Oracle launches intiative to help partners build new business 20 March, 2009 By Chris Talbot

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The Oracle Sales Readiness Verification initiative is aimed at helping partners with proven expertise in Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Database and Oracle Grid, providing them with sales training and designed to enable them to go to market with the products. The intention is to drive net new licence and services business for partners, the company stated.

"The Sales Readiness Verification initiative is a key pillar of Oracle's commitment to driving net new business to expert partners in North America," said Ted Bereswill, senior vice president of Oracle North America alliances and channels, in a statement. "We're serious about improving the value proposition for partners who have invested to build their Oracle skills. By working with Oracle's Enterprise Solutions Group for enablement and field sales teams to bring partners into new opportunities, we expect to start helping build new business for partners immediately."

Oracle is planning to verify the selling skills related to Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Database of 75 partners before the end of 2009 and bring those partners into sales opportunities.

The initiative will provide partners with a baseline measurement for expert partner skills expertise in selling Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Database and Oracle Grid (including customer references), but it's also intended to create opportunities for collaborative selling, including joint business planning and the passing on of leads from Oracle to partners.

Through the initiative, Oracle will also acknowledge and promote partner expertise to both existing and prospective customers.

While this is not out of the ordinary with what other vendors are doing, Michelle Warren, president of MW Research & Consulting, noted that it's important that Oracle provide tools to help its partner community and wrap those tools up in a program.

"They're looking at lead partners with this, which makes sense because it's Oracle Database and Oracle Fusion," she said, noting that both are high-end solutions.

It's also likely that the Sales Readiness Verification initiative will continue to evolve going forward, she said.

"I like hearing these announcements, because it's really important that the vendors support the partners," Warren said.