Avant Agents Ask for Supplier-Agnostic Tech Sales Training

Avant has introduced training that will help agents take a more vendor-neutral approach to their customers.

The Chicago-based master agent on Tuesday unveiled its Trusted Advisor Certification Program. The company is offering courses around unified communications as a service (UCaaS), contact center as a service (CCaaS), security, and backup as a service (BaaS)/disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS).

Partners will learn the history of the technology, case studies and methods of engaging with customers. They’ll find the certification courses in Avant’s new Trusted Advisor Academy.

Many agents position themselves as consultants; as a result, they need to lead with solutions for their customers’ business and technology needs rather than a specific supplier.

Avant’s Shane McNamara

“A technology-agnostic approach better positions and enables trusted advisers to be knowledgeable experts for their customers since the initial engagement with customers does not include suppliers,” Shane McNamara, executive vice president of engineering and operations, told Channel Futures. “This approach helps to navigate a constantly changing market, providing technology solutions to IT leaders and CIOs to make effective and smart business decisions.”

McNamara said subagents approached Avant about resources that would help them take a more vendor-neutral approach.

“Many of our highest performing partners expressed an urgent need for agnostic technology and sales trainings to enable trusted advisers to confidently navigate the constantly changing market. As a result, we gathered partner feedback and dedicated countless resources to creating a trusted adviser certification program for some of today’s hottest technologies,” he said.

Enablement

Avant has emphasized the tooling and technical resources it provides to partners. For example, the company launched a UCaaS cost calculator that helps partners sell UCaaS.

Last year, president Drew Lydecker praised agents for driving a record quarter even amid the pandemic.

“They are taking advantage of our tools, our resources, our people to seize this market, and when this COVID-19 nightmare is over, it will be a tsunami of opportunities,” Lydecker said.