Brother Mobile Solutions recently unveiled its new Brother “THE NEXT” Partner Program, what the company calls a growth-oriented approach to forging alliance partnerships for long-term mutual advantage. Designed to capitalize on the rapid expansion of the mobile workforce, the new program supports opportunities to co-develop software and mobile printing solutions that improve worker productivity.
In re-engineering its partnership strategy, Brother seeks business partners of all sizes across multiple industries, based not solely on sales volumes, but rather on a shared vision to drive the continued growth of mobile technologies and mobile printing solutions.
Commenting on the re-vamped program, Matt Moriarty, digital and channel marketing manager for Brother Mobile Solutions, notes, “Under this new program, smart and nimble startups can achieve equal footing with larger, more established technology VARs and resellers. The program is structured to reward loyalty, as well as growth potential, and willingness to work closely together to create customized mobility and mobile printing solutions.”
The early review team for the program included Rob Dorsey, Vice President of Sales at BlueStar, Inc. who stated, “It’s a forward-thinking program that should provide a path for resellers large and small to succeed.”
Moriarty emphasizes that there are no sales or product volume minimums to qualify for the new Brother Partner Program, so even smaller vertical industry developers and resellers are invited to apply. Benefits include preferred partner pricing on the full Brother portfolio of mobile products, development funding support, a solid margin earning opportunity, free demo mobile printers, pre- and post-sale engineering support, demand creation opportunities, and more.
Brother seems to be on the right path with this program in its desire to partner with even small ISVs and resellers. All too often, partner programs are built around volume. In today’s mobile age and time of born-in-the-cloud apps, there are new developers popping up all the time. This seems like a great step in making it easy for these new companies to partner with Brother. That said, the key words that jump out to me in this news are loyalty, growth potential, and working closely together. In short, Brother wants partners that bring value or have the potential to do so.
One point not mentioned by Brother is that startup companies can benefit greatly by partnering with larger, established, and reputable companies. Many startup developers have told DevPro Journal that the right partner gives them access to previously unobtainable relationships, resources, and expertise. It’s excited to speculate as to what these new companies and their solutions can do to enhance the AIDC space.
