Find the right piece of the puzzle

The majority of vendors provide websites and partner programs as well as comprehensive training. They also have staff available for resellers to contact with any queries.

Greg Wallis, national print manager, Samsung Electronics
“Having a relationship with distributors is only the start. Samsung’s focus is on real business development, and working with resellers and related business-to-business groups to encourage sell through.

To support our resellers, we have several programs and promotions in place such as our Target Accelerator program and the StarCash card, as well a web portal – partnersamsung.com – that provides useful product information and sales guides for use in the field.

“Samsung invests in its resellers and works with them directly to encourage their business’ overall development. We feel that when resellers work with vendors who have a vested interest in their business goals, it makes for a really good partnership. To make the most of their marketing efforts, we encourage our resellers to talk to our business development managers as they too are channel-focused.

“Other tips we recommend include make use of tools available such as the partnersamsung.com web portal, and utilise sales materials that make your outlet an informative and engaging place that your customers come back to time and time again.”

Mike Pleasants, director of marketing communications, Epson
“Small resellers have two big advantages they may not be aware of or playing strongly to: they are aggressive on price compared with the large chains, and they have more detailed and generally better product knowledge and experience.

They need to build on these advantages through their marketing and through the direct relationships they have with customers. For customers who are small to mid-sized businesses and are time-poor, these are big selling advantages.

“It is basic Sales 101 to develop a relationship with a customer, learn about their business needs and sell into that space. If resellers are not already doing this in a structured and organised way then they need to review their basic business knowledge.

And again small resellers have an advantage here because its the same people meeting the customer every time so a relationship develops naturally. If you visit a large reseller you may see a different salesperson every time, and there is no real sense of loyalty. Resellers should build on this competitive advantage.”
Stephen Bell, marketing manager, printing solutions and services division, Lexmark Australia and New Zealand
“Perhaps the most critical element is having the time to ask more questions to fully understand what the customer’s issues are and what they really need. Businesses typically spend more on output devices than they realise. Output is not only an area for significant savings, but also one where customers can obtain great improvements in staff productivity and address key issues they are currently facing such as document management and legislative compliancy.

Having this additional information allows a reseller to create a more customised offer that is more likely to add value for the customer and differentiate the reseller from the competitors.

“Understand what you do well and who your target market is. If you have gaps in your knowledge or offer or are looking to build capability, look to leverage the knowledge and experience of your vendors. Aligning yourself with a well-known vendor can also build your own reseller brand.

Focus on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), not just hardware or running costs. Focusing on TCO is what truly saves organisations money over time. TCO is ongoing and customers need to know that they are actually realising the savings that were outlined in the initial sales process. This is where managed print services are valuable. Offers such as TotalCare not only offer attractive TCO savings, but they also help customers measure and actually realise these savings over time, through an ongoing review of what is happening courtesy of reporting and fleet management tools.”

Eve Chen, marketing communications manager, Konica Minolta
“It is critical to create a differentiating identity and position it effectively in the marketplace. This differentiation point should be based on reseller’s unique strengths, whether it’s personalised service, expert knowledge, supply efficiency or one-stop shop for IT solutions. Based on this unique position then resellers can identify the right audience and fulfil the needs in that marketplace.

“We also provide sales training and extensive sales tools, point of sale materials, lead generation programs and a demo program. In addition there is partnership support such as personalised marketing/sales consulting based on individual business SWOT to achieve the maximum revenue/profit outcomes.”

David Finn, managing director, Kyocera
“Kyocera resellers have access to a dedicated secure website which contains marketing and sales support resources that is updated on a regular basis. We also provide personalised corporate advertising material for their local use and an incentive program that rewards resellers performance with fantastic prizes, cash rewards and Qantas Frequent Flyer points.”