Partner content: Samsung B2B director on new partner programme

Joe Walsh opens up on Samsung One

Why is now the right time to launch your new partner programme?

Partnership and collaboration have always been at the heart of what we do at Samsung and our success as an organisation depends largely on how we build our incredibly important relationships with channel partners.

There is no doubt that the events of this year have driven a need to be even more connected, to collaborate seamlessly and empower our partners wherever they are working. The Samsung One programme acknowledges that mobility and on-demand learning have become more vital than ever before.

Over the years we've built great teams across marketing, sales, product and training, as well as across our leadership roles, to help us achieve our joint goals with partners - but we wanted to do more and digitally transform our approach.

The new programme creates one connection between us and the 12,000 salespeople selling Samsung technology across the UK. It allows us to communicate, educate, motivate and incentivise more effectively and represents our commitment to maximise our engagement with partners.

What would you say is unique about the programme?

For me, it's the multiple elements of the programme that really brings it to life and makes it unique.

It brings a series of excellent support tools together to help our partners on the journey towards consistent and accelerated growth.

We have new training modules, access to marketing materials, incentives and access to all of their Samsung data.

Commercial, marketing and training benefits vary between the four tiers, but every partner will receive full access to Samsung services - including business services centre telephone support and support for Samsung Knox which is our a suite of enterprise mobility solutions, including security.

All of this represents our commitment to enhance our partners' mobility strategy and we strongly believe it will change the way we work with our channel.

How will you manage the onboarding for partners?

Larger partners will be onboarded by their dedicated teams, who will ensure the programme is fully integrated with their existing processes and systems.

For smaller partners, we have a fully guided process that will walk them through from partner registration to individual user sign ups.

Our team will also be on standby to offer any support required.

Has the COVID pandemic played any part in the features and functions of the new programme?

Yes, absolutely. We've increased resources in our internal launch team to bring the programme to market quicker, making the tools and support available this month.

Additional investments have also been made to elevate the training and marketing content as we are currently unable to join our partners on site in some instances.

We've also made the programme available via our mobile app as well as desktop, so our partners can easily unlock the benefits of Samsung One wherever they go.

Have partners played a part in the development of the programme?

Samsung One will only work if our partners find it useful, so from the beginning it was essential that we delivered a programme that works for them.

In the early phases of development, we asked a number of our partners what they liked about working with us, but also what they would change, as well as what additional support and resources they need in fast-evolving environment.

The insight we got from partners ensured that we shaped a programme that would ensure we strengthened existing areas while developing new capabilities to fill in any gaps.

How will you help partners move up the various tiers of Samsung One?

Simplicity is the honest answer.

The programme has four tiers so it's easy to see where you're at and how to get to the next level.

Your tier is assessed based on your capabilities, engagement with the programme and revenue with Samsung.

Top tier partners have the broadest set of Samsung product and services in their portfolios, and a higher proportion of their staff are Samsung trained and accredited.

Partners will be given access to additional support and benefits in recognition of both their tiering and their commitment to working with Samsung.

We'll also be personalising the programme for each partner, rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. The ensures all partners receive the bespoke tools and support required to achieve their goals, and the goals of their customers.

We will also work with partners on an individual basis to help them rise through the partner tiers.

Are you looking to recruit more partners as part of the programme launch?

Absolutely. We've launched this month to get partners access to Samsung One as quickly as possible, but 2021 will be all about driving the programme across the channel network.

I strongly believe it will change the way we partner with the channel and I sincerely look forward to seeing what we will achieve together.

To learn more about Samsung One click here.