HP Inc. on Wednesday launched a major new channel initiative that integrates all of its offerings and services, including Poly, Teradici and HyperX, into the HP Amplify program, which was first introduced three years ago.
Scheduled to go live on Nov. 1, the enhanced program will also be extended to distribution partners through HP Amplify Distribution.
“Distribution partners hold a vital position in the channel ecosystem and their capabilities have continued to evolve and expand to meet the growing needs of resellers and customers,” said Kobi Elbaz, senior vice president and general manager, HP global channel organization.
“Based on their unique insights, we designed the Amplify Distribution program with flexibility in mind, allowing distributors with foundational capabilities to join seamlessly, while rewarding those invested in advanced capabilities to incrementally boost profitability and grow their business.
In a media pre-brief earlier this week, Mary Beth Walker, vice president and global head of channel strategy and enablement at HP, said the company has “been watching what is going on in the evolution of distribution over the last few years and how distributors have been dealing with market shifts such as marketplaces, OEM-to-customer models, and the market preference for managed in-cloud-based offerings.
“Now seems to be a very good time for us to be able to capitalize on the changes in the landscape evolution around distribution and look at how we can create targeted opportunities for HP and our distributors to leverage.”
Distributors, said Walker, now have to “stay involved in the entire customer lifecycle, which means that they have to have new services and solutions beyond what they’ve had before to be able to do that.”
Meanwhile, new commercial partner benefits, which also kick in on Nov. 1, include the More for More rate multiplier to enhance partner compensation and Fast Lane, which HP said is the industry’s first automated Marketing Development Funds (MDF) reimbursement process. The company also announced Growth Plays, a new program element to be rolled out across Commercial and Distribution Partners in May 2024.
“By leveraging our expanded portfolio and enticing new benefits, HP partners are uniquely positioned to catalyze substantial, long-lasting growth,” said Elbaz. “Every enhancement to the program launched has been shaped by the invaluable feedback of our extensive partner network, and we are committed to continually refining the Amplify Program to stay at the forefront of evolving industry dynamics.”
Amplify More for More: The goal of this initiative is to allow partners who sell across the HP portfolio to provide a “better customer experience and benefit from higher compensation opportunities.” The new More for More rate multiplier will be provided in addition to the existing core Amplify incentives. For instance, Power Partners focused on personal systems can easily qualify by increasing sales of peripherals, Poly headsets and workforce solutions product lines, HP said.
Amplify Fast Lane: Amplify Fast Lane represents a first-of-its-kind joint demand generation MDF claiming process, designed to simplify and accelerate reimbursement for eligible partners through an automated claims and payment procedure. According to the release, “by speeding up payment turnaround time by up to 50 per cent, the Amplify Fast Lane program addresses partner pain points and enhances the overall experience of collaborative marketing efforts. Fast Lane offers a more efficient, user-friendly MDF claim experience, enabling qualified partners to focus on optimizing demand generation initiatives rather than being bogged down in complex processes.”
Amplify Growth Plays: Starting in May 2024, all HP Amplify commercial partners will have access to a new specialization program built around HP’s growth categories. Focused on driving opportunities and incremental partner profitability, Amplify Growth Plays enables a “clear path to portfolio specialization. Combined with unique tools, capabilities and compensation elements, Amplify Growth Plays rewards partners with tailored benefits for investing in these customer-driven growth areas,” HP said. Launching in May are Growth Plays for Managed Print Services, Lifecycle Services, SMB Video Collaboration Solutions, and HP Software.
HP also announced the expansion of its Amplify Impact partner sustainability program to distribution partners, and to five additional countries: Austria, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands and Finland. Participating partners across 48 countries will now have access to HP’s sustainability resources to drive preference and impact across climate action, human rights, and digital equity.
“Sustainable practices are not only vital for the future of our planet – they are good for business,” the release stated. “HP Amplify Impact assists partners with resources to identify gaps and guidance for achieving sustainability goals, highlighting the growing significance of ESG strategies.”
