By partnering with BT Business, organisations gain access to a wide range of products, from FTTP and SOGEA Broadband to Cloud Voice and BTnet leased lines.
While these products represent daily run-rate business, you can also sell SD-WAN, cybersecurity, cloud integration, and managed services, all managed through a single point of contact.
The benefit of partnering with BT is that all contracts, support, and billing are taken care of by BT. You don’t have to provide billing and support services. At the same time, you get to add value by offering your own sales expertise during the pre-sales process. I recognise that this particular benefit may not align with the needs of some businesses, as they require ownership of the customer contract as a white-label venture. We discuss these options further in this article.
Beyond products, BT can add significant value to your own brand, as you can demonstrate your authorised partner status using the logo under the guidelines.
You also gain access to BT resources to help you sell products, track orders, and manage the orders you put through BT Business. The BT Business portfolio is better than ever, with new features that include 4G failover for Broadband, Complete Wifi range extenders via BT Wifi Complete, McAfee virus scanning for Broadband, and Meraki and Fortinet with BTnet leased lines.
BT Partner vs. BT Reseller: What are the Key Differences?
We discussed the requirements to become a BT Partner in the section above and mentioned the opportunity to become a BT Reseller if you feel your business may not meet the criteria set by BT Business. As a BT Partner, you are responsible for order placement, the administration of orders, reporting, sales training, and ensuring your business is on target each quarter of the financial year (April to April).
Where the above is not of interest, or you would not qualify, you could apply to become a BT Authorised Reseller. The difference is straightforward. BT Resellers partner with an existing BT Authorised Partner or Distributor, they are not subject to the stricter application process (turnover, ability to execute on targets), but they do get access to the same products and BT resources.
The difference is that all business is routed via the chosen partner, and the partner is responsible for the administration of your account. There is a commission split applied to your account. As a Partner, you would receive 100% of the commissions provided by BT, while as a Reseller, you will receive a commission split which varies across the channel. Be aware that while some partners offer a higher commission split, the way in which your account is administered is critically important to your success.
Becoming a Partner requires significant investment in your business’s time, strategy, and focus. The Reseller option is much simpler and can offer you the same access to products and resources, with the ability to outsource the administration of your account.
BT Wholesale Partner Opportunities Explained
Where businesses are looking to white label BT Business products, BT Wholesale (BTW) is a better route compared to Partner or Reseller, which is an agency-based sales model. Netify approached BT Wholesale a number of years back to expand our own partnership with BT. When considering BT Wholesale, you must have in place your own billing capability and support team to field calls and fix issues.
You should also factor in that certain services such as leased lines or data products may require you to install aggregation data circuits to deliver services to your own customers. I would also state that BT Wholesale is not for smaller businesses since you will be expected to deliver significant volumes across products to receive improved buy pricing to increase your margin.
BT Local Business Franchise Opportunities
BTLB (BT Local Business) is perhaps the biggest competitor to BT Partners and BT Resellers, as they operate in an almost identical way, with a few exceptions. Businesses have the opportunity to invest in a geographical area across the UK as a BT franchise. For obvious reasons, you are restricted within your local area, but you are provided with a database of existing clients for upgrades and new services. This database allows you to conduct campaigns and add local expertise within your chosen region.
How BT Supports their Partners
I mentioned how well-resourced the BT Partner Programme is when compared to other partnerships available across other telecoms companies. While it is not possible to articulate every aspect of value, I would like to draw attention to marketing resources via the BT Partner Gateway, sales training from product managers, account management, and sales specialist expertise. There are also various tools provided as part of the ordering process, including speed and availability checks. As a partner, we regularly receive product updates, including full training and sales support. We also attend regular reviews with our partner resources to ensure we are on target and achieving the best possible results.
Reselling BT Managed Services as a Partner
The majority of Partners and Resellers tend to focus on Broadband, Cloud Voice, and BTnet leased lines. One lesser-known opportunity surrounds managed services across SD-WAN, cybersecurity, and cloud hosting. All BT Managed Services are supported by Cisco Meraki and Fortinet as edge hardware devices, with features to meet the needs of most UK and global organisations. SD-WAN and cybersecurity represent a huge opportunity as companies focus on the need to support end devices, no matter where they are located. As a Partner, you will be able to sell fully managed services, with BT supporting you and the customer through the pre-sales process.
BT Partner Revenue Models and Commission Structures
All BT commissions are now based on a percentage of the SOV (Sales Order Value) across 24, 36, and 60-month contract terms. It is possible to increase commissions by adding value-added services, e.g., McAfee Virus Scanning with Broadband solutions. All products are sold as new, winback, or resign, depending on their existing contract state. For example, Partners and Resellers are able to resign a customer’s Broadband (with no technology or speed change) within the last 6 months of their 3-year contract or the last 12 months of a 5-year contract. Commissions vary, but in summary, the higher-value commissions are paid on new or competitor winbacks, followed by upgrades, and then, finally, resigns. Certain products adopt a different approach; a good example is BTnet leased lines, which pay a higher percentage commission in the first year and then lower percentages for the remainder of the contract years.
What BT Products and Services are available?
The BT Partner and Reseller channel is there to help businesses sell Broadband and Voice, become an ISP or even sell complex managed services.
Resources: BT Partner and BT Reseller Applications
Remember to select your application based on whether you think your business will meet the criteria to become a BT Business Partner or Reseller. To recap, becoming a Partner means you have to demonstrate a good solid turnover, route to market, expertise, and the ability to meet significant sales targets. If you feel your business would not meet the Partner selection criteria, you can apply to become a Reseller via Netify or any other existing BT Business Partner.
