Addition of New Program Elements Set to Attract SMB Resellers
ADTRAN today that the company has enhanced its ADTRAN ADvantage Partner Program for North America with the addition of a mid-tier partner level and a number of new benefits designed to attract new partners. The enhanced program offers more advantages for resellers targeting the SMB market with ADTRAN’s award-winning family of NetVanta routers, switches, and IP telephony solutions.
As part of the ADTRAN Global ADvantage Partner Program introduced in 2006, the North American program has two main goals to increase our partners’ ability to win in the SMB segment and to increase their profitability when doing so. The combination of NetVanta internetworking solutions that are specifically geared to solve critical SMB challenges and a strong channel support program make it easy for resellers and solution providers to satisfy customers and to find new opportunities to grow their businesses.
“We have made substantial improvements to our ADTRAN Global ADvantage Partner Program in 2006 – the program was well received by our channel partners and has been a great success,” said Ted Cole, vice president of channel sales, ADTRAN Enterprise Networks Division. “Our North American partners who took advantage of new training and certification programs grew their businesses 40 percent faster than those who did not participate. This year, we have further enhanced the program to bring added benefits to our partners in the areas that are most important to them such as partner profitability, ease of doing business, lead generation, and voice/data convergence. These changes will help us continue our channel growth and strengthen our focus on the SMB market.”
“ADTRAN’s channel program is designed for companies like ours and helps us succeed in increasing sales to SMB customers,” said Mark Kruger, chief technical officer, Converged Solutions and Services. “This program provides us with reliable products designed for SMB customers that are easy to use, are backed by outstanding technical support and that offer value to the customer, all while allowing us to retain margin.”
The new mid-tier ADvantage Partner level gives more partners access to entitlements that will help them win in the SMB space and increase profitability from hardware and service sales. Resellers can now choose one of three levels of participation in the program based on an annual revenue commitment: ADvantage Plus, ADvantage, and Registered.
Other program enhancements include a new lower cost online certification option that is self-paced and allows partners to earn product specializations without leaving their desks, significantly reducing the cost of training. Product specializations give entitled partners the opportunity to earn added discounts and protected sales territory for specific ADTRAN products. ADTRAN also has added an automated deal registration program which allows more margin opportunities for partners, coupled with an automated lead distribution system.
About ADTRAN’s ADvantage Partner Program
The ADTRAN ADvantage Partner Program is a global program which offers strong channel support for ADTRAN products and solutions, including online training modules, dedicated pre- and post- sales support and technical assistance, lead referrals, rebates, promotions and easy access to demo programs.
Registered Partners gain access to the sales, marketing, and technical resources they need to begin selling ADTRAN solutions. This entry-level partnership provides a clear growth path toward building a stronger relationship with ADTRAN.
ADvantage Partners participate at ADTRAN’s mid-tier level through a minimum annual revenue commitment, and earn entitlements to special discounts on internetworking solutions, access to technical assistance, dedicated inside-sales support, self-paced sales and technical training, deal registration, and discounted demo purchases.
ADvantage PLUS Partners participate at the highest level of the program through a minimum annual revenue commitment. These partners commit to an ongoing relationship with ADTRAN and are recognized and rewarded for that commitment. Qualified ADvantage PLUS Partners have the opportunity to become certified and earn product specializations in one of three areas: Internetworking, IP telephony, or Wireless Microwave. Specializations entitle partners to greater discounts, which allow them to improve their competitiveness in the marketplace and grow their business. These specializations are designed to equip partners with the market and technical knowledge required to excel in selling and supporting ADTRAN solutions. In some cases, specialization is required for partners to have access to the product family, thus insuring a level of exclusivity to specialized ADvantage PLUS Partners. ADvantage PLUS Partners are also entitled to a automated deal registration program, a wealth of field sales and marketing support, access to sales leads, representation on ADTRAN’s Partner Locator site, and priority access to pre- and post-sales technical support.
