Enrico Noseda, Skype's director for European telecom business development, is leading the European rollout of the reseller program. We talked for a few minutes today while he was visiting Skype's London offices.

The Revolution

"Join the revolution! We learned from our own users. We understand that the business community is very interested in using Skype in the business environment. That's why we're are really focusing on this in terms of product development, as this package is demonstrating. We have 30% of our user base that is stating they make business usage of Skype; this is an enormous number of people. So the potential for this program and for this product is enormous. If I was a reseller, I could definitely join this revolution and change the way business communicates to the world."

The Profile

Skype is recruiting resellers based on their capacity to sell, the number and size of customers. "It is unlikely we will accept one man bands as certified resellers" said Noseda.

After you apply, a Skype staffer will call and interview for general fit. They haven't completely set criteria but are looking for the right partners to serve small and medium sized businesses. Skype is recruiting retailers, catalogs, VARs (value added resellers) and LARs (large account resellers).

The Programme

Authorized resellers will purchase discounted Skype Business Packs and Skype credit vouchers through national distributors. Some distributors are still being signed up.

The first twelve countries are Skype Pro countries but more markets will be added in Europe and elsewhere as pricing plans permit.  

A reseller extranet will come in June. The site will deliver sales, product and support training, merchandising, and sales leads.