At RootedIn, the annual partner and user conference for RootStock software, Matt Wolf, SVP of Global Alliances at Rootstock Software, announced a new structure to its partner program. Wolf joined Rootstock in October 2022. Rootstock has introduced a new third tier in its partner program – the Gold Partner tier.
The Gold partner tier requires an organisation to have at least two staff certified in Rootstock ERP implementations. The Rootstock Implementation certification was only introduced in January this year. It requires consultants to have completed academic and practical challenges, including an exam and a case study of two implementations.
Gold Partner status also requires the completion of two Rootstock implementations within the last eighteen months. Also the achievement of sourced pipeline thresholds provided by Rootstock. This last requirement indicates that Gold Partners must be more than implementation partners. They must also help actively sell the solution to their clients.
Matt Wolf, SVP of Global Alliances at Rootstock Software, commented, “Our partners are more than just collaborators. They’re essential to our mission to deliver an unparalleled ERP solution and accompanying services to the manufacturing industry. We’ve introduced a tiered structure, which will ensure partners have a clear roadmap to excel and grow with Rootstock, contributing to our collaborative success — as well as the success of our shared customers.”
Three tiered approach
Wolf has introduced a three-tiered approach for partners. Alongside the certifications, it ensures that partners can progress naturally through the tiers as they deepen their relationship with Rootstock over time. Some details are missing from the announcement. Also missing is the supporting partner webpage and that is the exact metrics required for some of the tiers.
The first tier is Referral Partners. New partners start at this tier. To progress, partners will need to deliver “successful collaboration and achievements” to move to the next tier. Rootstock is unclear on how many sales/leads/implementations they need to be involved in, or over what period. Nor is any information given about how Rootstock will support these partners.
The second tier is SI Consulting Partners. Organisations reaching this tier will already have a deeper relationship with Rootstock. They will be working closely with the Rootstock professional services teams on implementations. Organisations in this tier will receive additional training, enablement, and support. To progress to Gold Partner, they need to have trained their consultants and successfully delivered projects, built up sales and product knowledge around Rootstock ERP.
The third and final stage (currently) is Gold Partner. Achieving Gold Partner status means that the organisation is fully conversant with the Rootstock product and is able to implement and support customers with the latest information about the solution.
Wolf added, “The program is crafted to recognize and reward a partner’s growing level of expertise in implementing, configuring, and integrating our ERP solution within a customer’s broader IT environment, which often includes other solutions in the Salesforce ecosystem. Through this tiered approach, we provide a clear path — from Referral Partner all the way up to the esteemed Gold Partner, ensuring companies can grow and thrive at each stage of this progression.”
Three partners have already attained Gold partner status
Wolf also announced that three organisations had already achieved Gold Partner status during his keynote. The Global System integrator Deloitte Digital is the only global SI to attain Gold, with customers such as Carmela Industries. It will be interesting to see how quickly the other SI partner, Nagarro, achieves it.
Based in Canada and operating across North America, Alto Consultants has also achieved Gold Partner status. It has worked with Rootstock for customers such as David’sTea, Blendtek Ingredients and Teys USA.
The third Gold tier partner is Praxis. Praxis are a Salesforce and Rootstock partner of several years who helped Rootstock customers such as Trace Medical, Matouk and Aphria Inc.
Wolf concluded, “Attaining Gold status is also a clear signal to customers that they can place their utmost confidence in these partners’ abilities to navigate the complexities of the manufacturing sector. We celebrate this milestone with our partners and look forward to continuing to work together to foster customer success.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
The announcement lacks details about how partners benefit from the different tiers. Many will wonder about revenue share and what sales and marketing support Rootstock will offer. What is sensible about the approach is that the tiers are only attained by seeking a deeper engagement with Rootstock.
Wolf has also been clever in making the Gold Partner tier attainable for small organisations; attaining it does not require the resources of a large global SI. Now that it has these tiers, it will be interesting to see whether Rootstock can attract more partners. It currently lists 23 on its partner page and will need more to accelerate growth.
It should also highlight on its website those partners who have attained Gold partner status. Can Rootstock attract more Salesforce partners looking to deepen their share of the manufacturing ERP market?
