As part of its worldwide partner strategy, HP has rolled out its partnerONE initiative in the Middle East. This comprehensive, global Channel program is designed to build a consistent channel strategy under an umbrella framework. HP recently started the program in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt where it held a series of conference programs for its Channel partners.
The open forum provided 337 resellers and distributors from around the region with an opportunity to understand the parameters and speak directly with HP about the new initiatives.
PartnerONE is designed to help HP’s partners grow top-line revenue and bottom-line profitability, reward performance and initiative, and make program administration more efficient and flexible. There are more than 210,000 HP commercial partners around the globe in more than 160 countries. The program includes HP’s entire product and services portfolio and provides benefits to HP partners, including resellers, system integrators, independent software vendors and service providers.
“Now operational in all regions, partnerONE enables us to collaborate closely with partners to meet the demands of our customers, whether they be a small- and medium-sized business or a large enterprise,” said Christoph Schell, general manager HP Personal Systems Group, HP Middle East.
“Together, we will drive success in the marketplace by providing and delivering consistent, high-quality solutions to customers around the globe. We believe partners provide HP with a true competitive edge in today’s marketplace.”
With partnerONE, HP has created a worldwide framework that ensures a consistent experience for partners and customers. Additionally, the framework provides the programs and tools used by the company’s commercial partners for successful planning and go-to-market initiatives. Partner collaboration is an integral part of partnerONE and the Middle East has now implemented partner collaboration as well as other common elements of partnerONE, which include:
ONE partner strategy for partners;
ONE membership structure across all products, services and solutions;
ONE partner portal for communications and Web-based demand-generation tools;
ONE collaborative business planning process;
ONE worldwide certification program; and
ONE developer and solution partner program.
Additional common elements include competency requirements based on HP Certified Professional standards; sales training; lead generation, and demonstration product availability.
In the EMEA region, HP is enhancing partnerONE by implementing a new channel structure designed to improve HP and its partners’ competitiveness in the business customer market.
The goals of the new enhancements are to: decrease costs; align go-to-market activities and programs for all HP business units; enable effective and consistent measurement and reward of partner efforts and their value; ensure an effective means to manage risk and retain and grow the revenues of both HP and its partners; and optimize the supply chain to deliver a complete, satisfactory customer experience.
These goals will be accomplished by rewarding partners according to their value creation as logistic service partner, channel development partner or sales and service partner. Contracts reflecting the new channel structure were signed at the beginning of September 2003.
— Arab News CompuNet 7 October 2003