Gamma Enterprise Technologies has launched a new partner program with an eye to enabling partners to create solutions for end-customers that those customers would not be able to get from any single vendor alone.
The Woodland Hills, Calif.-based maker of data management software for companies running SAP applications is offering partners a 35 to 40 percent discount off licenses, deal registrations and training as incentive to help partners make inroads into new accounts.
But the value for customers, Gamma said, will come from partners working with both Gamma and another partner to create a unique solution. For example, the company is looking for partners who can work with both its technologies and Symantec's Enterprise Vault product.
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"We started to bring these two sets of partners together to build unique solutions to go to market jointly to sell licensing and services together in a way that customers wouldn't be able to get from either vendor alone," said Suzanne Swanson, executive vice president of Gamma Enterprise Technologies. That's because the partner becomes an expert in both technologies where as the vendor sales reps are experts only in their own company's technologies.
"We are hoping to do the same thing with some of the SAP partners and what were Mercury partners and now are Hewlett-Packard partners," Swanson said.
The newly launched Gamma partner program consists of two levels, a Referral Partner and a VAR Consulting Partner. The Referral Partner program is targeted towards SAP partners who don't want to sell the license or sell the services components, according to Swanson. But the VAR Consulting Partner program fits the more traditional VAR model where the partner sells the licenses and provides the service components.
In addition to marketing collateral such as data sheets and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, Swanson said that Gamma's sales team will work closely with partners in early engagements and "have them shadow us" to help train them.
Gamma's initial target through the partner program is the large enterprises shops that use SAP.
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"We are looking for SAP customers implemented for more than five years," she said, "the global 1,000 customers. But as SAP makes an effort to push down to smaller customers, we expect to follow them into that market place."
Gamma currently employs six direct sales reps, all of whom are compensated to support partners so there is no channel conflict, Swanson said.
Swanson said Gamma hopes to increase its partner ranks to 40 "well-trained" partners by the end of year, and more than triple the revenue derived from those partners.
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