Neat won't bypass partners even when customers push for direct OEM procurement, says Manu Sharma

Sharma says protecting deal registration and pricing integrity is central to the company’s channel strategy, with 85–90 percent of its revenue in India generated through partners.

Neat says it will not bypass partners even when customers push for direct procurement, with regional director, India & SAARC, Manu Sharma telling CRN India that protecting partner investments and maintaining pricing integrity remain non-negotiable as the company expands its presence in the country.

Sharma said “deal poaching and margin dilution” continue to be among the biggest factors eroding channel trust in India, where partners often spend months identifying opportunities, building customer relationships and developing pipelines, only to see vendors step in during the final stages of a deal.

"When a partner registers a deal with us, that registration is ironclad," Sharma said. "Even when customers push for direct OEM procurement, we don't change our stance. We sit at the table with our partner, structure the engagement through them and respect the registration."

According to Sharma, the company's channel-first strategy is reflected in its business model, with 85-90 percent of Neat's revenue in India generated through partners.

"We protect our partners' investment by maintaining strict pricing integrity and backing them through pre-sales, sales and post-sales support."

He said that consistency has helped Neat expand its transacting partner network in India from just two partners to over 200 over the past four years.

"Trust is won when you keep your word on committed deals, especially when the stakes are high."

Over 70 percent of new customer logos are acquired through partners

The company's commitment extends beyond deal registration, particularly as it expands into Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and large enterprise accounts.

Sharma described GCCs as relationship-driven environments where long-standing enterprise connections often determine market access.

"You cannot cold-call a GCC," he said. "Our partners win access because they possess decades of deeply rooted, trust-based relationships with enterprise CIOs and facility managers. They understand the local infrastructure constraints and the global standards these centres must mirror."

Once a partner establishes that relationship, Neat has no intention of taking ownership of the account.

"Over 70 percent of our new customer logos are acquired through our partners. Once a partner opens a GCC account, they own the lifecycle of that client, from design and deployment to managed services."

Neat's role, Sharma said, is to provide the technology, engineering expertise and technical support while enabling partners to lead customer engagements.

"Our partner sales teams work hand-in-hand with them, giving them a direct line of contact to our engineering and leadership teams rather than routing them through a corporate ticketing system."

Partner trust drives long-term growth

Sharma believes protecting partner ownership ultimately creates a stronger ecosystem than pursuing short-term direct opportunities.

That philosophy also shapes how the company positions itself against larger competitors.

Rather than competing on legacy installations or bundled enterprise agreements, Sharma said Neat focuses on delivering a simpler collaboration experience while maintaining a highly responsive engagement model for partners.

"We're highly responsive, flat-structured and aggressively support partner margins rather than treating partners like an invoice-clearing house," he said.

"We don't win on incumbency. We win when a customer has had enough of complexity."

Sharma said the company is looking to build long-term relationships with partners that adopt a solution-selling approach rather than focusing solely on product transactions.

"We don't ask for exclusivity," he said. "Our partners work with multiple brands. Our objective is to become their most trusted and collaborative growth partner."

As organisations continue investing in modern workplace technologies, GCCs and enterprise collaboration, Sharma believes maintaining partner trust will remain a competitive differentiator.

"The market opportunity is there, and we're prepared to invest deeply in partners that want to scale alongside us."