In two blogs Ranga Bodla, VP of Field Marketing and Engagement, Oracle NetSuite has announced two renewed programs to help it accelerate growth and attract new customers. The first program is SuiteReferral. It allows organisations and individuals to access rewards and benefits for referring new customers to NetSuite. The initial reward is based on 10% of the license fee spent in the first year by the new customer.
There are three tiers within SuiteReferral Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each level is based on the number of successful referrals each organisation passed to NetSuite. NetSuite will need to clarify the overlap between bronze and silver for those delivering five referrals. Currently, the levels are
- Bronze: 1-5 referrals. Delivers vouchers for NetSuite certification, discounted training and access to co-marketing materials
- Silver: 5-9 referrals get the benefits from the bronze level and access to NetSuite execs, early access to information and discounts on customer products and NetSuite swag
- Gold: 10 or more referrals gives Silver benefits and VIP access at SuiteWorld and access to SuiteGurus.
Besides the overlap between Bronze and Silver, what isn’t clear is if this is open to individuals or organisations.
In the blog, Bodla notes: “We are excited to launch SuiteReferral as we believe it creates a win-win for all parties, including referrers, customers, and the greater NetSuite community. Learn more about SuiteReferral and get started here.”
NetSuite Associations and Buying Groups Program
The NetSuite Associations and Buying Groups Program enable industry organisations to provide members with discounts and benefits on NetSuite solutions. The program offers four benefits.
- There are pre-negotiated discounts on both NetSuite products and services.
- Access to educational resources such as best practices for business growth. These will be made available at annual industry meetings.
- Networking opportunities in the wider NetSuite community beyond the borders of the association, including peers and partners.
- Streamlined support with a central point of contact for questions and escalations where organisations can leverage the bigger association relationship.
This is not a new program, and the following existing organisations are already members:
- Nationwide Marketing Group
- Independent Laboratory Distributors Association (ILDA)
- National Association of Wholesale Distributors (NAW)
- Industry Supply Association (ISA)
- Independent Suppliers Group (ISG)
- Heating Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI)
- National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA)
- Independent College Bookstores Association (ICBA)
Aaron Bundschuh, Chief Digital and Technology Officer for Nationwide Marketing Group, commented: “NetSuite and their team bring an enormous amount of knowledge and experience to the table. And their renowned and innovative system is designed to be both simple and flexible for our retailers.
“In order for our members to thrive on their own terms, they need access to the right tools that help them run their businesses more efficiently and effectively. Our partnership with NetSuite provides them with just that.”
Bodla notes in the blog: “We are lucky to have a highly engaged community of customers, partners and independent consultants that know our product inside and out. This community has experienced the benefits of NetSuite firsthand, and often advocates on our behalf, recommending our products to peers at other organizations.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
Many vendors offer referral programs. What is perhaps different is that NetSuite has laid out the benefits across three tiers for SuiteReferral. The benefits for a small organisation are potentially large. If they can recommend NetSuite to peers, they will gain a significant one-off boost in revenue.
The associations and buying groups program are perhaps less advantageous, though that depends upon the discounts available, which NetSuite has chosen not to publicise. It also does not have a snappy Suite name associated with it.
However, for associations looking to provide benefits to members, signing up for this program is a quick win for their members. Of the members listed, all are based in North America and mainly the United States, is this program available in other countries?
If NetSuite does extend the program, it might prove a quick way to accelerate growth. The challenge is whether the organisations outside the US are large enough. However, it is an approach taken by other ERP vendors such as Intact iQ, which recently formed a strategic partnership with the National Buying Group in the UK.
