NetSuite programme ready for 2014 channel push

Updated structure to push services, consultancy and recurring revenue

SaaS vendor NetSuite is gearing up for a channel push in 2014 on the back of new certifications aimed at attracting and training consultancy-led partners.

According to John Campbell, EMEA channel director at NetSuite, the financial software-as-a-service vendor is on the hunt for new partners that can take up the baton for wider-ranging consultancy in particular.

"Going into next year, we are putting what I would call a bit more structure into how we support our partners," he told ChannelWeb.

"We need to grow that community, both in terms of the number of partners we have and their capabilities."

November saw NetSuite launch a global certification programme for partners and invest more in the processes for getting new partners on board. But Campbell said the programme would be of most use to partners that already have a certain level of skill in related environments.

"We are targeting existing partners that have got experience in apps – whether that's ERP, SAP, or other financial software, the usual names. But 50 to 60 per cent of our business will be around the services capability," he said.

That meant, for the most part, partners that already have some consultancy skills, with more training on offer as part of the new accreditations.

NetSuite was being promoted as part of a portfolio, rather than a replacement for whatever the partners might currently be offering. The key selling point was its abilities as a platform around which other apps could be developed, he suggested.

"It's more than just an ERP system. We have CRM, we've got a very strong e-commerce platform and financial services platform, and it can be really end to end," Campbell (pictured) said.

What's more, partners would be eligible for a 30 to 50 per cent margin on the first contract, for example for one to five years "which we think is generous", he added.

"But where the uniqueness comes in is that we also pay 30 per cent on any renewal that comes from that contract," said Campbell. "The standard practice seems to be a fairly low referral margin for the initial deal and nothing thereafter.

"So that gives you a real chance of adding true recurring value."