Supplier FAQ | Channel Companion

01

Platform & Positioning

Channel Companion is ecosystem-agnostic. We have visibility across the entire channel without bias toward any TSD, any portfolio, or any supplier who spends more. A TSD portal shows advisors what that TSD carries. Channel Companion shows advisors what actually fits their client, regardless of where that supplier sits in the ecosystem. The difference is the starting point: portals start with inventory, we start with fit.

No. Ranking is based entirely on fit. No supplier can buy their way into a recommendation. The platform was built around this as a structural requirement, not a policy that can be quietly walked back. If fit-based matching is not the foundation, the platform does not work for advisors. And if it does not work for advisors, it does not work for anyone.

Fit specificity is what separates you. Two suppliers in the same category with the same generic description will surface similarly. Two suppliers in the same category where one has mapped their specific integrations, vertical wins, and product-level detail will not look the same to the matching engine. Overlap in category is not overlap in fit, and the platform is built to find the difference.

02

Matching & AI

Breadth is not the issue. Vagueness is. Channel Companion rewards suppliers who know their products and where they fit. A supplier with 40 solutions and sharp positioning on each one will surface ahead of a supplier with 10 solutions and generic descriptions. The platform is designed to find fit, and fit requires specificity.

The AI handles the processing work, but the quality of what goes in determines the quality of what comes out. When you onboard and maintain your profile, that is what the matching engine works from. Paying suppliers are automated through that process specifically because accuracy over time is what makes the matching meaningful. The platform is not making guesses. It is finding real fit based on what you have told it about yourself.

Both. Advisors can search for suppliers by category, vertical, or capability. The platform also surfaces fit-based recommendations when an advisor is evaluating a client situation. Your profile positioning determines whether you show up in both paths.

03

Advisors

We are on-pace to hit 1,000 active advisors on the platform with more advisors using the platform every single day.

04

Results & ROI

A yearly subscription to be matched on fit is a fraction of a lot of MDF budgets. Want to dig deeper? Reach out.

That depends on how well your profile is set up and how quickly the advisor base scales in your category. Suppliers who get their profiles right early are the ones positioned to capture activity as it builds. This is not a platform where you set it up and wait. It rewards ongoing engagement and profile accuracy.

05

Data & Privacy

Suppliers cannot see which specific advisors have viewed their profile. We have guardrails, security measures, and privacy protections built in to ensure advisor behavior on the platform stays protected. What suppliers do see is performance data: how frequently they surface in relevant matches, where they rank, and how their profile is performing over time.

Specific advisor identity is not visible to suppliers. What you will have access to is reporting on how often you surface in the top results for relevant queries, so you can see whether your profile is performing and where to adjust. The privacy protections on the advisor side are part of what makes advisors trust the platform enough to use it honestly.

Two things work in combination. The AI penalizes vague or inflated profiles, because vagueness does not match well and poor matches do not surface. And as advisors engage with suppliers through the platform, inaccurate profiles get flagged through that feedback loop. The system is designed so that overpromising costs you visibility, not gains it.

06

Commitment & Onboarding

The standard agreement is 12 months. We are not interested in holding suppliers to a commitment that is not producing results. That is not how we build a platform suppliers trust. If something is not working, the conversation to have is about profile optimization and how you are showing up in the matching, not whether to exit.

It does not. TSDs remain the commercial backbone of the channel. Commissions, deal registration, and transaction processing all flow through them, and that does not change. What Channel Companion does is create qualified introductions that produce incremental deal flow: opportunities that would not have been captured otherwise. Every transaction that results still processes through existing TSD relationships. We are adding intelligence to the front end of the process, not touching the mechanics of how deals close.

Paying suppliers are onboarded through an automated process specifically because accuracy over time is what drives results. The setup investment is front-loaded: getting your profile right at the product level, your verticals tagged correctly, your integrations listed specifically. After that, maintenance is incremental. The diagnostics reporting will show you where gaps are so you are not guessing at what needs attention.

No. The platform is designed to run without a dedicated resource. What it does require is that someone with real product knowledge is involved in the initial setup. Generic descriptions produce generic results. After onboarding, the reporting tells you what to adjust and when.

Once you are signed, you move into an automated onboarding flow that walks you through building out your profile at the product level. Our team is involved in that process to make sure the profile is set up to perform, not just set up to exist. The goal is to get you to a place where the matching engine has what it needs to surface you accurately.

Get specific at the product level. List specific integrations, not just categories. Tag the verticals where you have real wins. Be prescriptive about where you fit well and, just as important, where you do not. Suppliers who optimize at that level of detail are the ones who surface consistently. The platform also includes a diagnostics view that shows you where you are ranking for relevant queries, so you can see what is working and adjust.

07

Supplier Packages

Advisors currently use Channel Companion for free. Suppliers invest in qualified access to the advisor network. Transparent pricing. Measurable returns.

Essentials · Step 01

$1,000

per month · 12-mo agreement

See where advisors are engaging with you — by vertical, deal type, and match rate.

Most suppliers chase everything and close less than they should. Essentials shows you where advisors are actually engaging with you — by vertical, by deal type, by match rate. Stop spreading thin. Start owning the deals where you already win.

Claim, edit & fully build your profile
Smart quote routing to the right contact
Engagement counts — views, matches, quotes
Basic vertical coverage tags
Email + SMS notifications on new quotes
Up to 25 training assets
Promo creation & scheduling
Quarterly match digest
Channel Manager seats: $49/mo add-on

A 30-minute session.

We map your current supplier profile against active advisor deal flow and show you what the platform would surface today.

Book a Meeting → No commitment. No sales deck. Just real intelligence.

08

MDF & Promotions

Two tools for putting your budget where the deals are.

Market Development Funds

Fund the events that reach your advisors.

1

Advisor posts the event

2

Routes to you by name or tech category

3

You see the audience and expected return

4

You choose what to fund

Advisor posts the event

Routes to you by name or tech category

You see the audience and expected return

You choose what to fund

1 / 4

Promotions

Surface incentives where advisors make recommendations.

Publish a scheduled incentive that surfaces to advisors working your category, where they make recommendations.