HP`s Jones Asks Partners to Focus on Storage, SMBs - Increasing Incentives
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HP will announce further changes to the PartnerOne channel program that will
make it easier for channel partners to do business with HP and to be rewarded
for the business they bring, he said. Increasing incentives on strategic
areas such as storage, data center and the printing market, Jones added, is one
way he is improving the program for partners.
Driving growth through VARs’ midmarket and SMB customers is also crucial,
said Jones, since the $72 billion SMB market is difficult for HP to reach
without the channel.
"We need your help to get to touch those SMB buying points. We
just can't get to all of them," he said. Another HP focus will be to
reward partners who sell customers solutions that encompass HP's entire
portfolio of products: storage, servers, PCs and printers, he said.
"We know it's not easy; we know that it's tough. But that's why we're
going to continue to reward you for investing in HP's products across the
portfolio," Jones said.
Jones cited additions to PartnerOne such as the SMB Expressway partner
portal and the enhanced Attach Plus program, which rewards partners for every
point of growth they achieve, as examples of how HP is changing to better
address partner needs. He said that, starting March 1, HP will roll out a U.S.
deal registration Web site that will provide a one-stop process for registering
deals online.
Like Hurd, Jones addressed some glaring partner pain points. He said HP
has spent "a lot of time and money investing in IT" to ensure that
accurate partner sales data is readily available. He added that HP
executives have been up front about the data reporting issues, and that if
partners do not find improved speed, accuracy and timeliness of their data,
they should not hesitate to contact him or Tom LaRocca, vice president of
partner development and programs.
"You will get an answer from us," said Jones. He then asked
LaRocca to address another partner worry: that HP wants all of its resellers to
sell HP exclusively.
Click here to read
more about HP loyalty versus exclusivity.
LaRocca said that while the issue of loyalty versus exclusivity has received
a lot of attention, the strategy is not to ask partners to be exclusive. HP
recognizes that it requires significant investments in HP as partners build out
their offerings to customers, and partners who make large investments in HP will
see equally large returns, he said.
"As you add HP products to every sale, we want to reward you. As
you increase your commitment with us, we are going to increase our reward to
you," LaRocca said.
Hewlett-Packard 
