Google to funnel more, bigger deals through channel

Relies on Apps resellers.

Google has made changes to its direct sales organisation in a bid to push more deals through its Google Apps resellers, give partners a crack at larger deals and reduce channel conflict, CRN has learned.

Michael Lock, Google US vice president of enterprise sales, said the tweaks, which were made recently at Google's annual sales confab, have "more sales reps working with resellers to close business."

Calling 2012 the "tipping point" for Google's reseller program, Lock said Google wants to give partners a larger stake. Historically, Google's midmarket unit was the most partner friendly and where customers worked almost exclusively with resellers. With the sales model changes, Lock said more partners will be able to target larger Google accounts as well.

Lock added that by reorganising the sales force the midmarket teams and managers that worked with resellers will not be responsible for sales in larger organisations, meaning partners will have access to bigger deals.

"The net impact may be more resellers being brought into more large deals more frequently," Lock said. "The changes that we're making will move [partners] further and further up the stack."

The changes also include a new compensation plan for direct sales reps who bring in partners. While Lock could say the exact compensation figures, he said the changes make it "advantageous for reps to move sales through the channel."

Google also invited its premier Google Apps resellers to its Google sales kick-off this month to show it's serious about the channel and to ensure its partners "are not treated as a tier two channel," Lock said.

This article originally appeared at crn.com