Channel Sales Financials equips vendor channel sales people to speak the ‘financial language’ of partner CEOs. When channel sales people can credibly carry on financial conversations about partner financial issues and constraints they help partners solve business problems, stimulate partner investment and build highly differentiated executive relationships built on trust and mutual respect.

If your success depends upon a motivated group of channel partners who actively sell your products or services – you need partners to commit their resources and invest. Partner executives and business owners must balance many competing investment alternatives and demands on their cash and other resources, so everything you need partners to do has to be well thought through and financially justified.

Many partner CEOs complain that vendor sales people don’t really understand their business and have little feel for the impact of vendor requests and demands on their cash and profit. They eagerly seek relationships with vendors who can ‘speak their language’ and can explain the financial benefits of their proposals.

Series Content

The Channel Sales Financials blended-learning series consists of two self-paced e-learning modules and one two-day instructor led workshop. The series is modular allowing you to tailor it to your needs. Each e-learning component contains pre and post tests, so experienced people can ‘test-out’ at the start, and participant learning can be tracked.

CSF Part One - Financial Terms and Concepts

Part one is a 45 minute self-paced e-learning module that explains key financial terms and concepts by talking about the three main financial statements – the Balance sheet, Income statement and Cash-Flow statement. Participants become familiar with each statement and learn to use the words and concepts associated with them. Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Cash-flow, Working capital, Margin, Profit and more.

CSF Part Two - Financial Ratios and Analysis

Part two is a one-hour self paced e-learning module during which participants apply learning from Part one to analyze the health of partner businesses. We introduce some key financial ratios and metrics to help channel sales people understand partner businesses and compare partner organizations. We analyze how different kinds of high-tech partners such as Distributors, VARs, SIs and Volume resellers make money. We look at their key financial metrics and explain what partner executives will want to talk to you about. CSF Part two includes a partner business model simulator to help you model the effect of changing costs or terms, and better understand how partner investment in sales and marketing will affect the partner’s working capital and business outcomes.

CSF Part Three - Channel Sales Financials Skills

Part three is a two-day instructor led workshop that can also be run as a one-day program depending on client need. Part three is a highly participatory workshop that’s all about your partners. How do they make money? Why is one partner more successful than another? What are their financial issues and constraints and how will you drive partner investment? What is your case for investment?

• Day one – Time to revenue, partner investment, partnership costs, building the case to partner
• Day two – Attributes of the best, partner executive role-play, building the value of the partners business, helping partners to grow and manage risk

Series Benefits

True partnership depends upon mutual understanding and alignment of goals. Understanding the source of partner profitability and how partners make investment decisions is essential if vendors are to build lasting channel relationships and influence partner mindshare and investment.

• Build closer partnering relationships by understanding how and where partners make money. Speak the language of the partner CEO-investor!
• Make the right proposals to partners. Understand how your proposals and objectives affect the partner’s return on working capital and other key measures of success.
• Create meaningful and well differentiated value propositions by understanding what partners really value.
• All of these leads to gaining a disproportionate share of partner resources and focus!

 

Workshop Format and Media

Parts one and two are self-paced highly interactive e-learning that can be hosted on your standards compliant Learning Management Systems (LMS) or on the Channel Enablers LMS. Each module includes:

• Pre and post quiz assessments to measure learning progress
• A comprehensive glossary of channel financial terms, calculations and concepts
• Downloadable reference notes, tools and templates for lasting use in the field