IBM Global Services Says Partners To Take Lead In SMB Accounts

IBM Global Services

Ralph Martino, vice president of strategy and marketing at IGS, made the pledge to business partners during a panel discussion at IBM's PartnerWorld 2002 conference in San Francisco.

"It's very important to declare where we are going to play and not going to play," Martino said. "In enterprises with $100 million or less in revenue, our partners will take the lead and we will support them."

What's more, Martino said that by mid-March, for services IBM provides to ISVs, IGS would declare in each of its 16 regions around the world where it has services capabilities and where it does not.

"ISVs have been looking for help from us to declare where we are going to have service delivery capabilities and where we are not, so that where we don't have capability, they will understand and can engage [customers accordingly," he said.

Lou D'Ambrosio, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for IBM software, said IBM also plans to significantly increase its marketing development funds to solution providers in 2002 to boost sales in SMB accounts.

"We are doubling fees to partners when they meet their midmarket commitments," he said. "Last year we paid about $23 million in fees [to partners in the midmarket space; this year we will pay $40 million."

On top of that figure, D'Ambrosio said IBM would pay solution providers an additional $20 million in co-marketing dollars. "It's the give-to-get program. If partners make certain commitments, we give them $20 million in co-marketing."

Mike Lawrie, IBM's senior vice president and group executive, sales and distribution, said IBM business partners "drove $30 billion" of IBM's $86 billion in sales for 2001.