D-Link Bolsters Channel Program With New Tiers, Rewards

All of the updates, according to the company, are a direct result of partner feedback, and VIP now offers three tiers: Registered, Silver and Gold.

Partners who enroll in D-Link VIP automatically become Registered level partners, which means access to D-Link's deal registration program, eligibility for special pricing, access to its online partner portal, and access to various promotional and discounting programs, including D-Link Rewards.

At the Silver level of partnership, VARs receive all of the Registered benefits, plus a quarterly volume incentive rebate (VIR) of as much as 7 percent, access to sales leads, access to a quarterly roadmap product briefing and eligibility for a D-Link Bounty Program that pays a rebate when a D-Link-defined Registered Deal doesn't pan out.

At the Gold level of partnership, VARs receive all of the benefits available to Registered and Silver partners, and can earn a 10 percent VIR, have top priority for D-Link sales leads, and can participate on D-Link's recently formed D-Link Partner Council.

Also new to the VIP partner program are technology specializations, designed for partners with proficiency in specific areas. The first two specializations are Storage Preferred, available now for D-Link data storage product specialists, and IP Surveillance Preferred, coming in the second quarter for D-Link IP Surveillance products. Specialized partners can earn 5 percent upfront discounts on products in their specialization category, branding as a "preferred" partner and priority access to leads provided by D-Link.

Finally, D-Link has pumped up its existing deal registration program to provide discounts on the front-end of deals, and also leveled the playing field so that VIP partners qualify for the same discount amounts. Those amounts are tiered based on deal size, according to D-Link, which means 6 percent off MSRP discounts for deals ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, and 10 percent off MSRP discounts for deals north of $20,000.

There's also a new partner benefit specific to government and education sales. Under the GovEd Discount Program, partners selling to those vertical markets can receive a 5 percent upfront discount when purchasing D-Link product from distribution. GovEd is exclusively available to D-Link VIP partners, according to the company.

"With this newly enhanced Partner Program, D-Link reaffirms its commitment to channel partners, ensuring they have the most up-to-date information and resources on D-Link products, which in turn will provide more value to their customers," said Steve Ryan, D-Link's director of North America channel programs, in a statement.

D-Link was recently named among 5-star-rated companies in CRN's annual Partner Program Guide.

D-Link executives could not be reached for additional comment on the VIP program updates.