'We're empowering distribution to help with our go-to-market strategy': NetApp launches new commercial growth programme
NetApp's new UK programme empowers distributors to drive growth in 10,000 whitespace SMB accounts
NetApp has launched a new commercial growth programme in the UK, aiming to accelerate lead development and partner growth.
The programme, set to launch in FY25, focuses on channel-led engagement, leveraging the expertise of NetApp's distribution partners to drive scalable growth.
Empowering distribution partners
In an exclusive interview with CRN, Sonya Mathieu, UK & Ireland partner senior director at the cloud data services vendor explains the programme's genesis: "When we launched the C series, which makes enterprise storage capabilities accessible at a lower cost, it introduced a huge opportunity for us in the SMB space.
"We wanted to leverage the power of distribution to drive velocity within the SMB market."
A key feature of the programme is its focus on 10,000 whitespace accounts where NetApp doesn't have dedicated sales personnel.
"We're completely empowering distribution and their partners to help with our go-to-market strategy," she says.
"They will enable focus partners within that space and drive velocity business for us."
The programme introduces an autonomous sales process, including increased deal registration value and automated special bid pricing.
"We've built a system that allows automated deal registrations.
"As long as it's below a certain threshold and doesn't have an active opportunity against it, when a partner logs a deal registration, they don't have to wait for manual approval."
Seb Adams, UK commercial sales director at NetApp, emphasises the programme's collaborative nature: "This programme leverages the technical sales and marketing expertise of our distribution partners, including members of the prestigious NetApp A-Team – our elite technical community."
The initiative offers partners rebate incentives, leads, and enhanced engagement opportunities.
Mathieu highlights the programme's ambitious scope: "With a target segment encompassing over 10,000 customers, this programme is set to revolutionise the way we collaborate with our partners."
NetApp's strategy aligns with current market trends, particularly in the SMB space. The company's new ASA product, a block-only platform, is a major focus.
"We've poured a lot of our incentive and rebate investment there because the total addressable market spend on block is roughly 70-75 per cent of the overall flash spend," she adds.
The programme's launch comes amid significant growth in NetApp's channel business.
"We've seen tremendous growth with our big partners in the second half of last year," she continues.
"Our market relevance has improved, particularly in conversations around cybersecurity and true hybrid cloud."
Measuring success and future focus
NetApp aims to measure the programme's success through various metrics.
"We're looking for this to grow [exponentially] within the first year, which we would see as a success.
"We're also measuring the type of business being sold (flash, block), deal registrations, and lead conversion rates."
While the programme presents exciting opportunities, NetApp acknowledges some challenges in the current market.
"One challenge is that sales cycles are longer due to more rigorous sign-off processes within organisations," Mathieu notes.
However, they view the exploding data growth as a significant opportunity that NetApp is well-positioned to address.
Looking ahead, NetApp is focusing on AI and storage-as-a-service offerings.
"I'm really excited about AI," she adds.
"It's incredible to understand the opportunity that NetApp has to help organisations as they mature in their AI strategy."
As NetApp embarks on this new venture, the company remains committed to its partner-driven approach.
"We are very much a partner-driven organisation and would be nowhere without our partners," Mathieu concludes.
"The opportunity is there, and I have ambitious goals for how we can grow our business together."