Peter van Leeuwen
Veenendaal, The Netherlands, September 28th, 2020 - STAEDEAN is delighted to announce the start of a new partner program that aims to serve its partners in their business growth flexibly.
Changes in go-to-market and relationships
The obvious change towards cloud and subscription-based licenses require different relationships in our ecosystem. This change transformed the way Independent Software Vendors (or ISVs) and implementation partners go to the market. It also impacted how we’re able to best cater to the new customer needs, while the technology stack for implementation partners extended over time.
Implementation partners are leaving the days of surviving in a market behind with a pure horizontal approach (with minimum domain knowledge). They deserve a so-called ‘partner enablement’ mentality, as we often get feedback on lack thereof. One of the reasons is that the majority of the current ISVs are focusing on growth in their Value-Added Reseller (VAR) activities.
With this new partner program at STAEDEAN, we decided to have our major focus on software development activities. We are involved as the subject matter expert(s) in the buying process, implementation, and continued updates in our deep domains, invited either by the partner or by the end-customer.
Getting such first-hand, deep domain knowledge helps you position your services business (or VAR) as a thought leader in specific industries.
STAEDEAN partner program—what’s in it for you?
Partner enablement needs to be a part of a business’s DNA.
STAEDEAN reviewed the previous partner program (dated from the early cloud days) and decided to renew it.
What’s in it for the resellers?
Our approach to partner enablement through this partner program offers six major updates that you can enjoy as a reseller.
1. You spend your membership fee only on services that really matter
The previous partner program supported the partner with three different flavors, independent of the maturity and state of their business. The new STAEDEAN partners get the same services as those that were in business with us for more than 10 years.
2. Your business strategy will define the set-up of the program
Sales support services depend on the stage that you’re in. We can imagine that you need more training in the initial days of working with STAEDEAN, while you’d need more support tickets when you’re live with more than 20 customers.
3. Partner up with a faster and more effectively reacting vendor
STAEDEAN made changes to their sales organizations to support faster and more effective collaboration. You will have access to a dedicated sales specialist for the domain you’re working in.
Putting an end to the transaction-focused-seller days, STAEDEAN sales specialists can now deeply add to the conversations with your customers.
4. Gain more leads and market interest through the co-marketing package
STAEDEAN developed a package of co-marketing initiatives to boost your business locally and globally. The STAEDEAN marketing team will collaborate with your business on content creation to position you as the thought leader of a sub-vertical in your market.
5. Have an up-to-date sales and consulting team through STAEDEAN training
The STAEDEAN training services have historically been limited to your consulting team. We’re now extending our training services to your sales team as well to make them better equipped for sales cases in collaboration with STAEDEAN.
6. A program adaptive to your state of business
Business is changing, and so is your maturity with STAEDEAN solutions. The partner program is designed to keep up with the state of your business—you can choose which areas you want to focus on in the next year.
All these advantages of the new program have one goal in common, which is to realize a partnership that delivers a tangible increase in business.
How is the partner program built up?
The partner program consists of the following two layers:
- The base
- Flexible Layer
Let me explain the difference between the two layers.
Partner Program—the base
The base of the partner program contains services that are applicable to every partner. You need access to the right information, product support, training, and sales coaching to be a champion partner of STAEDEAN.
Some of the services in the base program are:
1. Frequent product updates
You get a quick insight into what STAEDEAN built and what we’ve planned on the product roadmap. You will be a part of an exclusive list that ensures you and your team are never missing out on the latest updates.
2. Webinars
STAEDEAN is frequently organizing webinars and is aspiring to do more of that. These will keep you informed on the latest product releases, new product launches, and your industry updates.
3. Support portal access
The success of all our customers is always our primary focus. You will receive access to the support portal, where you will find answers in the knowledge-base articles, and you can even log your own support cases.
4. Pre-sales and training (limited)
All success starts with dedication and knowledge. There is always a standard package of pre-sales and training included in our partner program to keep you updated.
5. Reseller agreement
A signed reseller agreement makes sure that we have a streamlined and scalable relationship.
6. Channel development
Our sales team is dedicated to our joint success. Your commitment to a partner program will give you more access to the market development and in-depth domain knowledge of our sellers.
Partner program—the flexible layer
STAEDEAN is ready to do much more than the basics, mentioned in the previous section.
We’re not just interested in keeping the hygiene factors running—we will help you grow and succeed with your existing customers.
The partner program set-up is based on points. You can decide on which services package(s) you want to spend your points on. Some examples of services are:
1. Additional training & workshops
The base is helping you to get started, but you probably need more training seats to get your entire crew trained and up to date.
2. Extra pre-sales
You won’t be able to do all the pre-sales from day one. Most STAEDEAN partners rely on us for their first handful of sales cases.
3. Support incidents
Every business is different, and so is the volume of your support cases. The new partner program offers you the flexibility to get more help in support cases.
4. Co-Marketing services
The STAEDEAN marketing team owns a proven track record of growth. We don’t intend to keep it just to ourselves while we can help our partner business taste this success as well. Our content team will support you in the creation of blogs, e-books, case studies, or any other marketing material tailored specifically to your sub-verticals and organization.
This is especially helpful for partners that are entering new markets or new segments with new solutions, where STAEDEAN can help you position your services better.
How can you get started in the new partner program?
The partner program is launched as of today. So, you can contact us to get immediate benefit from the fresh, new partner program.
The STAEDEAN sales team will contact all current partners in the next few months. We will further explain the program and help you upgrade from the old to the new. I can assure you this upgrade will be easier than the latest migration from AX2012 to Dynamics 365.
Are you ready for a further discussion or more details on the partner program?
Get in touch with your sales or partner sales contact.
Peter van Leeuwen