Fax solution resellers wanted

CMC Networks, a local tier-one Internet service provider and network solutions company, has extended its regional sales partnership with UK-based faxing and security vendor, GFI, to full distribution, and is in the process of appointing resellers in SA and neighbouring countries.

CMC group sales manager, Anton Starling, says GFI, a global-selling vendor based in the UK with an international presence, veered away from its normal e-commerce sales process, with this first-time appointment of a distributor.

"It is a measure of our success and the market opportunity," he says. "Normally, sales would be fulfilled through their transactional Web site, but SA companies have in many instances required a more personalised and supportive environment. All these leads were routinely passed back to us for follow-up, 99% of which we then converted into sales.

"This has in effect assisted us to secure the distribution rights, and the resultant benefits of channel-based pricing will be passed on to resellers. We will also set up a support and installation base, with helpdesk facilities where required, something which was catered for beforehand via a Web-based support structure."

Starling says GFI`s solution competes well on all levels, including pricing, support for both Linux and Windows, scalability and added-value, such as fax tracking, dispatch settings as well as integration with Outlook and customer relationship management modules.

CMC wants resellers with enterprise-wide networking and solutions expertise, an established client base, and a track record of installing and supporting software solutions - if need be helping with networking installation - in other words, not simply software facilitators. "Size doesn`t matter, so long as these essential requirements are fulfilled," he says.

There is room for six or seven resellers in SA, predominantly in Gauteng, but also in Durban and Cape Town, with the other regions to be served possibly by resellers in the main urban centres that have branch offices in outlying areas.

"We will appoint one reseller each in the neighbouring countries," says Starling, referring to CMC`s distribution status that reached southern and eastern Africa.

"The market has massive potential," Starling adds, declining to comment on sales volumes or other direct indicators of the opportunity. "Suffice it to say every business needs to fax, and there is a compelling reason to choose this solution."