| Partner Program Benefits | Referral | Authorized | Gold | Platinum | ||||||
| Lead Generation and Sales Assistance | ||||||||||
| Pre-qualified Leads | Access to qualified leads prioritized by your region, program authorization and certification level. Typically, it is a 3 (to Platinum) to 1 (to Gold) ratio. Authorized on a very limited basis. | No | No | Med | High | |||||
| Deal Registration | Register your major deals to obtain pre-sales volume discounts and special account exclusivity. Registered deals also have an increased margin. | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Volume Discount | Back-end rebates may be available for achieving volume requirements. Higher authorization levels receive greater discounts. | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Partner Locator | Reseller lookup, prioritized by region and certification level (higher qualified resellers may be listed first (along with their level of authorization) to reward commitment). | No | Low | Med | High | |||||
| Not For Resale (NFR) | Access to NFR product is available at a significant discount to Partners and employees, allowing you to benefit from the products at work and home (if applicable). | Discounted | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Joint Promotions | Participate in joint regional promotions including promotional e-mails, ads, events, etc.Also includes direct phone line access and easy-to-use form to requested MDF participation for proposed joint activities. | No | Limited | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Effective Communications | ||||||||||
| Monthly newsletter and e-mails | This is not spam, but valuable information requested by our partners. Includes special announcements, applicable alliance deals, updated Q&A and new sales tools. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Partner program phone numbers | You can talk to a dedicated Partner Program Manager if you need to know anything about the Partner Program, have any problems or suggestions. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Reseller forum | Have a question about configuration, sales strategies, or overcoming objections? Visit the reseller forum to post your questions and view responses from support and other partners. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Online Portal Resources | ||||||||||
| Market Information | Learn market trends to determine which verticals to target, what they prefer and more. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Competitive Analysis | Review the latest matrix that shows how our products compare to the competition. Great resource if you’re in a competitive bid and need to de-position the competition. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Sales Tools | As available, you can access PDF product slicks, sample ad and e-mail templates, white papers, PowerPoint presentations, configuration guides, and case studies. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Brand Usage | Review branding guidelines, logo usage and leverage the brand to enhance your image. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Personalized portal | View all your leads. Later, you will be able to view rebates, leads, registered accounts and personal information within your own personalized portal. | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Tech and Sales Support and Training | ||||||||||
| FREE Training | Get up to speed on the product, sales approach and installation within the self-paced FREE training. Many of these feature streaming videos--as close as possible to on-site training. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Pre-release Access | Don’t be the last one to try out the new products. Order an eval to test and get up to speed with new products “before” they hit the street. Notification of availability and a request form is available within the on-line Partner portal. | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Certification | Register for the certification program to become expert at all aspects of the product. This additional qualification allows you to achieve a higher authorization level which provides additional margins to reward you for your expertise and commitment. | No | No | Med | High | |||||
| Priority Reseller Tech Support | Go straight to the top of the queue for quick tech support. Use a special number or direct contact with the partner manager. | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Annual Partner Conference | Attend the live event, or view the presentations online with recorded video feeds and downloadable presentations. | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Partner Program Requirements | Referral | Authorized | Gold | Platinum | ||||||
| Register at portal site | Must register on the Partner website and complete the application. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Qualify as a Partner | Must engage in a) face-to-face selling, b) provide 1st line post-sale support, c) have outbound sales reps, d) sell complimentary products and/or install or integration capabilities. | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Develop Business Plan of Action | Submit a quarterly business "plan of action" (1 promotion per month) with assistance from the Partner Manager to allocate MDF and orchestrate joint promotions. Templates available in the portal. | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Quarterly Sales Targets | Highest level Partners are required to reach predetermined sales targets to obtain higher margins and additional benefits. Check with the Channel Manager for details. | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Credit Application | May be required if you request a direct purchase relationship. | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
