happens to be a graphics designer, the reseller should be aware that a good graphics card and a high resolution screen would be very important for this particular buyer.• CompetitionEach brand has its competitors that offer similar features and pricing. Your sales people should be aware of the differences between your product and your competitors'. This is a key element of successful sales.All the above pointers should be kept in mind while designing a partner certification and training program.

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