By offering additional training to become a ‘Certified Music Merchant’, the association provides qualified continued training that empowers (expert) retail and wholesale dealers with the knowledge and know-how to better sell their products on the market. On the one hand, this serves to give advanced training, specialisation and qualification to individuals – but ultimately it also improves the company's competitive position. Whether as part of retail merchant training, or provided to an employee by a music retailer, the association’s continuing-education programme provides the depth of knowledge necessary to be able to assert oneself in the market. The association’s training takes over in areas where vocational schools and institutions do not possess adequate information and knowledge. At educational institutions, interested parties are currently not taught enough about the peculiarities and characteristics of the MI market, so that industry participants cannot become industry experts.

As the leading association of the musical instrument and music equipment industry, SOMM closes the existing gap and teaches relevant industry-related skills and knowledge in its CMM additional-training programme.

Specifically, the following are taught as part of the programme:

• Mastery of all the fundamental business processes
• Competence in advising and selling
• Good musical & business sense
• Extensive knowledge of music and the music industry

• Qualification of personnel (by means of a coordinated continued training programme specially focused on the needs of the modern music trade)
• Optimisation of business processes by qualified personnel
• Increased business success
• Networking between industry participants