ATAP™ product, service and support programs deliver real-world benefits to resellers

Bothell, WA, March 29, 2000 - Allied Telesyn International (www.alliedtelesyn.com), a worldwide leader in simplifying networking for businesses of all sizes, today announced the successful launch to resellers of its Allied Telesyn Alliance Partner (ATAP™ ) program. Designed to provide real benefits for today’s hard-working networking VARs, the ATAP program incorporates special tools for support, training, joint marketing and referrals, as well as real opportunities for resellers to give their input to Allied Telesyn on matters such as product line evolution, training and support issues.

"We are offering something substantially different with this program," said Vince Ricco, Allied Telesyn’s Senior Vice President of North American Sales. "The fundamental ingredients may be familiar to resellers, but the real proof of the pudding is in the eating. If ATAP was designed to be just another reseller program with too many layers and over-complicated processes, we would have been told that early on by the resellers who helped us design it and have now enthusiastically signed-up for it."

Allied Telesyn’s new ATAP program is a relationship program, not merely a sales incentive program. Through a series of discussions and meetings with its best resellers, Allied Telesyn determined the things that matter most to today’s resellers – great products, truly reliable support, effective (not onerous) training, value-add services and a simple loyalty reward scheme – and created a program that raises the bar for other manufacturers by meeting and exceeding reseller expectations.

"Let’s face it, resellers focus their attention on things that really do affect their business. Most reseller programs get the thumbs-down from the reseller community because they don’t add value," added Ricco. "If it takes hours of effort and paperwork to earn a small discount, or if lengthy and expensive training programs don’t produce a decent ROI, resellers will inevitably lose interest."

Allied Telesyn designed a product training and certification program for ATAP that gives resellers knowledge and experience that works for them, and it’s already getting accolades. "I just attended the ATAP Basic LAN and WAN courses, and thought they were great," said Norman Ryder, Outside Salesman for SESCO Datacomm in West Virginia. "They were presented at exactly the right level, and gave me information and experience that I can put to use with my clients right away, including IP addressing and VLAN tagging."

Kevin Squire, managing director of Apple Valley, California-based reseller, Responsive Internet, signed-on to the program early, and is highly supportive of ATAP. "Three of my people just returned from their first ATAP product training class, and the feedback has been very positive. Vendor product training is extremely important to us, and Allied Telesyn has shown how well it can work in a small classroom setting. The close, hands-on approach they use fosters confidence and enthusiasm to learn more." "What many manufacturers forget is that people run programs," added Squire. "The strength of the brand doesn’t guarantee empathy, understanding and a sense of mutual development. Overall program content is important, and financial incentives matter, but our experience with ATAP proves that having enthusiastic people behind the program makes a world of difference."

The ATAP program is designed to meet different resellers’ needs by offering four types of membership: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus. A testament to the program’s flexibility, its entry-level Silver membership requires no volume commitments or certifications, but gives the reseller access to the full set of ATAP sales and support programs, including joint marketing, the ATAP newsletter, dedicated 800-number support both pre- and post-sale support, and more. Moving up through the ATAP to Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus, resellers upgrade their expertise and sales volumes at each level, and gain greater discounts on products and services.

"Allied Telesyn has always delivered the best in simplicity, value and support – for us resellers as well as for our clients," commented Responsive Internet’s Squire. "We see ATAP extending that philosophy with truly valuable training opportunities, joint marketing and referral programs and real, easy-to-obtain rewards for loyalty. Personally, I’m excited about the prospects."