Success Case: ‘Super Open’

The Incentive Program for Resellers and Partners

Download

Background

‘Super Open’ has been developed for a leading Software Company -from now on called ‘the Client’- , by the Marketing Development Group (MDG) at Marco Argentina, in 2003.

The original project was born “to motivate the Channel of Resellers and Partners in the Caribbean and Central America (CCA) region to reach their Sales Targets”. The program gets the Open word by the name of ‘Open License’, although this denomination was suggested by the Client.

The Incentive Program objective was no other than to award prizes in dollars to the Resellers and Partners, for selling ‘Open License’ software products in the Home and Office segments. This last segment includes customers that own 5 to 250 PCs and wish to simplify the follow-up process on their licenses.

As for the categories of Client’s ‘Open License’ software products, they are the following: Desktop Productivity Applications including developer applications, Operative System of Desktop, Servers Products, Client Access Licenses (CALs), Client Access Licenses (CALs) for Small Business Server 2003, Small Business Server 2003 and Customer Relationship Manager.

Reasons for implementing an Incentive Program

In a chat with Leandro Gibaut, in charge of the Program and E-Marketing Manager with the Marketing Development Group (MDG) at Marco Argentina, he explains: “All Resellers and Partners in the CCA market, can participate in the ‘Super Open’ program, they must buy the products included in the program from authorized Wholesale Distributors and then sell them in their market”.

According to Leandro ‘Super Open’ has as its main target: “On one hand, to increase the Client’s product sales specifically in the Reseller Channel. And on the other hand, to give the Resellers the opportunity to win cash - prizes, for the sales of these products”.

The format created for MDG covers: the design and start - up of a web site called Superopen.com, since there is the need for a remote contact with the Partners and Resellers. The first version of the web site was launched two years ago. Since then, the Program has been covering new markets in the Caribbean and nowadays, the Client has access to 33 countries through its site.

The complete list includes:  Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haití, Jamaica, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands (US), Virgin Islands (British).

“The reach of the ‘Super Open’ program is one of its main strengths. At present, the project gets to most Resellers, through the Internet, E-mail and different marketing campaigns ", added MDG executive, Leandro Gibaut.

The implementation of ‘Super Open' allows the Client to get a direct contact to its Reseller Channel and also to develop a plan for making Reseller contact more accessible in terms of costs (that if it should have to make promotions at point of sale in one of each country).

Keys to ‘Super Open’ Success

According to Leandro, “Resellers and Partners are invited to participate in the Program by e-mail, one edition per quarter. They can take part registering again their data at the site".

The Program goes by its eighth release and each two editions MDG proposes a entirely new web site design. The MDG proposal is based on Research information and its experience of previous editions.

This way, MDG underlines an integral communication model for each new ‘Super Open’ Campaign. Also the web aspects are considered, such as navigability issue in order to offer the best experience to the user.

“To be listed on our website is not obligatory for Resellers, for that reason it turns out to be important creating a renewed web design for each ‘Super Open’ edition", said Leandro. The main objective is to position the new home as a reference point, to motivate Resellers for visiting the other site sections and taking part in the new edition.  The site is also presented in two languages: English and Spanish.

MDG also designs communication pieces (push actions at the beginning and end of the program), working to detect opportunities for the different web user groups.

At last, Resellers are allowed to load on line information about products sales. After that, an audit is made to check and approve those sales. The users can also access to its “sales status”, Leandro finalized. Consequently, the Client, based on products sales information, will award those Resellers that have fulfilled the objectives.

Information for Sales Management

About the main benefits of the Program, Leandro commented: "The Super Open gives the client the possibility to have a Business Intelligence DataBase to get knowledge about which are the best sold products and the number of operations detailed by product categories, among others".

“Through this DataBase, the Client can set up: ‘new objectives’ for Reseller Channel; `share of sales’ for salespeople, since the system allows to know how much stock has been sold by these vendors; and `sales accelerator’ to assist the vendors on products that are not sold", said Leandro.

The system creates not only a clear web channel communication to Resellers; but also a DataBase that can be handled according on real time to the Client’s sales expectations.

As ‘Super Open' continue into 2005, the DataBase is made up of  672 resellers and partners, of whom remains as active participants around 200 vendors for edition. These participants no only load their sales thorough the site; nowadays they can attend on line training and e-learning courses.

 “We make permanent samples on each edition to know participants’ opinion and their knowledge about the Program and its main characteristics; also to know how the ‘Super Open’ is being developed and if it is positive tool for Resellers to improve their sales of technology”, added Leandro.

MDG works together with Market and Business Intelligence (MBI), another area of Marco for the development of Business Intelligence DataBase. MBI generates the Intelligence Reports obtained from DataBase processing, which includes the final results of the sales of ‘Open License’ software products detailed by quarter. For this Report are considered: campaning analisys, users and their variations, the sales of Resellers, award prizes, sales reported and Client’s sales, among others.

Finally, the staff of Marco that have worked at Super Open’ includes several persons, since the project presented different editions. For the first stage: Luis Guaragno, Marco Argentina Manager, and Diego Ariel Perez, Marketing program specialist. For the second stage: Alejandro Cañarte, MDG Manager and also Diego Airel Perez. For this present stage: Leandro Gibaut, E-Marketing Manager; Agustin Becerra, Marketing Program Specialist and Santiago Tsin at Software Development.