If you sell through a channel, chances are you're providing some type of product training. Whether you’re using manufacturer’s reps, your own sales teams, or bringing people to a central location for in-person training, you probably aren't completely sure you are reaching everyone. Or worse, you don’t know if that training is working. Make sure you channel program is effective. This presentation by Talented Learning & BlueVolt covers: • what it means to have a channel certification program • why you should seriously consider one • how you can make it happen.

1. How to Build a Channel Certification Program
November 19, 2014
With special guest:
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2. Today’s Presenters
Kelley Shirazi Lunceford
Director of Sales
BlueVolt
John Leh
CEO & Lead Analyst
Talented Learning
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3. •Extended enterprise (EE) learning news, research and consulting
•Founded in 2014 --Independent analysts
•Experts on the business of training
•Research vendors, technology and best practices
•Weekly blog and webinar on all things EE Learning
Who is Talented Learning?
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4. Today’s Agenda
•Introductions
•Channel Certification Overview
•Business Impact of Certification
•3 Channel Certification Case Studies
•Building Your Channel Certification Program
•Q&A
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5. A Channel by Any Other Name
•Dealers
•Resellers
•Wholesalers
•Manufacturing representatives
•Distributors
•Franchises
•Agents
•Retailers
Who’s Your Channel?
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6. What is Channel Certification?
•External sales and distribution channel
•Knowledge assessment
•Many forms from ILT to manuals
•Combination of marketing and education
•Product, features, benefits, procedures
•Measurement of business impact
RamanathanKathiresan, Flikr
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7. Training vs. Certification?
Training
Certification
Website orportal
Learning ManagementSystem (LMS)
Instructor-led
eLearning and multi-medium
Self-service
Prescriptivelearning paths
No tracking
Knowledge assessment
Unmeasurable
Impacts the business
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8. Business Impact of Channel Certification
•Increase channel partner sales
•Create a new revenue stream from selling certifications
Make Money
Save Money
Shorten Cycle Times
•Decrease training costs with greater efficiency
•Decrease customer support calls
•Decrease time to market on product launches
•Decrease time to proficiency for channel partners
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9. Three Types of Channel
Employee
Uncaptured
Captured
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10. External Channel vs. Employee Learners
Must value content
Purchase content
Multiple content sources
Unknown access points
Do not hate taking content
Channel
Take assigned content
Content is due
Corporate LMS
Single sign on
Content is worth hating
Employee
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11. Case Study 1:Industrial Buyers Consortium
A dynamic national buying and marketing group for independent distributors and manufacturers of industrial, construction and manufacturing supplies.
Channel Type: Buying Group
Business Challenge: Show value-add to distributor members and suppliers; demonstrate growth and profitability for both groups through IBC University online course usage.
Their Solution: Using data from IBC University, they tracked a distributor members purchases from a preferred supplier, both before and after that distributor completed suppliers training courses.
Implementation Impact:
•The distributor was able to increase 2ndquarter purchases 86%.
•After taking online courses posted by the supplier, their purchases increased in late Q2 and Q3 by 476%!
•IBC verified this massive increase with the supplier 11

12. Case Study 2:BroanNuTone
Leading HVAC manufacturer providing cutting edge, forward-thinking residential ventilation products, customized climate, communications and storage solutions
Channel Type: Manufacturer with multiple channel partners
Business Challenge: To meet stringent code requirements, they developed a revolutionary new fan, ULTRA. With a fast production time and multiple distributors to train, they needed to get information to their channel quickly.
Their Solution: Instead of demos and lunch-n-learns, Broan-NuTone’sULTRA training program was delivered through a series of 12 webcasts over nine days, effectively reaching more than 1,800 people.
Implementation Impact:
•Broan-NuTone commanded a sold-out position shortly after the launch due to unexpected demand for their product
•More profitable sales results
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13. Case Study 3:IDC-USA
Cooperative owned by local independent distributors in MRO and power transmission
Channel Type: Co-op
Business Challenge: Helping independent distributors remain competitive in the changing technology landscape, become a valued business partner to manufacturers and suppliers, and capture greater shareholder value.
Their Solution:
Implementation Impact:
•IDC Preferred Suppliers experienced a 23% increase in sales during the first six months following the launch of their first IDC University Online training module.
•They continue to see growth and shared prosperity as a result of online training
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14. Three Steps to Channel Certification
•Assemble sales and marketing content
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Two
Three
•Deploy via a Learning Management System (LMS)
•Create a measurable business case
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15. Assemble Sales and Marketing Content
•Leverage internal sales and product content
•Use everything you have in every medium
•Formal and informal learning
•Virtual classrooms are one of the easiest
•Create assessments
•Group content by job, product, competency
•Invest in an authoring tool
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16. Can I Use an Employee LMS for the Channel?
•Maybe!
•Does your LMS have the needed features?
•Politically, can you get it prioritized?
•Is it affordable?
•Is there sharing of content?
•Is it secure?
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17. What Do We Need for Voluntary Users?
Top 10 Channel LMS Features
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18. #10: Easy to Use
•50% marketing / 50% Learning
•Like Amazon, eBay and Facebook
•Easy-to-use or won’t come back
•Fast
•Obvious
•Globalized
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19. # 9: Cloud-Based
•No set-up
•Start small
•Guaranteed service levels
•No internal IT costs or involvement
•Pay for what you need
•Automatic upgrades
•Grow ecosystems
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20. #8: API Integration
•APIs to integrate into existing ecosystem
•LMS is not an island nor a destination
•Content and functionality in other systems
•CRMs, ERP, customer support applications, product
•Virtual tools, social networks, taxation, content
•Accreditation bodies
LMS
CRM
Portal
Virtual
Social
ERP
Content
Reporting
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21. #7: Mobile Delivery
•Voluntary users are on laptops, tablets and smartphones
•Mobile responsive changes layout
•Mobile display provides a streamlined experience
•No squinting and scrolling!
•Content plus LMS need to be mobile
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22. #6: Rewards
•Educational approach to motivate students
•Entice users to return
•Accumulate points, awards and rewards
•Conduct promo campaigns
•Gift cards, debit cards, products or content
•Gamification awards are nice –awards you can spend are better!
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23. #5: Dynamic Grouping
•Create groups of users based on:
−User profile fields
−Consumed content
−Manufacturing representative
•Move in and out of groups automatically
•Assign or recommend content
•User for marketing and cross-selling purposes
•Foundation for measurable business case
Dynamic Group
Products Purchased
Profile Fields
Content Taken
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24. #4: eCommerce
•Domain segmentation
•Bulk purchases and user uploads
•Credit/debit/POs/Vouchers
•Subscriptions and bundles
•Shopping carts, checkout, payment gateways
•Discounts and promotional pricing
•Browsing and searching
•Organization pricing
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25. #3: Reporting
•LMS completion data reporting
•Sortable by user, group, location…
•And custom fields
•Dynamic groups
•Combine with available business reports
•Selling more or less when
−Untrained
−Trained
−Certified
LMS
Reports
Business
Reports
Measurable
Business
Case
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26. #2: Blended Learning Paths
•Create paths for different user types
•Also call curricula and training paths
•All learning media types
•Equivalencies and prerequisites
•Optional and mandatory content
•Configurable completion rules
•Multi-level
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27. #1: Certification Management
•Points earned for completion of courses or learning paths
•Certificate
•Continuing education credits (CEU)
•Initial and reoccurring certification
•Notification management
•Reporting
•Integration with accreditation bodies
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28. Create a Measurable Business Case
•Determine cost to expand internal LMS or invest in a cloud channel LMS
•Locate channel partner sales data
•Compare with LMS completion data
•Make predictions and measure reality
•Revise content and process
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29. If you don’t train your external channel, somebody else will
Certification is the foundation to measuring impact
Measuring impact is key to success
To launch a certification program you need sales content, LMS and a measureable business case
No channel LMS is for everyone –find yours!
Conclusion
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30. Thank You! Questions?
Kelley Shirazi Lunceford
Director of Sales
BlueVolt
kelley.shirazi@bluevolt.com
(503) 223-2583 ext. 283
John Leh
CEO & Lead Analyst
Talented Learning
JohnLeh@TalentedLearning.com
(570) 380-9637
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