Print IT Reseller - issue 48

01732 759725 PARTNER PROGRAMME 32 opportunities including: n Maintain and Enhance rebates n Access to BrotherZone partner portal for sales and marketing support n Promotions n Marketing consultation n Quarterly business review n Vertical marketing alignment n Partner certificate n Access to marketing funding (dependent on qualifying criteria) Platinum partners will typically have signed up to the Brother MPS programme, be a Brother-first recommender, be strong in key verticals – retail, education, healthcare, MOD, legal and pharmacy; have a sales focus on key products, agree a minimum turnover commitment, focus on original supplies and ensure all trade and end-user promotions are listed. In addition to the Gold partner benefits, Platinum partners will also receive the Accelerate rebate, deal registration, marketing funds and a collaborative marketing plan, access to incentives and EOL deals, media co-brand opportunities, support at events/focus days, BrotherZone incentives and joint PR and case study support, to name a few. “By creating the two levels, we’re looking to support and incentivise our Gold partners to move up to Platinum,” Millar said. Moving into MPS To achieve Platinum status, partners will have to demonstrate their ability and commitment to delivering managed print services. “We want to open up MPS to more channel partners and we’re looking to traditional office equipment resellers and retailers as well as our SI and VAR channel to achieve that,” Millar said. Brother has expanded the Basic MPS model it first introduced a few years back, creating a comprehensive, simple, flexible, service that encompasses basic and advanced offers and which cater to the SMB and public sectors, as well as the corporate end of the market. continued... “With our MPS, we are providing our partners with an uncomplicated way to create customer stickiness and generate recurrent revenue streams by delivering tailored solutions and services specific to each customers’ needs,” he added. He continued: “This was one of the key drivers for change. The legacy partner programme was centred around the product mix, now partners who stick to that model will still enjoy strong earning potential but for those looking to solutions and to lock customers in with an MPS contract, we’re offering higher levels of support and rebate.” Millar argues that in today’s climate, selling solutions is key to survival. “It’s not just about selling on price, resellers are looking to retain customers and secure recurring revenues – a good way to achieve that is to sell MPS or to sell up the range to build customer loyalty. “Many resellers sell a printer and then don’t see any income from consumables – by talking to customers about cloud- based MPS, they can ensure they get that ongoing supplies revenue,” he said. “Brother is about four years into the managed print market and Millar says that customers are now re-signing new contracts as they’ve had a good experience. “Today people are used to paying for subscription-based services at a personal level – whether it’s Netflix or Amazon Prime. We’re in that world now, and the days of over-complicated, over-priced print contracts are behind us. MPS contracts are transparent and the expectation from end-users is that their printers should be under some sort of managed agreement on a monthly subscription model.” He continued: “There’s currently great opportunities for vendors and partners to sell solutions, with customers increasingly looking to innovate, increase productivity and boost workforce efficiency through IT, all while keeping costs down.” Reaping the reward Many of Brother’s larger resellers are already reaping the reward of a solutions- led approach. “We’ve had a number of partners successfully winning new business within national and enterprise accounts because they are leading with a managed solution. We’re also starting to see SIs move into the world of print, using MPS to get enterprises on the books and then using that as an in-road to deliver more traditional services,” Millar explained. In conclusion Millar said: “Our objective is to support all our channel partners in enjoying greater success within the managed print arena. Our partner programme helps Brother and our partners to work side by side in developing integrated solutions that enable us to help customers achieve their goals.” www.brother.co.uk