Dell is enhancing its PartnerDirect channel program by adding a third tier and rewarding partners who pursue multiple certifications with the company.
Dell's Paul Schaffer, worldwide channel marketing director told Channel Insider that the three-and-a-half year old partner program last week looked like this:
- Certified Partners – those with one or more certifications and a minimum of $200,000 in Dell enterprise product revenue.
- Registered Partners
As of May 9 the new program looks like this:
- Premiere Partners – those with multiple certifications and a $750,000 minimum in Dell enterprise product revenue. (Existing partners with multiple certifications will be grandfathered in regardless of their revenue level. Dell estimates that 9 to 10 percent of certified partners fit this description.)
- Preferred Partners – those with at least one certification and a minimum of $200,000 in Dell enterprise product revenue.
- Registered Partners
The different partner tiers are treated differently in terms of deal registration.
- Registered partners have 60 days to close a deal and can have 10 active deals going at a time.
- Preferred partners have 120 days to close the deal and can have 50 active deals going on at a time.
- Premiere partners can register an unlimited number of deals. In addition, at the Premiere level, partners can get a 2 percent rebate on any product they sell that they are certified in.
Dell channel chief, Greg Davis, told Channel Insider that the time was right to make these changes.
"We felt like now was the right time to do this, to evolve our program and provide additional recognition and benefits for partners who've invested in multiple areas with Dell," he said.
