From a quick 'jump start' to a smooth 'run rate'

CA Technologies, one of the leading IT management software and solutions company with expertise across all IT environments, relies heavily on its strong channel community, especially for the volume business. It follows a two-tier channel model, wherein it has Ingram Micro and Redington as the two national distributors along with a very large set of around 150 reseller partners in each of the regions of the country. The reseller partners are classified as Silver, Gold, and Platinum partners. The focus verticals include financial services, IT/ITeS, government and the mid-market segment. The focus for the company's ERwin data modeling products are IT and BFSI verticals. Besides, it has the sales and pre-sales team spread across the country, whose basic KRA is to look out for partners and ensure that the company is growing its channel partner base. As far as the sales team is concerned, it is headed by the Director-Channel Sales Volume (Vijayant Rai), followed by National Distributor Manager, and three Channel Managers for the four zones of operation.

The National Distributor Manager works closely with the distributors to drive 'run rate' business for various demand creations, as well as partner loyalty initiatives. The Channel Managers bring in their expertise to work closely with partners in the region to jointly position and win business. And the Channel Managers along with pre-sales consultants are also responsible to ensure sales, pre-sales and deployment capabilities of key partner resources.

As CA Technologies is riding high on its partners, it ensures that its channel community is wellrewarded for their efforts in reaching out to more and more customers. It has schemes targeted at channel partners' and resellers' sales resources, channel partners' pre-sales resources, reseller organizations as a company, and finally, schemes and programs for distributors' sales resources. For example, the company runs a product focus scheme called 'Jump Start' on a quarterly basis, wherein it incentivizes the partners' sales resources if they promote a particular product well and convert it into customer orders. There is another scheme targeted at partners' sales force, called 'Monsoon Dhamaka', which is based on targets, which they have to achieve. The company also runs several enablement exercises for its partners throughout the year, which are essentially technical bootcamps or intensive hands-on training. The primary aim is to ensure that the partners have the basic skill sets for pitching the products at the end-user opportunity, and secondly, to implement these products correctly and in a fashion that is acceptable to the end-user.

One of the enablement exercise is 'Friday Partner Clinic', wherein the technical resources from the reseller organizations are invited to come to any of the three offices of the company in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru on Friday to interact with its technical folks and consultants. These programs are backed up by a very robust self-service partner portal that provides partners all the information and enablement tools that they may require, including various sales and technical certifications.

Looking forward from the channels perspective, the company wants to keep its focus on increasing the partner base, enrich the skill sets of the existing partners, and ensure more coverage in the Indian market. It is also looking at expanding the hardware partner base across the country.

NIVEDAN PRAKASH

(nivedanp@cybermedia.co.in)