Cisco has unveiled a range of new features, improvements, and tools for its broad partner network to deliver increased business value across the customer lifecycle. The company has started its primary incentives to recognize partners for promoting Cisco hardware, software, and as-a-service solutions.
"The Cisco Partner Incentive is the biggest change we've made to partner incentives in more than a decade and is the capstone on the Cisco Partner Program evolution started in 2020. In broadening Cisco's suite of Solution Specializations, we are helping our partners differentiate in the market and demonstrate their expertise in the technologies and solutions sought by customers," said Marc Surplus, Vice President of Partner Strategy and Programs at Cisco.
At the Cisco Partner Summit, Cisco introduced enhancements to the Partner Experience Platform (PXP), an individualized online portal designed to aid partners in productivity, competitiveness, profitability, and go-to-market strategies. The PXP now incorporates AI/ML-powered predictive insights, providing guidance to partners on how to stand out and expand their businesses. Moreover, the platform features a redesigned dashboard that offers a comprehensive overview of fund activities and investments, eliminating the need for expensive third-party tools.
The Sustainability Estimator
In addition, the Partner Experience Platform (PXP) will soon feature a Sustainability Estimator exclusively accessible to Environmental Sustainability Specialized partners. Set to debut this November, the tool will offer partners valuable insights into the anticipated benefits, including energy savings, emissions reduction, cost savings, and environmental impact, that a customer could experience through the modernization of their IT hardware. The Sustainability Estimator is accompanied by a new Sustainability Partner Journey, equipped with resources and materials to assist partners in developing their sustainability practices.
Cisco Partner Incentive
Cisco is streamlining its partner incentives with the introduction of the Cisco Partner Incentive, a unified program incorporating key elements from various existing incentives. This move aligns with Cisco's shift towards software and services-based offerings, aiming to reward partners with rebates for fostering predictable and profitable growth. The incentive is designed to support partners in achieving business outcomes valued by customers, emphasizing new customer acquisition, up-selling, and cross-selling opportunities to maximize the return on customers' IT investments.
Scheduled to roll out in the second half of 2024 in a phased approach, the Cisco Partner Incentive provides partners with ample time to adapt to the new framework. The incentive encompasses three tracks: non-recurring offers, recurring offers, and customer value. Rebates will be tied to the Total Contract Value of closed sales, activities driving customer adoption, and Incremental Annual Contract Value through increased subscriptions. Partners also stand to earn bonus rewards for investing in their Cisco practice or selling specific solutions.
Additional specializations
The company has rebranded and revamped its Small Business Specialization to the Small and Medium Business (SMB) Specialization, reflecting an enhanced focus on serving SMB customers. The updated content highlights Cisco's dedication to SMBs through comprehensive solutions across four primary experiences: Smart SMB, Hybrid SMB, Secure SMB, and Remote SMB.
Enhanced predictive insights for partners
PXP, the leading Partner Relationship Management platform, now offers enhanced predictive and prescriptive insights to empower partners in driving profitable growth. The features include Growth Finder, providing visibility for retaining, growing, and closing more business with recurring revenue insights and AI-driven cross-sell and up-sell recommendations.
Additionally, partners benefit from Expanded Practice Maturity lifecycle insights to drive recurring revenue opportunities and Incentive Insights for optimizing incentives and illustrating tangible bottom-line impact. Cisco Partner Journeys, comprising 19 interactive guides, streamline the path for partners to achieve key business outcomes efficiently, covering areas such as lifecycle, security, sustainability, and software.
In June, Cisco revealed its next-generation generative AI-powered solutions aimed at enhancing workforce efficiency and streamlining operations for organizations by incorporating LLMs into its Collaboration and Security offerings.
