Siemens Enterprise Communications announced last Friday at its UK Sales and Partner Conference the launch of Go Forward!, its new Partner Accreditation Programme.
Initially being launched in the UK, Australia and the Netherlands, the new model will be rolled out across all global regions in January 2008. Go Forward represents a global investment of £4 million, which is intended to substantially increase partner numbers through a combination of distributors and Value Added Resellers (VARs).
Go Forward focuses on delivering expert support and service to partners, allowing them to fully maximise the breadth of Siemens’ award-winning product portfolio, as well as utilising its training programme. With the emphasis being on retaining and attracting partners that are committed to solutions-led sales to end users, Siemens will ensure that partners can differentiate themselves by delivering open communications products and applications that reduce costs and increase organisational efficiency and productivity.
Leon Mangan, sales director, Indirect Channel, Siemens Enterprise Communications, said: “The launch of our new partner programme is a major milestone in our development. The highly competitive communications market, with its shrinking margins, has forced channel players to find new revenue streams and move from being box-shifters to solution providers. By offering a portfolio of open communications solutions, with all the accompanying benefits of being standards based and tailored to specific needs, our partners can offer an attractive return on investment business case.
“The opportunity for the channel right now is to cut through the hype and translate technology into real business benefits for each customer. Our programme will arm partners with a compelling proposition that recognises the need for a solution that delivers market leading products and services in a package that hits the right price point for SMEs.”
Go Forward consists of three levels of accreditation – from top-level Premier, to Plus and also entry-level Select – each comprising specific criteria and benefits. Criteria include such key performance indicators as sales capacity and results, technical knowledge, and service capability. The range of benefits for Siemens partners are dependent on the level of accreditation, and will include technical support, incremental discounts and dedicated partner managers. Specific criteria for distributor and reseller accreditation and accompanying benefits are outlined in full at the end of this press release.
In addition to accreditation, four customer focused Specialisations, can be awarded to partners. These are designed to help Siemens’ partners develop, expand and promote a recognised level of sales, design and deployment expertise within a given focus solution or market area. With more due to be introduced in the future, current classifications are:
- Small and Mid-Sized Enterprise Open Communications Systems
- Enterprise Mobility Solutions
- Customer Interaction Solutions
- Large Enterprise Open Communications Systems
“With the advent of Go Forward!, we are entering into an exciting period of growth. We have the right people in place, the right channel strategy to help our partners be successful, and the right proposition through our partners to enable end customers to thrive in an increasingly competitive market,” concluded Mangan.