A new highly interactive industry resource designed to help vendors, consultants and resellers find each
other, partner together, drive new sales opportunities, and better serve the needs of their mutual business
customers
Mendham, NJ (December 5, 2012) – CLP Central is a new web-based portal designed for Information &
Communications Network Technology solution vendors and integrators who recognize the market role
and influence of independent industry consultants and who want to help these consultants bring more
solution options and value to their mutual large enterprise, mid-sized and small business customers.
Many larger, well established vendors support consultants through what are commonly called Consultant
Liaison Programs (CLP) to increase the knowledge and confidence consultants need to consider, represent
and recommend the vendor solutions that best meet the needs of their clients. Today, more and more new
or smaller vendors and solution integrators (SIs) have been at a disadvantage because they don’t know
where or how to start a CLP, or cannot allocate the necessary budget or headcount required to develop
and manage an effective CLP. These vendors and SIs are missing potential new opportunities consultants
represent and consultants are missing out on learning about new, alternative solutions they can bring to
their clients.
CLP Central offers vendors or SIs looking to start a CLP or augment an existing program the following
core CLP support services:
• Target, qualify, recruit and engage the right consultants. CLP Central maintains a comprehensive
database of more than 9,000 independent consultants globally;
• Develop and deliver messaging campaigns that keep consultants up-to-date on the vendor or SI
solutions;
• Provide a password protected, integrated and easy to navigate multi-vendor portal providing
consultants the relevant and current documents, tools, events and news that they want and need
most;
• Track and report consultants’ understanding, considerations, and recommendations of vendor
solutions and their share of consultant influence (SCI).
Recognizing the support needs and opportunities vendors and consultants represent to each other, CLP
Central offers them a very efficient and cost effective way to connect. Consultants register for free and
gain access to new and more vendor solution information and support – the documents and tools they
need – all in one place, through one registration form. Vendors subscribe to CLP Central and select the
mix of services that best help them offer consultants a new CLP or supplement, expand and promote an
existing Program. Resellers can also register and be listed in a reseller directory, at no charge, to make it
easier for consultants and resellers to find each other and partner.
After 18 months of planning, CLP Central was co-founded and developed by Mick Sawka (The
Brookside Group) and Jim Burton (UC Strategies) who together have a strong and complementary history
of tracking and supporting industry channel needs, trends and opportunities. According to Sawka, whose
Brookside Group has tracked the consulting market and worked with many vendor CLPs since 1993,
“Vendors who support consultants through an effective CLP, like they do channel partners, will drive new
opportunities and together bring more value to their mutual customers. CLP Central will help more and
more vendors, especially those without CLPs, engage the right consultants, help them bring more
solutions and value to their clients, build new business opportunities for both parties, and increase their
share of consultant influence.”
CLP Central also supports resellers and their growing relationship with consultants. “Nearly 60% of
consultants work with vendor partners (resellers) in joint support and management of solution deployment
for the customer,” according to Burton. “As vendors increasingly sell through the channel, consultants
are increasingly seeking qualified resellers as both potential providers of solutions for their clients and as
solution deployment partners. Resellers and SIs will be able to reach out to consultants through CLP
Central’s reseller directory or through their own CLP.”
A growing number of vendors, consultants and resellers recognize the opportunities they represent to each
other, especially as key market trends such as unified communications, the cloud, mobility, BYOD,
wireless infrastructure and migration to new technologies, bring new players and solutions to the
customer. CLP Central strives to help these three groups connect, partner, drive new opportunities and
better serve this evolving market.
A representative mix of new and established industry vendors and SIs has already subscribed for charter
2013 CLP Central memberships. CLP Central charter memberships offer complete new CLP program
support services for as low as $2,000 per month and supplemental support services for existing programs
from $1,000 per month.
Join now or learn more at http://www.clpcentral.com
