Request for more complex channel

The broadband provider introduced its current channel program two years ago.

Scott Carter, director of sales at Request, said the more sophisticated channel program was a gambit in a plan to double company revenues in the next 12 to 18 months. “The business market for broadband is likely to double its revenue in the next 18 months. There's all sorts of data from different analysts,” he said.

The new Request channel model is split into a carrier group--the Carrier Partnership Program; and a channel partner group including ISVs and system integrators--the Professional Partnership Program--and offers platinum and gold designations based on services offered and revenue targets.

“What we're doing is bringing out a formal partnership brand for the channel. We're branding our channel,” Carter said. “To get that brand you've got to be achieving on some performance criteria, looking at product expertise, services and technical.”

Carter said that he knew of no competitor in Request's niche that had adopted the complete package of channel partner support envisaged by Request.

“We see offering this whole package as innovative. Our partner managers will be focusing on a select group of channel partners targeting sales growth [and so on] and we're also launching a growth fund and joint activities and providing support around that,” he said.

Further, the carrier group of partners would be supported on an “individual engagement” basis, whereby Request would engage with each partner and work together on a go-to-market strategy fitting each partner's needs, Carter said. “We certainly expect to see increased revenues and sales from this,” he said.

Carter would not say how much Request earned overall but pointed out that the company had recently signed its 10,000th customer and had implemented 250 of its flagship IP VPN product in the last 12 months.