Workshop: How to Build a Successful Reseller Channel – Enterprise, Desktop and SaaS
The most comprehensive full-day channel workshop ever! Now includes the Certified Channel Manager certificate.
Where?
- SaaS University Workshops
- Embassy Suites, Seattle/Bellevue
- 3225 158th Avenue SE
- Bellevue, Washington
- 860-663-0552 (to make hotel reservations at facility – mention SaaS University for discount)
When?
- May 23, 2013, 8:30—4:30 pm
Cost?
- Full-Day Workshop cost $799. (Early bird discount – $599 if registered by Friday, May 17th).
- Lunch included
How To Enroll?
- If you are attending the SaaS University sessions (HIGHLY recommend it), then please register through their system at the time of registration. www.softletter.com – then follow the links. Or click on the SaaS University logo on the top of the page.
- If you are not attending the SaaS University, then you can register here (click “Register” button above or below)
Click here to download a PDF brochure for the workshop. Although the PDF says, “SaaS,” it is for both SaaS and Enterprise/Desktop software – about 10% of the material is SaaS specific (and all channel managers should know the difference since it is the fastest-growing segment).
![download_pdf[1]](https://chanimal.com/wp-content/uploads/download_pdf1.webp)
Should You Attend This Workshop?
- Are you trying to create a SaaS or regular reseller program?
- Already have one, but it is not working as well as expected?
- Don’t know what reseller partners value in a partner program?
- Wish you understood how to recruit the best partners?
- Need to know how to jump-start and maximize partner sales once they come on board?
- New to channel management–and trying to make headway, but not moving fast enough?
- Experienced, but want to get updated on the industry best practices and get new ideas to do even better?
Then you need to attend the SoftLetter SaaS Channel Management Seminar, the most comprehensive full-day seminar ever on defining, creating, recruiting, and managing a world-class SaaS channel program!
This Course is Perfect For…
This is for anyone who needs to understand the channel and/or build and manage it, including new or existing CEO’s, Presidents, GM’s, Managing Directors, and all Managers of sales, marketing, channel management, account management, or business development. Great if new or a pro in the channel.
About Your Instructor
Mr. Finch is a former VP of Sales and Marketing with TAC (now called MarketStar), a VP at Goldmine Software, VP at Harcourt, Sr. VP at Motorola, VP at GE, and CEO of Chanimal.com. In addition, he helped form Red Storm Entertainment with Tom Clancy, and led the marketing team that published AOL and Netscape Navigator, the #1 best-selling software in the world at the time.
Mr. Finch sits on the board of advisors of several high-tech start-ups, on the Channel Advisory Council, has spoken at dozens of industry conferences and has been quoted by over 100 publications including PC Magazine, Retail Week, Computer Reseller News, Entrepreneur Magazine, Channel Advocate, Newsweek, & Fortune.
Course Outline
This is not another theoretical, boring monolog on channel management. Instead, it is a practical, hands-on and comprehensive training course showing you exactly how to create a world-class channel program (from scratch, or by refining an existing program) – the same kind of program utilized by many of the world’s most successful channel companies. Your instructor has a dynamic presentation style (he is not boring), with lots of hands-on involvement and dozens of practical examples throughout.
All attendees will get a workbook, plus a CD containing templates, agreements, and samples of everything covered, including the Channel Plan of Action.[divider]
Workshop Agenda
Channel Management Defined (level-set entire group)
- How the direct and indirect reseller channel works
- The reseller continuum and definitions (distributor, partner, MDF, co-op, etc.)
- Which channel to use for your product
- Transitioning from direct to channel
- Minimizing channel conflict
- Roles of channel sales and channel marketing (with org chart/job descriptions)
- Aligning compensation with objectives – samples
- Roll-out phases and typical timelines
Phase One – Defining (or re-defining) a Channel Program
- What resellers look for when selecting a vendor partner
- Elements of an effective world-class program
- Evaluate your current channel program (if available) against best practices
- Competitors channel program (competitive matrix)
- Reseller profiles (type determines features)
- Reseller levels – when applicable and why
- SaaS and wholesale distributors
- Requirements (application, license, training, certification, support)
- Margins and expectations (SaaS differences)
Phase One – Program Setup (deliverables)
- Differences: affiliate, VARs, System Integrators, unique to SaaS
- Reseller portal & PRM’s
- Reseller application – information to capture (profiling)
- Reseller agreements – key elements
- Product sales tools (kits and templates)
- Training and Support
- Lead generation, lead policies
- Sales assistance
- Deal registration
- The critical first 90 Days
Phase Two – Recruiting a Channel (strategy)
- Decisions – do it yourself or outsource?
- Differences by country and regional
- Two-tier versus one-tier distribution
- Navigating distribution agreements
- Refining the reseller profile
- Best sources to find resellers
- Guerrilla / Chanimal approaches to recruiting
- Competitors & Alliances
- Recruiting – what really works
- Alternate channels – affiliates
Phase Two – Recruiting Tactics
- Database & PRM’s
- Software to capture names
- Direct response format (e-mails, postcards)
- Persuasive Format
- Phone Dialogues
- Roadshows (alliances)
- Advertising (VAR Business, etc.)
Phase Three – Enablement (initiating sales)
- Differences by channel type
- A well-positioned product
- The all powerful “Recommendation Rate”
- NFR (access for a SaaS product)
- 4 P Orientation (product, portal, plan, process)
- Reseller training
- Certification programs
- Regular communications & promotions (leads)
Channel Management – Ongoing 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
Refining Your Program – Putting It All Together
- Creating a reseller partner council
- Ongoing recruiting – replacing non-producers
- The plan of action – details with timelines
- Q & A to address all remaining channel questions
Channel Operations
- CRMs, PRMs, other Software
- Industry ratios, timelines, expectations
- Channel Collateral (PowerPoints, Competitive Matrix, Price List, Policies (lead, deal reg, NFR, etc.), Agreement
- Resources (websites, rep firms (Retail to System Integrator), software, research, publications, consultants, partner promotions, reseller training, etc.
In addition, there will be an online section on Channel Sales 101 (for Channel Sales and Channel Marketing) that is part of the Certified Channel Manager requirements.
[divider]This is one of the most comprehensive one-day channel courses ever offered. Be prepared for a high-speed, fire hydrant delivery, with a density of information that will make your head spin. Fortunately, the workbook contains every slide and has lines for copious notes—so bring a full ink pen!
New! Now you can also access the online Learning Management System (LMS) to review the same material, interact and ask questions afterward to ensure you learned the material. And, when ready–you can then take the included quizzes, per-test and final exam and get your Certified Channel Manager certification.
You will sit with one of the industry’s top channel masters and learn more information that will help you build a successful SaaS channel in one day than you could get from years of trying it yourself—it is the ultimate Channel Boot (or Re-Boot Camp for those trying to refine their existing program).
Sign up Today!
This workshop is hands-on and personal, so enrollment is very limited. Sign up today to ensure your spot. Discounts are offered for multiple attendees from the same company (to level-set your entire team). Requires a special discount code (call or e-mail to get a quick response with the codes).
- Register at www.softletter.com (click on the SaaS University link, select the Channel Management Workshop if attending the conference)
- Register here if you are not attending the SaaS University, but still want to attend the Channel Management Workshop.
[divider]Questions and Answers
How does the Certified Channel Manager program integrate with the workshop?
The material we cover at the workshop is comprehensive enough to help you pass the channel marketing portion of the certification program. However, there is also a sales component (since some are channel sales managers (help the resellers learn to sell the product, joint calls, model calls, etc.) and others are channel marketing managers (much like regional marketing managers–and the resellers are your regional sales offices). Some are both.
Regardless, both roles work with salespeople (resellers) so everyone needs to know and relate to sales and sales management skills since much of what is done is connected with sales management (even if the reseller is the one that closes the sale). The sales component is only available online (not enough time to cover in a one-day workshop), but it is easy to follow, and has pre-testing after each section to ensure you know your material.
In addition, the certification test has a pre-test so you can see how you might do and go back to review any weak areas–before taking the official final test. You can always retake the test again until you pass it, but there is a $65 testing fee (your first test is included with the enrollment).
How Can I Justify This Workshop?
It can take you months to figure out how to define a reseller program (versus one hour after the course), and you can stumble around with levels, deal registration, lead policies, reseller agreements, MDF, NFR policies, reseller margins, and portals forever. Or you might be trying to model it after one that could even be a bad program (or one that is mature and has barriers to entry that you don’t want)–and not even know the difference, and still not get it right.
Or let’s say you’ve got it defined, but then you don’t know how to recruit, don’t understand why resellers don’t sign up (where a few tips will bring them right in), or they sign up and then they don’t sell. Or they won’t complete your deal registration, won’t follow your lead policies, and finally just ignore your e-mails and calls.
You will learn in one day, the most important concepts that took years to master. Plus, if the average reseller generates $20k per year (my avg was $100k), then you’ll pay for the cost of the workshop 25 times over–with just ONE new reseller partner. Now what if you recruited 20 new resellers? Channel marketing is the most highly leveraged activity that gets the greatest return for any dollar I’ve ever spent.
I’d make that investment any day.
In addition, an experienced channel manager only has to learn a few new concepts that will help him increase loyalty, recruit more, or retain a single productive partner–to pay for the entire workshop multiple times over. Plus, he can become a Certified Channel Manager–validating his knowledge and skills for his current and future employers.
Get Certified
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Call or e-mail if you have ANY questions.
Click here to download a PDF brochure for the conference.
