From last year’s Global Partner Conference to now, the changes she has wrought at HP are starting to show, with policies created that seem to not only help HP, but has HP partners, of which I am one, really ready to attack sales.
At this past GPC, she stressed the changes she was implementing in order to help partners, from simplifying the rules of engagement with HP, to easing the pipeline for deal registration, and also for greatly streamlining the reimbursement process into a single program.
According to her, “the more you sell, the more you earn, with no upper fixed limits, and with the earnings starting with the very first sale!”
The applause was resounding.
This looks like HP’s PartnerOne program just got more useful!
HP, she said, is also implementing a partner portal powered by Salesforce.com that aims to keep everyone in a sales process, partner and HP staffer alike, closely involved in the sale.
The next set of words that resonated most with people after the remuneration declaration above were these: “We now have a very clear policy on taking business away from partners: it simply won’t be tolerated!”
This is excellent news. For it means that partners will no longer be in danger of losing sales bids to HP’s direct sales reps. In fact, Meg - everyone calls Ms. Whitman that! – stated that even with governmental, NGOs and Qangos that have agreements with HP, partners will get a bit of the apple!
”We now have a very clear policy on taking business away from partners: it simply won’t be tolerated!”
Meg Whitman, HP CEO; February 19, 2013
She also showed that she has a timeline for fixing what ails HP, and that she is at Step-2 of her 4-point process.
My Takeaway: Meg Whitman, for all her accomplishments, is a real person. She is warm, and comes across as someone giving it to you straight, without a chaser of BS.
Her credibility is not in doubt, and she seems to have surrounded herself with a management team she seems comfortable with. Her Number One, HP COO Bill Veghte, also seems comfortable in that rôle, and compliments her completely.
Meg Whitman & I at the 2013 HP Global Partner Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada
© 2002 – 2013, John Obeto for Blackground Media Unlimited
