The right kind of support

To operate successfully, resellers need support from the company which products they sell. With many vendors seeing South Africa as a key but remote area, this role often falls to distributors.

“Vendors today are acting on distributor feedback to enhance their business and in some cases even to tackle serious issues that impact channel profitability,” says Anton Vukic, Channel Director at Phoenix Software, local distributor of a number of premium brands such as Sony Creative Software, AVG, and Kaspersky.

“Vendor-distributor business alignment is being slowly redefined and integrated for the common good.”

This is allowing companies like Phoenix to offer tailored partnership programmes to its resellers, who play a vital link in the supply chain. “Resellers have the market awareness and experience to deliver added value, and they play a leading role in providing products and services to our extended customer base. These important partners should have access to our full range of products, services, and support,” says Vukic.

“To operate effectively and successfully sell our products, they need support. Determining and providing the right level of reseller support has a number of important benefits. Doing this well can contribute to high levels of customer satisfaction; make the reseller the preferred choice locally; focus the attention of sales staff on customer requirements; improve the reseller's competitive position; and support the effective launch of new products.”

Understanding this, and through its partnership with AVG, Phoenix Software has initiated a reseller partnership programme to support the growth of the reseller base carrying the security software. In addition to providing resellers with increased revenue opportunities through the introduction of educational and marketing resources, the company is offering a unique added extra - on their purchase of any AVG product licensed to the end-user, Phoenix Software is providing a full one-year licence for resellers' personal office use, free of charge, for up to 20 seats.

“We are striving to offer our partners every competitive advantage and revenue opportunity, whether it is new products, high-quality marketing resources, or providing the software for their own use that they need to succeed,” explains Vukic. “Our resellers are both business partners and preferred customers. By building strong relationships and supporting them with the right infrastructure, we will enhance the value and service they provide to their end-customers, thus improving our own long-term growth and success.”

There's no denying that reseller agreements are mutually beneficial. However, the industry is beset with opportunists looking for a quick sale, without any thought of long-term, mutual benefit. Phoenix Software is proving its commitment to its resellers with a programme tailored to help them in their businesses, providing the right kind of support.