Telstra say they are one of the UK’s alternative voice and internet suppliers is one of the few tier one telcos that actively supports its channel, offering a full range of voice, data and hosting solutions. It firmly believes that the channel is the route to success in an increasingly commoditised market and in September 2005, the company introduced a successful three tier accreditation programme to reward its partners and announced its first platinum and gold partners, Telinet and Actimax respectively.
A spokesperson for Telstra added, “In addition to our great commission structure to incentivise resellers, we also offer a great deal of value added support, including marketing and training. In December 2005, we launched our sales training academy for resellers, a facility to providing in-depth training programmes for accredited partners to help them maximise sales opportunities. The courses entitled ‘How to win business’ and ‘Negotiation skills’ are designed to equip our indirect channel with the skills needed to operate effectively in a highly competitive market and increase their revenue and retain existing clients such as Millfield Partnerships, BBFC, Sandals resort and the NHS.