Are You Making The Most of Your Distributor Partnership?

Many VARs/MSPs never realize the full value of a hardware distributor. Unlike wholesalers, distributor programs foster partnerships that transcend the mere transaction of goods. These programs provide resources and services that aid in the deployment of ordered products as well as other areas of business. Yet many partners never engage said programs, likely due to a lack of awareness. So here are a few distributor programs worth exploring within your own partnerships.

Personalized Shipping

Some IT businesses order products for hand-delivery to their customers. However, most distributors ship straight to the end-user’s door to eliminate such leg-work. With services like kitting (packaging inserts) and labelling, your customers receive the same level of personalization.

Likewise, distributors expedite drop-shipments, getting your products out faster. In fact, the shipping channels available through partner programs are vastly superior to those you might acquire externally. If you rely on your own shipping strategies, you're missing out on substantial value.

Automatic Provisioning

With the right partner, your tech team no longer needs to pre-configure devices. Full-provisioning and custom firmware loading services reduce the time-to-deployment for your customers and save resources in-house. This gives the plugin-and-play allure to new customers who are less tech savvy—something particularly useful for hosted services.

IT Consulting and Troubleshooting

Distributors are hardware experts. Vendors license and train their distributors before allowing them to catalogue a product. From product recommendations to technical support, make sure to pick your distributor’s brain from time-to-time. Interfacing with the staff is a major benefit over online-only e-commerce centres.

As experts, many distributor programs also offer couching and marketing services. These are perhaps the largest initiatives for empowering partners and their customers. For startups, especially, picking the right distribution partner can make or break the business.