Google Cloud has a number of useful products including Google Workspace that we refer to our audience through our websites and social media accounts. Also showcasing ourselves as associated with Google Cloud partner program raises our own brand value! Plus access to free learning, documentation, and interaction with Google community of developers and partners. The program is free to join.
There are two ways as per our experience to partner with Google Cloud. You can refer Google Workspace by registering for their Google Workspace Referral Program, which we are doing for the last couple of years. Anyone can signup with his or her Google account and business email not mandatory. Access to exclusive coupon codes such as 10 percent discount for the first year for Google Workspace subscriptions.
When it comes to registering for Google Cloud Partner Program (or Partner Advantage), there is apparently a bug. In my case I signed up and was approved. There was an ambiguity about personal gmail and business email while registering that created a problem.
Got in touch with the Google Cloud Partner Support. They respond fast and within minutes I kept getting response. A staff scheduled an online meeting to help me login with my approved business email. But despite her trying, she was unable to assist. Next she asked me to get in touch with the IT admin of my company in order to assist. I replied that I myself manage the business email. After keeping me waiting for few minutes as she discussed the issue with her colleague, she finally said that the issue is beyond their scope. The thing is that she never accepted that there was a bug in their software that is providing error message as I try to login. Finally, she asked me to once again apply afresh for Google Partner program using a different business email.
I am not sure if there is an issue with the admin management of Google Cloud as a whole as they try to provide top-notch security to the users. Even as a user of Google Cloud, I faced a similar issue of unable to uploading a database file (showing solved on the thread buy actually never solved for me) around a year back and had to abandon that project.
UPDATE
After I was told by apparently the Malaysian team of Google Cloud Partner that I needed to reapply using fresh business email, Google Cloud Partner team (Sameer) with whom the ticket was initiated emailed to help in this regard.
After troubleshooting for around 30 minutes through Google Meet, the issue was resolved. Sameer after trying to resolve for around 15 minutes took help of another senior member of their team who apparently had deep knowledge of the intricacies of Google Cloud and finally solved the issue. The reason cited for the problem was I applied for the Google Cloud Partner using my gmail instead of business email in the first place.
Unlike Google Referral Program in which you sign up using your Google account and get instant referral links to share, selling through Google Partner Advantage needs far more planning and effort as evident from the below requirements:
Joining Google Partner Advantage gives access to free training and certification by Google Cloud in the process.
