RSA Security has kicked off its new Elite Forces rewards program for resellers.
The security vendor’s channel account manager, Phil Teague, said the initiative was about enabling and rewarding its presales and technical partner community as well as sales people.
The program is also aimed at system engineers, security architects and security specialists. RSA has so far trained 177 people.
“Typically, a lot of pre-sales and technical people, which are just as important as the sales personnel in negotiating and buying and delivering solutions, are often the unsung hero,” Teague said. “The idea of this program is to reward the right behaviour drawing business for us.”
To take part in the program, partners have to attend certification training. Based on the amount of training and certifications accrued, partners move up the program ranks.
Presenting to customers, delivering demonstration solutions or proof-of-concept solutions they’re trying to sell to potential customers can also be used to help collect points.
Rookie is the introductory level, followed by Negotiator, Lead Unit and Sharp Shooter.
As they move up the levels, there are additional activities to complete. The points accrued can be exchanged into cash.
“I’m hoping to really encourage these partners to focus on the program and work closely with us in identifying and driving opportunities,” Teague said. “We’re also there to help them work through these deals and opportunities.”
“Hopefully we’ll build a knowledgeable and technical community. We’re running mentoring programs for our partners as well and half yearly technical expert forums.”
RSA has also appointed Mark Spencer as its A/NZ distribution channel manager. Prior to joining RSA, Spencer held positions at FalconStor, Express Data, WebSense and Symantec.
