HP Readies Changes To PartnerOne Channel Program

Hewlett-Packard next week is expected to unveil midyear tweaks to its PartnerOne channel program, but solution providers are urging the vendor not to make sweeping changes.

Larry Holzenthaler, executive vice president of sales and marketing at TotalTec Systems, an Edison, N.J.-based HP enterprise solution provider, said he anticipates several small adjustments to PartnerOne but no significant changes.

"The PartnerOne program with account registration and the fact that they only give one partner a Value Big Deal [product discounts for us is very important," Holzenthaler said. "We can go to a customer and make an investment in technical and sales and do assessments and make a significant investment knowing that it's not going to go to the purchasing department and get shopped and we end up losing it to CDW or someone else scoops it up for a couple of points."

Solution providers said they expect any PartnerOne changes to go into effect May 1. HP declined to comment.

The extent of the changes and their impact on solution providers will be a big first test for new HP channel chief Adrian Jones. A former McData sales executive, Jones took over the job as vice president and general manager of HP's Americas Solution Partners Organization earlier this month from John Thompson, who vacated the post last November to take a global post in HP's Personal Systems Group.

Jones said his first priority is to talk to as many HP partners as possible to better get a flavor of the challenges they face. Jones' boss, Mike Larson, senior vice president and general manager of HP's Americas Personal Systems Group, said the hiring of Jones doesn't signal any major change in HP's channel strategy.

"Tweaks are good, but stability is important," said Pete Busam, COO of Decisive Business Systems, a Pennsauken, N. J.-based HP solution provider.

Busam especially urged stability and continuity in HP's vertical Elite programs, which reward partners for achieving Elite certifications in areas such as storage and imaging and printing. He noted that he recently sent technicians to become certified to gain Elite status in imaging and printing.

"Two days after we finished all the training, they modified the program and we had to get more training," Busam said. "We didn't even have the ability to recapture our initial investment. The value to HP is what? We spend more time training and get certifications than actually selling and trying to recapture business."

He added that programs should run at least 18 to 24 months before HP makes major changes so that solution providers have a chance to make the programs work and recapture their investment.

Tweet

   

More Channel Programs