HOME | CHANNEL PARTNERS | PRODUCTS & SERVICES | TECHNOLOGY | CONTACT SIPCOMIntroduction | Commercial Case | Business Models | Training & Accreditation | Sign Up and Sell Channel Partners - Business Models There are two main business models that Channel Partners can select from when working with SIPcom:Resale Partner (RP) Working with SIPcom as a Resale Partner means that products and services are supplied on a wholesale basis, which are then re-branded and marketed by the Resale Partner, to generate an appropriate margin. This provides the best opportunity for Channel Partners to add their own identity to the product and add in others services from their existing portfolio, to provide a true “value added” proposition for their end user customers. The Resale Partner is responsible for sales, provisioning, installation, billing, collections and first line customer support. The contractual relationship is between the Resale Partner and the end user, with the Resale Partner having responsibility for ongoing account management. SIPcom offers Resale Partners the capability to bill customers directly, using their own stationery and branding, by providing raw billing information that can be imported into the Resale Partner’s existing billing system, via the Partner Portal. SIPcom can advise on a range of billing solutions that Resale Partners may wish to consider if they do not already have an in house billing solution. For Resale Partners, SIPcom does not carry the customer debt so it is the Resale Partner’s responsibility to credit check their end user customers and take other prudent steps. Resale Partners may therefore elect to bill customers monthly in advance for service charges. Business Partner (BP) The Business Partner model provides an ideal transition path for organisations wishing to move away from a dealer commission structure, in order to retain ownership of their end user customers and enhance the exit value of their business. The Business Partner model is also extremely well suited to organsisations who simply want to concentrate on their core sales skills, but retain a higher degree of the resultant profit, than is available under a typical dealer commission structure. A Business Partner model works in exactly the same way as a Resale Partner, but in this case, the Channel Partner effectively out-sources some, or all of the non-sales and provisioning functions back to SIPcom. SIPcom can advise on the best mix of functions to retain “in-house,” as well as providing advice and templates for sales and marketing collateral. SIPcom can carry out installations and training on behalf of the Business Partner on a chargeable basis. SIPcom can also facilitate a collection service on behalf of the Business Partner, but the debt risk will remain with the Business Partner. SIPcom can act as first line support on behalf of the Business Partner, although it is often prudent for the Business Partner to retain a degree of this customer service functionality “in-house.” The contractual relationship is between the Business Partner and the end user customer. SIPcom will supply products on a wholesale basis for the Business Partner to re-brand and market in their own identity on a “value added” basis at an appropriate margin. SIPcom will make a charge for each of the services (for example billing) that are out-sourced back from the Business Partner. Dealers SIPcom does not work directly with dealer partners, but can provide access to our range of products and services by introducing the dealer to an accredited SIPcom Channel Partner of the scale and geographic location appropriate to the dealer in question. |