Shining Stars

Focused on the growing midmarket, Business Objects is taking a new approach to its partner program.

"Our growth strategy for the company overall is dependent on the VARs, and one dimension we're focusing on is the midmarket, as well as vertical markets," says Rene Bonvanie, chief marketing officer at Business Objects. In 2006, Business Objects will be setting aside midmarket opportunities strictly for partners.

"They will be the implementation channel for the midmarket; we are dedicating this to our partners," says Juliette Sultan, vice president of Americas marketing at Business Objects. While inside sales reps will continue to sell software, the channel will provide the implementation and support for all midmarket customers, Sultan says.

"We're aligning our inside sales force to focus on the midmarket and working with partners to develop opportunities collaboratively with the rules of engagement clearly defined," says Sultan. "We're making it clear to partners that within the midmarket, the delivery revenue will be theirs."

Oki Data is focusing time and resources on finding new business for partners. Its major and public-sector account sales managers will be mapping accounts with channel partners to identify, engage and win new business for Oki Printing Solutions, says Greg Van Acker, vice president of U.S. channel sales at Oki Data Americas. Oki Data's channel investment also will include driving profitability as the company enhances and expands its managed services, national accounts and managed print programs, Van Acker adds.

Citrix, too, is focusing on demographics, working to recruit national resellers "whose geographic footprint helps better serve larger North American customers," says Mitch Parker, vice president of worldwide channel programs and sales operations at Citrix. Education is also key to enabling partners, Parker says. "We're nearly doubling the number of field channel seminars we're holding in North America to encourage our partners to invest more in Citrix."

Partner Advice

So, what does a quality vendor program mean to partners? According to Jim Simpson, president and CEO of Omaha, Neb.-based MSI Systems Integrators (No. 166 on the 2005 VARBusiness 500), it comes down to both profitability and communication. He asks himself, "Does a vendor program allow us to take our skills, invest in their platform, protect our investment when we engage a client and ultimately make a profit through our partnership with them?"

But Simpson says he looks beyond profitability to consistency and open communication--to vendors that welcome partner ideas when making changes to programs and rolling out new products. "We are continually challenging vendor partners to get us involved earlier in the cycle of a new product launch--something IBM and Microsoft do very well," Simpson says. "Over time, the major vendors want to do more work on requirements-gathering at the client level, but as more of their face time with clients is done by partners, that shifts the partners to understanding the requirements better. They need to have a mechanism to pull the partner into the development side."

Rich Shovick, vice president of vendor relations at Oconomowoc, Wis.-based Paragon Development Systems (VB500 No. 247), has some advice for vendors: Offer rebates, which are huge, at least for his business. Shovick says his top vendor partners include Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Fujitsu, Philips, NEC, Intel and Panasonic. Cisco is his key vendor for targeting the midmarket. And in an ideal world, he would be able to spend those vendor business-development funds any way he sees fit and not be tied to advertising requirements or any others.

NEXT: Additional advice from five-star vendors.