SVI is designed to reward partners for their role, and the value they add, throughout the three stages of the sales cycle - opportunity identification, selling IBM middleware to customers, and software fulfilment. "SVI focuses specifically on value, and the contribution that partners make throughout the sales process, so that adding value in an opportunity now receives a greater reward than simply cutting the price to win the deal," says Gaelyn Adamson, IBM business development manager at Workgroup.

Adamson says the introduction of a rebate for Identify and Sell helps to ensure that partners retain a greater percentage of the overall incentive, as generally only the discount for Fulfil will be used to provide a lower price.

"SVI provides business partners with incredible opportunities of maximising revenues, while continuing to do business as usual. The best part of SVI is that IBM is encouraging partners to leverage both channel programmes - SVI and VAP - which results in significant increases in fulfilment margins," she says.

In line with IBM's continued focus on the SME market, SVI fees are doubled for those partners who identify and sell into these customers.

SVI allows business partners to earn incentives in addition to their standard margins when fulfilling orders. Business partners who are investing time in developing solutions that include selected IBM middleware, can invest their sales time with the confidence that they will earn incentives when the customer purchases the IBM software.

"SVI is a step change in how we see ourselves working with our Business Partners, it does not only recognise the partner in the three selling stages but also the investment that business partners make in technical skills, through the new partner programme we encompasses all these and more," says Asif Valley, IBM software group channel and SME sales manager. "We have to date already experienced a large uptake of the programme by our business partners."

Partners who were previously excluded from incentives, as a result of not reselling software, are now included, as Fulfilment is recognised independently. 

As an IBM Value-Added Distributor, Workgroup is actively marketing the SVI programme to all business partners, and is offering enablement, as well as facilitating the process of registration and navigation through the steps of the programme.