While most of us are tired of hearing about the state of the economy, it’s hard to ignore – but it’s also a chance to rethink your business, seeking out new markets or improving relationships with existing customers. Finding these opportunities, however, can be challenging, so that’s where value-added distributors should be stepping up their game.
Fortunately, many of them are doing just that. Last week I wrote about Arrow’s SmartCart online shopping cart site that provides marketing materials for resellers targeting mid-size customers. But Arrow isn’t the only distie providing proactive distribution services and investing in new tools to help resellers navigate through these times.
Synnex Canada has launched eight distinct “destination” portal Web sites that provide members with industry-specific information. The reason? There are a lot of different types of resellers out there – from big-box retailers to system integrators to VARs specializing in vertical markets. And one Web site does not fit all – or, at the very least, it can make it difficult to find the specific information you’re looking for.
Synnex Canada’s Web portal is divided up into Web Communities to provide customized information, from vendor programs to hot-selling products to pricing, promotions, incentives and rebates. It includes everything from marketing data sheets, case studies, white papers, sales tools, upcoming industry events and status updates on its rewards program.
One of these Web Communities is Synnex SMB, designed for resellers servicing the SMB market, from workstations to storage consumables to software licenses. Despite the economic downturn, many vendors still see opportunities for growth in this market.
HP, for example, just rolled out new programs, products and services to target SMBs. HP considers this to be a US$68 billion opportunity in the U.S. alone, with 1.3 million customers growing at a rate of four to seven per cent. It’s adding an SMB Elite designation to its Partner One program, offering partner resources and marketing support – since it will rely on the channel to reach these customers.
Synnex Canada is also targeting other markets with its Web Communities, including Synnex Commercial VAR (focused on IT solutions for enterprise customers, such as custom-configured hardware and software) and Synnex System Builder (for resellers that create PC systems from OEM components). Then there’s the retail market: Synnex Major Retail focuses on big-box retailers and large specialty chains, while Synnex Retail is designed for smaller store-front retailers selling consumer electronics and PC products.
There’s also the self-explanatory Synnex Supplies n’ More and Synnex Products for Apple. Synnex/EMJ focuses on the core strengths of EMJ in its former incarnation: vertical market business solutions involving POS systems, Auto-ID, RFID, bar-coding, card technologies, physical security, kiosks, digital signage and imaging products.
These are times when the “V” in VAR or VAD really counts for something. Sure, price is always a factor, but it’s the “V” that really matters.
