Cisco launches new SMB initiative to boost partner sales

IT networking firm Cisco has launched a new initiative aimed at improving sales efficiency and profitability for partners when they sell to small-to-medium-sized business (SMBs) in the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) market.  

Known as Partner Deal Express, the initiative will offer upfront discounts on a targeted set of portfolios selling to small and mid-sized enterprises, the company said at Cisco Live Melbourne held on 6-9 December.

“The program enables Cisco's partners to provide faster transactions for SMBs as it provides an upfront discount on a targeted portfolio tailored for SMBs. With this, partners would not need to seek approval on deals that fall under this programme,” the company said in a statement. 

To achieve that, Cisco said that it will regularly review historical pricing and competitive analysis and adjust Fast Track (pricing) to provide the best upfront discount for SMBs.  

Partner Deal Express will apply to five portfolios: Cisco Meraki, its cloud-controlled Wi-Fi routing; its collaboration solution Webex; its multi-authentication solution Duo; its cloud security offering Cisco Umbrella; and Cisco’s on-premises portfolio, covering its Catalyst, Business and Firepower series.  

According to a report by International Data Corporation (IDC) published in May this year, SMBs now account for 98 per cent of APJ businesses and 50% of the workforce. Meanwhile, for Cisco, SMBs represent its fastest-growing market.  

“With technology growing at a fast pace, SMBs need our partners’ expertise to ensure they deploy the right technologies to transform the right areas and harness the potential of digitalisation,” said Michiko Kamata, managing director of Cisco SMB in APJC.  

To support the Partner Deal Express program, Cisco will be launching a new SMB Website across APJC (available in all languages) with the aim to drive traffic and leads to our valued partners. 

Cisco was one of the first technology companies to implement a channel-led model nearly two decades ago. Today, Cisco's partner ecosystem includes thousands of partners across 150 countries, with a whopping 90% of Cisco’s revenue flows through Cisco’s partners.