The VAR Guy

Back in March 2011, The VAR Guy spoke with Dell Channel Chief Greg Davis about Dell’s buyout of Compellent Technologies,  its channel momentum and its storage, SaaS and cloud efforts in the wake of its positive Q4 results. Davis noted then the channel plays a big role in Dell’s success, and now Dell is hoping its moves to enhance its partner program will bring even more partner success. Paul Shaffer, Dell’s Worldwide Channel Marketing director, offered up a little color on the enhancements …

First up, the basic details about the partner program changes:

• New structuring and increased rewards for certification and training
• New rebates for Premier partners
• Expanded deal registration terms
• New financial incentives

Based on partner feedback, Dell has also implemented new certified partner levels:

• Premier Partners, the highest level, hold at least two Dell certifications and meet a minimum annual revenue threshold. Premier partners have access to 180-day deal registration, unlimited concurrent deal registration, rebates, access to Dell’s Product Incentive Program and potential access to Dell-generated leads.
• Preferred Partners (previously known as Dell ‘Certified Partners’) are experts in key Dell solutions, hold at least one Dell certification and are allowed to hold 120 days registration terms, including deal registration for storage products and access to Dell-generated leads. Like Premier Partners, a minimum revenue threshold must be met.
• Dell Registered Partners essentially see no change, and benefits remain the same.

Shaffer noted the changes were made at the request of Dell’s channel community, noting partners demanded two changes specifically: a lower minimum-revenue threshold and extended deal registration periods. “We heard from our channel community that deals take longer to close, and they need some more time,” Shaffer said. Having a level of flexibility has made the difference for many partners, he said, because now they’ve “… started seeing the benefit associated with [the partner] category. That’s where it gets interesting to them.”

Partners who already have Dell certifications in Enterprise Architecture, Managed Services, Networking and Security and Systems Management can automatically migrate into one of the two new partner classes based on their pre-existing training, Shaffer said. The program also now includes a standard rebate structure. ”The program is structured [and] focused on the SMB. We lowered deal registration [amounts] … and there are [new] benefits around deal registration,” he said, adding Dell’s managed services certifications are evolving into a cloud certification, also thanks for partner feedback. “Cloud strategy and how partners participate [is wanted],” he noted.

Such moves show The VAR Guy Dell is looking to make things friendlier, and the company is not shy about asking partners what they want. This re-crafting of channel tiers can be especially helpful for VARs and SMBs alike, since it allows VARs greater ability to sell and specialize, while SMBs and customers essentially have more robust and refined partners to chose from.

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