Nothing is signed until stage three
The process runs five stages. The first two exist so both sides can work out whether there is a fit, at no cost to either.
- Stages
- 5
- Cost of stages one and two
- None
- First signature
- Stage three
- Terms discussed at
- Stage two, after mutual NDA
- Registration acknowledged
- 5 business days
How it runs
Introduction
A short call about the accounts you serve, the regions you cover, and whether data security sits alongside what you already sell. We describe how the product is positioned and where it tends to win.
Qualification
Mutual non-disclosure goes in place, which opens the commercial conversation. Terms are discussed against the volume you expect and how much delivery you intend to handle yourself.
Agreement
The reseller agreement is executed. It carries the terms discussed at stage two, deal registration mechanics, customer ownership and the obligations that flow down from the distribution agreement.
Enablement
Your technical people get access to a demo environment and work through training on discovery, classification and masking. Sales material and positioning guidance follow.
First opportunity
Register the deal, and we work it with you. Early opportunities usually run as co-selling so your team sees how the technical conversation goes before running one alone.
Commitments on both sides
What we ask of you
- A named technical contact who completes enablement
- Deals registered before they are worked, rather than after
- First and second line support for your own customers
- Accurate positioning of what the product does, and what it does not
- An honest read on pipeline
What you get from us
- Demo environment access for your team
- Technical training and a certification path
- Escalation to vendor engineering on unresolved issues
- Registered opportunities protected on the record
- Co-selling on early deals until your team is comfortable
Fit, and the cases we turn down
Naming the second column saves everybody a quarter of wasted pipeline.
What happens between stages
How long does the whole process take
Stages one and two usually run inside a fortnight when both sides are available. Stage three depends on your own legal review. Enablement runs at whatever pace your technical people can give it.
Can we talk numbers at stage one
Ask on the first call. Specific terms need mutual non-disclosure in place, which is stage two, but the shape of the arrangement is not a secret and nobody benefits from five calls before money is mentioned.
Do we need to commit to a volume
There is no published floor. The volume you realistically expect is an input to the terms rather than a hurdle to clear beforehand.
What if we already have an opportunity
Say so at stage one. An opportunity already in motion usually accelerates everything, and registration can be discussed before the agreement is executed so the account is on the record.
Tell us the markets you cover and the accounts you serve
Stage one is a conversation with no paperwork attached, and it usually takes half an hour.