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Great Partner Training Software – The Key to Partner Management

Build Your Partner Program on Optimized Training

Recruiting partners is one thing. Keeping them happy, engaged, and productive is a separate, arguably more important thing. It’s not as simple as giving a reseller the green light and expecting them to start raking in the cash. They need to know what they’re selling, how to sell it, and where they can find the right markets. That’s why it’s crucial to have an effective partner training program supported with user-friendly software.

A partner training program is a system of tools and resources your partners can use to learn about the products they’re expected to sell. A good partner training program will include text documents, how-tos, audio and video lessons, webinars, and even some face-to-face meetings.

 

It should be available through a single partner portal that provides all the training, support, and marketing information your partners need in order to be successful. Your choice in software should include a search function that lets partners find specific content themes in mere seconds. Additionally, you should be able to sort training materials into multi-tiered curriculums so onboarding partners will always know the “next step.”

Training is just one part of a larger project, enablement is the name of the long-term game. In order to enable your partners, you need to have systems and processes in place to do so before you even begin onboarding partners. Good partner training software can help forge the relationships you need while keeping you and your partners’ goals on track.

Content: Anytime, Anywhere

No matter what your partner portal strategy is, homegrown or PRM, it needs to present content and information in a way that syncs up with your partners’ needs. They should be able to access content anytime, anywhere. Some partners are more independent than others, but it’s your job as the vendor to facilitate whatever work habits and preferences they may have. Allowing them to access training materials on the go, in the office, or at home—online or offline—makes their job easier and encourages them to keep you as a vendor.

If you’re to be successful you need to be evolving—always. Your product, market position, and sales strategy need to be constantly adapting not only to the business environment but also to your own place within it. That means your partner training program needs to be evolving as well.

One way to ensure continual improvement and adaptation is to have a comprehensive set of sales playbooks that mirror real-world job conditions. Immersive, realistic training models prepare partners and help them solve sales situations before they happen. Constant improvement starts and ends with training and education. You want to cultivate a culture of learning and growth not just to enable your partners but to keep your own organization competitive as well. It’s the only way to foster success in the long-term.

Scalable Growth Made Possible

A channel sales program with only a few partners can have a channel manager manually fulfill requests and training. But what happens when the number of participants grows? Your partner management software automates repetitious PRM tasks and communication, maximizing efficiency. This frees channel managers up to pursue new prospects, improve training content, and manage a greater number of relationships.

 

The Makings of a Good Partner Training and Management Software

PRM software can, and will, take your partner training and learning programs to the next level. Although, not all partner relationship management tools are the same, and PRM isn’t always a perfect fit for your company. Here’s a quick list of what your partner portal should entail:

1. Simplified onboarding processes – No sales partner wants to spend hours or even days jumping through logistical hoops when they could be spending that time making sales. Getting up to speed and joining your network should be an easy-to-follow process. Choose a partner training platform that guides beginners with behavior-triggered notifications, dynamic access levels based on training participation, and an overall intuitive layout. 

2. Course creation and customization – You should be able to create, customize, and share educational courses with your partners to keep them up-to-date. Otherwise, you’re working within a preset framework that doesn’t account for the unique circumstances of each business.

3. Partner certifications – Training certifications and accreditations accomplish a couple of things: They help keep partners engaged, promoting a documented connection to your organization and the larger industry you represent. They also help provide you with key metrics for measuring partner compliance, progress, and performance.

4. Quizzes for sales reps – Similar to a certification program, marketing quizzes can help inform partners and vendors how well individual sales representatives are trained on your product. They can also help engage partners and keep them involved with your organization and market offering.

5. Gamification – Introduce some level of competition, point scoring, or other game mechanics to the partner experience. This helps engage partners while also educating them and enabling them to drive sales.

 

6. Engagement and deal tracking – Your choice of partner training and management software should record and visualize program data to help inform your decisions. For instance, Channel Insights from Allbound reveals which partners actively participate in trainings, your current pipeline status, how marketing spending ties to deals, and other crucial learnings. This data reveals which partners may be struggling versus a waste of time, as well as which content strategies yield the best results.

PRM software with a comprehensive partner training program can help mature your channel marketing strategy, putting you on the same page as the big players. By cultivating an experience that enables partners while also educating them, you give your resellers greater opportunities to forge markets and sell products.

Learn more about how PRM software can support partner training and sales or Request a Demo

to explore the Allbound platform’s many capabilities.

Ali Spiric

Marketing Specialist at Allbound
Ali Spiric leads Allbound’s content marketing to cultivate awareness for the ultimate PRM solution. Ali is a digital marketer that thrives in the B2B space.