New Program from The Planet

Partner referral program offers commission rates up to 20 percent, as well as commissions or server discounts on various offerings.

By Cecilia Galvin

The Planet, a provider of on-demand IT infrastructure solutions based in Houston, has created Planet Partner Plus, a program that extends partner benefits beyond current offerings.

A Referral Partner program, for example, offers commission rates of up to 20 percent to reward partners that introduce their customers to The Planet's products. Partners may also earn commissions or server discounts on dedicated hosting, hosting with advanced services, managed hosting, or co-location.

Planet Partner Plus offers three options to match a partner's business model:

• Referral Partners: Send clients to The Planet and earn up to 20 percent commission based on deal size and the total business referred to the company.
• Reseller Partners: Purchase products and services to resell to customers to benefit from The Planet's buying power, with volume-based server discounts.
• Affiliates: Link clients or Web site visitors to The Planet and receive 100 percent of a referred customer's first month's bill.

"As other hosting companies and colocation providers are cutting back their programs, The Planet is making significant investments in Partner Plus to build indirect sales and leverage the power of the channel to expand our market reach," says Tom Blair, vice president of global sales with The Planet. I've been in the industry for more than 25 years, and this is the program I've always envisioned being able to offer."

Partners also receive assigned account managers, sales training, and access to events and development programs. The company further provides an enhanced partner portal, 24/7/365 service and support, data center tours for partners and their clients, and meeting rooms to make selling easier and more convenient.

Go to www.theplanet.com/partnerplus to learn more.