APC Channel Partner Program
Be the solution your customers need today
Opportunities change
at lightning speed.
We’ll help you keep up.
> Differentiate yourself in the marketplace
> Match the right solution to the right customer
p a r t n e r o n l i n e d e s t i n a t i o n
TMTM
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Our program is all about you
Be the solution your customers need today
Based on partner feedback, we identified six elements for the program to help you develop competencies, seize opportunities, be more profitable, and grow your business long term. These elements constitute the components of our Partner Online Destination (POD),™
the online embodiment of the APC Channel Partner Program.
Six critical success factors
Foundation to building best-in-class partnerships
Capitalize on market trends
Increasing and dynamic power densities. Higher power consumption. Record cooling demands. Greater requirements for energy efficiency. And at the same time, unprecedented reliance on data and IT systems. All these challenges have changed the way customers allocate their budgets. Physical infrastructure used to be an afterthought, now it’s first on the agenda. Nobody understands the landscape and where the market is headed better than APC by Schneider Electric.™
That’s why we’ve enhanced our channel partner program: to help you build a solutions-focused power and cooling practice with increased knowledge and expertise and the tools to differentiate yourself from the pack. And that’s why we’re more committed than ever to helping you turn market challenges into new opportunities by offering innovative solutions that are easy to sell.
Get a blueprint for increased profit
The APC Channel Partner Program offers more clearly differentiated program levels that reflect your core competencies and area of expertise. With four levels—registered, select, premier and elite—you leverage pricing and benefits as you advance. You’ll gain unprecedented visibility to where the market is going and where you can take your business.
Maximize your business profile and core competencies
Profile
The online profile identifies the distinguishing demographics of your core business and competency: your market segment and verticals, your particular value-add, the area(s) of your expertise, and your future ambitions. The more we know about you, the better we can direct all our sales, marketing, and support efforts to meet your needs and expectations.
Alignment
The program structure aligns partners into one of four tiers in a way that best maximizes your profile. First, partners are classified by environment (business networks—wiring, closet, server room, and data center—small, medium, or large). Then within each environment, we have taken our entire product portfolio and allocated the different product families into key disciplines (Power & Power Distribution, Racks & Enclosures, Security & Environmental, Management, and Cooling).
A partner’s program level is determined by two criteria: (a) the partner’s competency as it relates to the relevant disciplines within each environment and (b) the partner’s commitment to APC. The different levels of competency and commitment are established by meeting clearly articulated expectations concerning knowledge of the APC product portfolio, training requirements and continuing education, sales and technical proficiency (from design through fulfillment), executive sponsorship, and business planning.
The more we know about you, the better we support you
Registered
Partner PartnerSelect PremierPartner Business Networks Sm/Med Data CenterElite Partner Large Data Center
Co m pe te nc y i n D isc ip lin es Environments Develop Identify Design
Familiar with breadth of APC portfolio and channel programs
Proactively recognize and identify opportunities Familiar with breadth of APC portfolio and channel programs Familiar with APC resources and tools
Wiring closets, server rooms (1 to 3 racks), small to medium data centers Specialized sales and/or technical knowledge in particular environment of discipline; leverages APC expertise for site assessment, configuration, and/or design
Proactively promoting APC products and services to customer; leverages APC team for technical and sales support, cooperative business plan, and customer satisfaction
Wiring closets, server rooms (1 to 3 racks) Ability to independently identify and configure APC solutions in wiring closets and server rooms; expertise in servers and multiple disciplines/ technologies (monitoring, management, software) Practice built heavily around APC, cooperative business plan, executive sponsorship, staff training, and high customer satisfaction levels
Data center “white space” </- 250 kW, (5 to 100 racks) Ability to independently identify and design APC solutions in the small to medium data center environment; expertise in multiple disciplines/ technologies (monitoring, expertise management, cooling)
Practice built around APC, cooperative business plan, executive sponsorship, and high customer satisfaction levels
Capitalize on today’s opportunities
through continued education
Empowerment
Best-in-class training helps you build competencies around APC solutions to solve your customers’ most challenging problems. This professional education is available as self-paced, on-demand online training, live webinars with industry experts, award-winning Data Center University™ online courses, and instructor-led classroom training for more hands-on applications.
The training is divided into two paths: sales and engineering. The sales path builds proficiency in sales expertise to recognize the customer’s business challenges, detect and define the customer’s needs, and overcome any objections. The engineering path provides partners with best practices, technical know-how, and the latest breakthroughs in conceptualizing, designing, and implementing critical power and cooling solutions for customers.
The training curriculum is organized by certification, environment, disciplines, and delivery types. The system easily identifies the requirements of each individual certification, including your completion status of each course.
This best-in-class training tool empowers you to become a trusted adviser with an unmatched level of expertise.
POD TV
Collaboration
Partner-to-partner collaboration is designed to provide a vehicle for connecting partners and their complementary value(s). APC channel partners sell across all technologies, environments, verticals, and customer segments—increasingly we see partners linking up to mesh their complementary strengths and provide a single seamless solution to customers. Partners who collaborate with other solution providers have grown deeper customer relationships and delivered more value to customers.
The APC Partner Online Community provides an interactive environment for one of the industry’s largest and most diverse set of partners to share best practices, check out our blogs, find
tools, network, and partner with one another. This “gated community” also facilitates real-time two-way dialogue between APC and our partners. The APC Partner-to-Partner Collaboration Program is designed to connect partners as it relates to sales and construction process in the small, medium, and large data center environments. A partner specializing in one area or industry—say, server virtualization or unified communications can collaborate with another who is an expert in Power & Cooling. Each brings their respective expertise to the table to provide the customer with more value, without having to invest themselves in staffing up in those particular areas.
Create market demand, generate increased
awareness, and grow your business
Facilitate two-way conversation to network
and share best practices
Enablement
Benefits
Partner Portal Partner Locator Listing
Opportunity Registration Program
Identify Design
Marketing Development Funds Dedicated Sales Support Try and Buy Program
Priority Technical Support & Sales Support Partner Opportunity Program
APC Rewards Program Data Center Incentive Program Online Marketing Center Demo Equipment
Certified Service Sales Partner Program Eligibility
Program benefits add up
The more you advance, the more you benefit
Registered Select Premier Elite Partner
Partner Partner Partner Business Network Sm/Med Data Center
Profit
As you progress through each tier of the new program structure, your benefits, privileges, and profit opportunities increase. The program provides financial differentiation to partners, including upfront preferred pricing, an opportunity registration program, back-end incentives, and other programs that ensure the partner relationship is profitable and well worth the commitment to APC.
APC Rewards Program
The APC Rewards Program handsomely rewards partners that sell select APC products. Channel partners who qualify for the program earn points that can be redeemed for more than a million prizes.
Opportunity Registration Program
The Opportunity Registration Program rewards partners who identify, develop, and win new APC business opportunities, and, in the absence of APC field participation, create demand for new
Competency Requirements
Partner Commitment
Registered Member 1 Sales Associate 1 1 Sales Professional 1 2 2 Technical Consultant 1 1Integrated Design Consultant 1
Total Number of Individuals 1 1 2 3 3*
Partner Profile Executive Sponsorship Business Plan
Staff Training Proficiency Index**
*Total of four individual certifications required by three unique individuals.
Individual holding technical consultant or integrated design consultant certification may also hold sales professional certification.
**Proficiency Index Rating is based on annual competency, revenue and customer satisfaction. The Proficiency Index will be evaluated on an annual basis.
Certification Title Registered Select Premier Elite Partner Partner Partner Partner
Requirement Registered Select Premier Elite Partner Partner Partner Partner
Business Network
Business Network
Sm/Med Data Center
Sm/Med Data Center
Program Requirements
Requirements vary by certification levelFind out more
We’re committed to giving you
the tools you need to succeed
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Online:
Visit www.apc.com/personalpage
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Phone:
Call our Priority Reseller Hotline 1-800-771-1APC
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Make the most of your energy
SMSchneider Electric Industries SAS APC North America