Deal Registration Program

Deal Registration Program

1. Objective

The Deal Registration Program was created for the benefit of all Converus Service Providers.

The objective of this program is to establish the rules and criteria under which Converus Service Providers can profitably coexist in any market while respecting the work done by some with specific customers.

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2. Converus Business Model

The Converus business model is based on selling products to customers through a group of authorized Service Providers (SPs).

  • Converus does not intend to sell directly to end customers.
  • Converus also does not offer testing services for end customers; that business model is reserved for SPs.
  • In short, Converus does not intend to compete with its Service Providers.

Converus has SPs in many countries throughout the world.

Converus has signed distribution and confidentiality agreements with all SPs. Converus does not share confidential information between different SPs.

Converus is committed to its growth strategy through its SPs and works to ensure SPs have profitability in their EyeDetect business.

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3. Opportunity Registration

Given the growing adoption of EyeDetect technology in the market, it is essential to establish the rules and criteria under which SPs can participate and coexist in each local market.

Basic criteria of the program:

Converus does not assign accounts to SPs.

  • Converus does not assign clients to its SPs.
  • End users chose with which SP to work.

Converus does not assign regions within a country.

  • All SPs can sell within their assigned territory.
  • No cities, states or others regions are assigned to a particular SP.

Converus does not assign SPs to work specific vertical markets.

  • All SPs can sell to government or private companies.
  • Converus does not designate a specific SP to work other vertical markets.

Converus registers opportunities, not accounts.

  • An “opportunity” is equivalent to a project with continuous pre-sales activities such as: visits, presentations, demos, pilots, price quotes, etc.
  • Opportunity registration is temporary — as long as there is an active opportunity and continuous work done by the SP.

To formally register an opportunity, go to the following deal registration page to provide written evidence of the request.

To keep an opportunity active, the SP should keep a log of pre-sales activities, in such a way that there is documented evidence of progress on that opportunity.

If an opportunity has not had any active movement or progress for 6 months or more, the opportunity should be considered closed and the original deal registration is lost.

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4. Benefits

By registering an opportunity with Converus, the SP will have several benefits, listed below:

Preferential Pricing

  • The SP with an approved opportunity will obtain additional price discounts.
  • Discounts are given on a case-by-case basis, after an opportunity request is approved/granted.
  • Discounts are given exclusively to the SP with the registered opportunity.
  • Any other SP (not registered) should use pricing from the standard price list when providing a price quote.

Preferential discounts on EyeDetect licensing are usually considerable, so the SP who works and registers an opportunity must have a significant competitive advantage.

When an end user’s purchasing department goes to market with a public bid or tender, and there is no previous work by an SP, Converus does not not give preferential pricing in these cases.

Converus Support

  • At the explicit request of the SP with opportunity registration, Converus can provide support (sometimes in person) in the following activities, always together with the SP who has the registered opportunity: (1) Joint visits to the End User, (2) Joint remote sessions, (3 ) EyeDetect technical demos, (5) Pilots or concordance studies, and (6) Other joint pre-sales activities.
  • Converus support will be given exclusively to the SP with the approved opportunity registration.

Letters from Converus to SPs

Converus will provide SPs letters of authorization and/or certification, under the following guidelines:

  • Converus has a predefined letter format for its Service Providers. See Appendix 1.
  • No authorization/certification letters are given with additional indications such as: (1) Account exclusivity, (2) Project or territory assignment, (3) Unique or differentiated pre-sales support, (4) Assignments to government or other vertical markets, or (5) Any other indicator suggesting Converus’ preference for an SP.
  • Aside from a predefined letter for the SP, Converus does not normally issue special letters to End Users, unless the user requires it.
  • Converus reserves the right to determine the content of any authorization/certification letter.

Support with Converus Professional Services

Converus will offer special conditions to SPs that have an opportunity registration.

  • SPs who have an opportunity registered will enjoy special conditions in Converus Professional Services. They may even be free.
  • SPs that do not have an opportunity registered must use standard pricing for any Professional Services, such as: Training and Test Writing.

Marketing Resources

Converus makes its marketing resources available to all SPs to help close deals. When an SP registers an opportunity, Converus provides marketing resources to support the pre-sale process. Some possibilities:

  • Breakfast, lunch, or cocktail reception for a specific end user or group.
  • Converus offers up to US$300 for a pre-approved targeted marketing initiative.

Disadvantages of not registering an opportunity.

  • If an SP works an opportunity and does not register it, Converus may not be aware of the work done by the SP and, as a consequence, could end up supporting another SP within the same opportunity.
  • If an SP does not register a new opportunity, they will not enjoy the benefits of the program.
  • SPs are fully entitled to maintain confidentiality in their business dealings with customers; deal registration is not mandatory.

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5. Processes

To register an opportunity, there must be prior work by the SP. Converus will use the following criteria to evaluate opportunities before approving/granting the request:

Is there is a specific opportunity?

To register an opportunity, it must exist. There must be a project with specific activities with the End User, such as sizing, price quotation, scope, timeframe, or other measurable aspect.

The SP must make a request to Converus.

The interested SP must formally request a deal be registered by visiting the following deal registration page. Converus sales personnel will also confirm by email.

The SP must have actively worked the opportunity.

To register an opportunity with Converus, it is required that there is some pre-sales work prior to the registration requests, such as an appointment, demo, pilot, presentation, price quote, etc.

It is essential that the SP document or log any pre-sales activities, emails, technical or sales activities with the end user. This serves as formal evidence of the work done.

Contact (person) with end user.

To be positioned in an opportunity, it is commonly required to have a good contact person (one who influences or makes decisions) within the end user organization, preferably a decision maker, although it is understood that it is not always possible.

The contact will be analyzed. Is it a decision maker? Can an appointment be made with that decision maker? Where is the contact in the end-user org chart? Is it at the CEO level, CxO , or equivalent? Is the contact from purchasing?

Conflicts between SPs

It is possible there may be two or more SPs working the same opportunity. In such cases, Converus will conduct an internal analysis to define our position as to whom to grant the opportunity of record.

The following will be evaluated:

  • Analysis of items mentioned in section 5.
  • Depending on the analysis in the previous point, Converus will give the grant/authorize the opportunity to the SP with the best position and job done.
  • In some cases, Converus may decide to grant the registration to one or more SPs working the deal that are well positioned in an opportunity. In this case, it will be a shared opportunity.
  • In cases where the opportunity is shared between two SPs, they will be given the same preferential price and both will have a competitive advantage over other SPs in the market.
  • SPs with a shared opportunity registration will have to compete for the deal.

The following flowchart shows the process for granting/approving opportunity registrations.

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6. Limitations

Converus establishes the criteria and rules of the Opportunity Registration Plan, which are limited by the contracts signed with the SP and U.S. and international free trade laws.

Contracts with Service Providers

  • Converus has signed distribution agreements with all SPs in the world, which include a specific sales territory in which to market EyeDetect. There is no allocation or limitation of territories, accounts, or segments within a sales territory.
  • Converus and its SPs will be governed by the terms of the current contract.

Free Market Laws

As a U.S. company, Converus must comply with U.S. free market laws and with law from local jurisdictions.

  • Converus will not participate in price fixing: (1) Converus does not specify prices for End Users. Converus is limited to giving prices to its SPs, who must consider their costs, margins and make economic proposals to their clients and prospects and (2) Converus does not participate in price fixing. These practices are illegal in the USA and most countries. Converus will not ask its SPs to set pricing high or to artificially influence the decision of the end user.
  • Purchasing decisions are ultimately made by the End User. End users define their project evaluation and assignment processes. Converus will gladly support SPs and End Users with requested information (which is not confidential) for evaluation and decision-making. The end user will decide from which SP to buy. Converus does not make the final decision.
  • Converus cannot prevent an SP from registering an opportunity. If an end user requests a quote from an SP, the SP has the right to provide a price quote, under the following guidelines: (1) If the SP has the registered opportunity, it will have preferential pricing and other benefits of the program, (2) If the SP has not been given approval for the opportunity, it must provide a price quote, considering its costs, from the standard price list and, (3) If the SP has not registered the opportunity and receives a request for quote from an End User, the SP can use the standard price list to provide a quote.

Fair Play

All Converus SPs are invited to respect the work that other SPs have done and, of course, to expect reciprocal treatment. Some criteria of fair play could include:

  • SPs should not proactively search for End Users who are already working with other SPs.
  • If an SP hasn’t worked an opportunity and there is already an SP of record, the new SP should be respectful and not initiate an unnecessary price war.
  • If an SP receives a request for quote from the purchasing department of an end user, it is very likely this end user is already working with another SP. You can confirm that with Converus.

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7. Summary

Converus desires to cultivate relationships of trust in the market and to promote fair play in the promotion and sale of EyeDetect. For this reason, Converus requests similar behavior from its SPs—to respect the work done by others.

On the other hand, Converus wants its SPs to be profitable and to avoid unnecessary price wars that put business at risk.

Converus continues to offer its SPs free training, test writing services, pre-sales and post-sales technical support, marketing resources, access to scientific equipment and their studies, and other tools.

We look forward to working together in the industry for the long term.

Thanks.

Appendix 1

Sample authorized Service Provider Letter

Date

To whom it may concern:

Converus, Inc. hereby confirms that ABCD is a Converus Service Provider and has our authorization to market solutions with EyeDetect within COUNTRY.

ABCD has trained and certified EyeDetect personnel who have the technical knowledge required to implement and support projects with EyeDetect.

We thank you for your interest in EyeDetect and committ to supporting you in its use.

Best regards,

Russ Warner
VP Operations & Sales
Converus, Inc.