Local distribution leaders Tarsus Technologies and ACT have announced the extension of the highly successful Channel Business College initiative to all major business locations across SA, in response to the enthusiasm shown by their resellers in the Johannesburg region.
Says Ron Keschner, college founder: "We`ve been looking at expanding the reach of Channel Business College for some time now, a move that has been driven to a great degree by the fantastic response the programme has yielded since its inception two years ago."
Keschner says the real value brought to Tarsus`s resellers through the business college hinges on the fact that the instruction delivered by lecturers is focused purely on developing general business acumen.
"This type of information helps our resellers build successful, sustainable and well-run businesses that can weather the storms the channel environment experiences from time to time," Keschner adds.
"Resellers also find it even more worthwhile as they are able to redeem the points they have accumulated through Tarsus`s PartneRewards programme in lieu of payment. This, combined with the free college seats allocated to BEE candidates, makes the college so much more accessible to all."
"Now, with the extension of the initiative into Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban, we are confident the resellers in those regions will also benefit from the same rejuvenation Johannesburg has experienced with the help of Channel Business College," Keschner enthuses.
Keschner says the expansion of the Channel Business College programme has already been met with a favourable response. "Many resellers with head offices in the Johannesburg area have expressed their satisfaction with the programme being extended into other regions where they have offices," he says.
One such example is Shirley Cantatore, branch manager of Eclipse Networks in Johannesburg, who says the value that Channel Business College has added to her sales, help-desk and stores teams` lives, not to mention the company`s management team, has been phenomenal.
"The feedback we have received from the various individuals who have benefited from the courses clearly indicates that the content has changed their lives and made them aware of the best ways to conduct themselves in business circles and implement change within their environments," she says.
"Channel Business College is a great opportunity for the reseller market that sometimes get so involved in day-to-day business, that they do not make the time or effort to send their teams out on courses that will benefit and uplift their staff," she adds.
"It is also great to know that I can afford to send my teams on the training by redeeming the points accumulated using the PartneRewards programme."
As far as this programme being rolled out nationwide, Cantatore says, "What a win...
"In the past, we had to fly our staff to Tarsus`s head office in Johannesburg to attend the training, a practice that soon became rather expensive. With many companies having branches countrywide, I am convinced the sessions will be packed each time.
"As far as I am aware, Tarsus and ACT are the only distributors offering this kind of value-added service over and above their dedicated in-house teams that provide support. This move places Tarsus and ACT head and shoulders above their competition, even more than before," she concludes.
The provisional dates the companies have set for the first round of sessions outside of Johannesburg are 4 August in Cape Town, 17 August in Durban and 14 September in Port Elizabeth.
Resellers can also keep an eye on the Channel Business College Web site at www.channelcollege.co.za for upcoming dates and details on course curriculum.
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Tarsus Technologies is celebrating 20 successful years in the South African ICT market and is regarded as a true leader in broad-based hardware distribution.
In its two decades as a leading source of ICT solutions for the South African reseller channel, the Tarsus brand has become synonymous with excellent customer service and support, extensive product knowledge, competitive pricing and a commitment to the transformation of the channel from the delivery of point solutions, to holistic solutions that encompass and complement customers` existing IT strategies.
Through assisting the channel with favourable credit terms, skills and service delivery, Tarsus has ensured its success in the local market. The company also supports its resellers in putting together complex deals, right from affording them competitive pricing and credit terms, through to ensuring the right skills are on-site for difficult and large-scale roll-outs.
Brands represented by the Tarsus stable include industry leaders like Acer, HP, IBM, Oki, Samsung, TallyGenicom and Targus.
The company is consistently recognised by its suppliers, customers and the press for its leadership position. Awards the company has garnered in just the past year include: HP`s Distributor of the Year for 2004 as well as Best Growth awards in the PSG, SWD and Procurve Networking Business (PNB) categories. Tarsus has also been recognised as IBM`s 2004 PCD Top Seller Sales and IBM 2004 PCD Sales leader, awards which are given to the distributor that achieved the best revenue and growth during 2004 as an authorised IBM business partner.
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