Become a Partner
1. Incorporate your business if you are not already incorporated if you choose to become an HP partner. HP requires all of its partner/resellers to be incorporated. You must also have a physical address where you operate your business and a website; your domain name must include your email address.

2. Visit the HP partner portal at HP.com and register for the HP Partner Portal by clicking “Register” at the top left. HP says that signing up for the portal will allow you to subscribe to HP communications, sign appropriate contract addenda and gain access to training and marketing tools. As a new reseller, click “Option A.” This will bring up a window where you will create a password and user ID and fill out basic business information, such as your business and email addresses. Click “Register New Partner Company” at the bottom of the screen.

3. Check the email confirmation when it arrives to make sure its contents are accurate. Within four days you will receive another email from HP telling you whether you have been approved or if the company requires additional information. The approval email message will include the “HP U.S. Partnering Guide,” which will explain how to complete the additional steps. Have an authorized representative of your company sign the HP Partner Agreement once HP provides it to you.

Use Open Distribution
1. Fill out an application with one of HP’s authorized distributors, D&H;, Synnex, TechData or Ingram Micro, to become a reseller through the open distribution program. Find links to the websites of these companies by selecting and clicking the PDF file titled “US Distributor Summary Matrix” on the “Become a Partner” page of HP’s website (HP.com). The list will include a number of companies, including their website links, but to resell HP products through open distribution you can use only D&H;, Synnex, TechData or Ingram Micro. Click the link for your chosen company. Procedures vary by company, so follow the prompts on the specific websites to sign up. For DH, for example, click the “New Customer” bar at the left-hand side of the website to be taken to a new customer signup page that asks you to supply a tax ID number as well as other business information. The other three companies offer a similar signup process.

2. At the bottom of the “Become an HP Partner” page (HP.com), click on the PDF file, “List of Open Products,” which lists products you can resell through HP’s open distribution program. Through this program, you can resell HP printers, scanners, desktop computers and laptops, and certain storage and server devices.

3. Check the websites of the company or companies through which you are reselling once you have been approved. HP notes that these companies can provide a small business with information about product availability, financing, training programs and sales and technical support.