By Kathy Gibson in Barcelona – VMware has launched a new partner programme, significantly simplifying the way resellers do business with the software company.
Benjamin Caller, senior director: EMEA marketing partners and market segments at VMware, tells IT-Online that VMware has “had a tendency to be difficult to do business with” in the past.
“Partners want us to be more predictable and consistent; and to help them to be more profitable,” he says. “We are selling a complex product, and are growing so fast, that it’s been hard for partners to keep up.”
Throughout EMEA, VMware does 95% of its business through partners, with the balance being global business or customers who go direct by law.
The company boasts 28 000 partners operating in a two-tier distribution model, as well as OEM partners.
The new value channel programme, announced to partners at VMWorld 2013, lets resellers doing business with VMware be more predictable, profitable, consistent and simple. In addition, says Caller, it offers more rewards for training.
Expanding on the training levels, he says there is VSP (VMware Sales Professional) certification; VTSP (VMware Technical Sales Professional) which targets pre-sales; and VCP (VMware Certified Professional) training, which the most technical and more difficult certification.
“The journey we are on is to simplify the process in a consistent manner across all the competency areas,” Caller says.
Regarding profitability, VMware’s Advantage Plus rebate and reward programme has been extended as well.
Caller explains that resellers will now qualify for new front end discount for net new customers of 10% in addition to the existing discounts and rebates they already enjoy.
Also aimed at enhancing profitability for resellers, VMware has a number of marketing programmes that either generate leads on behalf of resellers (last year it generated $30-million in revenue and $70-million in the source pipeline for resellers), or help partners to design their own campaigns.
At VMWorld, for instance, the company launched the VMware Concierge, a mobile app that helps partners to design and implement their own campaigns using VMware-generated content and customisation.
These campaigns are available for African partners, and can be customised into local languages, Caller adds.
Another new mobile app is the mobile knowledge portal where resellers can view training content and videos at their leisure, making training a lot easier and more convenient for them.
“With our partner programmes, we have set the foundation and we are building on that,” says Caller. “The key message is that our partners are embracing the VMware vision and delivering on it.”