IBM Software dangles cash back carrot

IBM Software is rolling out a global partner incentive plan which promises partners 20 percent cash back on each piece of software they sell.

The Software Value Incentive (SVI) plan - launching in April - is aimed at small resellers, large integrators that may not resell software and large account resellers with expertise in license fulfilment and software asset management.

The plan also lets business partners retain more margin by implementing a new registration system, IBM said.

Business partners would be able to receive a preferred incentive fee for registered deals when the sale closes.

If a partner identifies an opportunity and registers it, IBM ensures that the deal hasn't been claimed, and notifies the partner within five days.

IBM has had deal registration on the hardware side and Oracle has had a system in place for a few years.

But there are often logistical issues. Oracle VARs complain of instances when they register a net new opportunity at a given company, only to be told that Oracle has a pre-existing relationship with that company that nullifies their registration.

In Asia Pacific, the program would be piloted in Australia and New Zealand soon, with the remaining Asia Pacific countries following suit, in a staged rollout plan.

To take advantage of SVI, business partners need to be a member of IBM PartnerWorld at any level. They must also fulfill certain basic IBM technical and professional certifications.

IBM has had similar deal registration procedures in place on the hardware side of the house, but not for its DB2, Lotus, WebSphere, Tivoli, and Rational software brands.