VCSonline is actively pursuing partnerships with companies interested in adding a world-class web-based project management and team communication software solution to the services they provide. VCSonline is offering a unique opportunity to take advantage of years worth of research and development that has gone into the VPMi and to share it with our partners’ clients. Partnership levels one through three are limited to local installations of the VPMi. Partnership level four applies to ASP versions of the VPMi only.
Level One Partnership: Referral Partner
As a level one partner with VCSonline your company will receive five percent of the cost of the VPMi Professional software for simply referring someone that, through our own marketing and sales, results in a new client. Payments to partners are made within 30 days from the date VCSonline receives payment from the client. Level one partners simply make referrals. All sales and marketing efforts will be handled by VCSonline. This limited partnership is VCSonline’s way of encouraging our partners to refer their clients for our leading web-based project management and team communication solutions. Level one partners are not required to receive any formal training or certification from VCSonline. We only ask that you let your clients know about our services and how to contact us if their needs match our solutions.
Level Two Partnership: Resale Partner
As a level two partner your company will act as a reseller of the VPMi. Sometimes, this level of partnership will result in your company including VCSonline in your proposal to an existing or potential client (VCSonline is a sub-consultant). Other times, this level of partnership will result in a sale of the VPMi and VCSonline services where your company is a sub-consultant to VCSonline. Level two partners provide marketing and sales support for the VPMi as well as participation on projects and post-implementation support. In these roles, a level two partner is acting as a representative of VCSonline and must demonstrate the same level of understanding that a VCSonline professional demonstrates to a client. Consequently, level two partners are required to read the users guide, complete the training guide provided by VCSonline, and participate in training with a VCSonline professional. The training requires two days and is performed by one VCSonline professional. All travel expenses and professional services are billed to the partner for the training. The hourly rate for the training is 10 percent less than our standard billing rate. This reduced rate is offered to our Level 2 partners only.
As a level two partner, we also require you to assist as beta-testers for new releases of the VPMi software. In order to market and sell the VPMi we require our level two partners to understand the many features of the VPMi. To maintain a good understanding of the software it is important to stay current on new releases. Consequently, we ask for level 2 partners to help us evaluate new releases before they go to market. Level two partners tend to be solution consulting providers that want to augment their services and products with our software solution. Level two partners are not qualified to perform local installations or customization of the VPMi. Consequently, VCSonline requires active participation when setting the scope of services and costs to implement the VPMi for your clients. VCSonline is not responsible for any proposed services that have not been reviewed and approved by VCSonline.
All level two partners are eligible for our commission/discount schedule. If VCSonline is a sub-consultant on your project, the schedule is applied to the cost of the VPMi, which your company will purchase from VCSonline and sell to your client. If your company is a sub-consultant to VCSonline on the project, the schedule is a commission paid to your company within 30 days of receipt of payment from the client. Your company will receive a fifteen percent commission on the cost of the VPMi Professional software. Level two partners will be provided access to sales materials and VCSonline staff to answer questions and facilitate drafting a winning proposal. In addition, all level two partners will be listed on VCSonline’s partner program website, including a short company description and a hot-link to your company’s website. Your company will also have the right to use the VCSonline partner program logo for marketing purposes. Any time your company spends on a project where your company is a sub-consultant to VCSonline (during an assessment, implementation, training, or post implementation services which are billable) will be included in our proposal to the client. All time you spend on the project will generate revenue that will be paid to you, in full, as a sub-contractor on the project within 30 days of receipt from the client. VCSonline does not take a commission on your company’s consulting time.
Level Three Partnership: Strategic Partner
As a level three partner with VCSonline, your company will have a great deal of flexibility to work autonomously with your clients and offer a full-range of services associated with the VPMi. This is an excellent arrangement for any company that is interested in providing consulting services to their clients beyond selling the VPMi. VCSonline will always be available to assist with implementations or answer questions, however this arrangement gives our partners the ability to generate consulting revenue, through customization of the product, installation of the product, providing follow-up consulting services, and rolling out upgrades of the VPMi to existing clients as VCSonline makes them available. The mutual rights exist to cancel the partnership at any time, upon which the partner must destroy all copies of the software or pay for the VPMi license at retail minus 20%.
Level three partners are given the VPMi Professional for demonstrations and sales, without any customization, for free. Any customizations we provide to your copy of the VPMi will include a 10 percent discount off our standard billing rate. Level 3 partners all start out as level 2 partners. To become a level three partner, we require everyone in your company that will be marketing, selling, customizing, or installing the VPMi to participate in a one week training program. This will be billed by the hour in addition to any travel and expense costs. The minimum setup and training period is 80 hours (2 people for 1 weeks). As an incentive to our level three partners, we offer a ten percent discount on our standard hourly rate. In addition, to become a level three partner your company must help VCSonline acquire a new client and participate in the assessment, customization, implementation, and training for the VPMi. Any time your company spends on this project will be included in the proposal to the client and will be paid to your company within 30 days of receipt from the client.
To assist our level three partners in successfully selling and implementing the VPMi, VCSonline offers access to all sales materials and our knowledge base. The level three partner must designate a single focal point, called a Support Liaison (SL).
All level three partners are eligible for our discount schedule. Because you are working with your own clients as a level 3 partner, it is your company that will be selling the VPMi to your client. To do so, you will first purchase a copy from VCSonline. Your company will receive a twenty percent discount on the cost of the VPMi Professional software. In addition, your company will receive a ten percent commission on any VCSonline consulting time spent on your projects. The price charged to your client for the VPMi cannot be increased or decreased from our existing price. This is a requirement put in place to send a consistent pricing message to all VPMi users.
As a level three partner, we require separate contracts for each of your company’s clients that decide to purchase the VPMi. This requirement is in place to help VCSonline avoid competing with its partners for new clients. We believe this requirement will foster a more amicable partnership and result in a long-term business relationship. If your clients refer us on to any other companies within or outside their organization, we will pay your company five percent of the cost of the VPMi Professional software within 30 days from the date VCSonline is paid by the client. This payment is exactly the same as what a level one partner would receive for a referral.
In addition, all level three partners will be listed on VCSonline’s partner program website, including a short company description and a hot-link to your company’s website. Your company will also have the right to use the VCSonline partner program logo for marketing purposes. VCSonline will also issue a press release through Business Wire announcing the partnership.