“Our recent agreement with Huawei is the first step in a continuing process that will take our resellers further into the data space. This is a necessary consequence of the drive to converge technologies and we are investing heavily in training our team in advanced data skills.
“We expect to announce further partnerships with internationally respected data vendors shortly. We will be able to provide vital support to voice resellers as they are drawn, inevitably, into implementing the data solutions that their customers demand.”
Carter points to the success of the Ericsson EMO mobile email application as a typical example of the kind of data based peripheral that is bulking up reseller revenues.
“Its sales are rising every week because it’s a low cost, easily presented and easily installed and configured application that tackles Blackberry head on. EMO connects to the Outlook server in the office – unlike Blackberry, no separate server is needed. It’s a solution that delivers high perceived value to the end user – and high margin to the reseller. This is one bandwagon that resellers need to jump on.”
To make it easier for them, Carter is restructuring Rocom’s account management team. “There’s a great deal of revenue to be won in peripheral sales. It pays to sell improved products into existing customers because that’s what keeps them ‘sticky’.
“That’s why we have introduced a more intensive account management function for larger resellers. Account managers in an enlarged team will focus on around 20 individual reseller customers. They will be able to deliver total personal service, work closely with each customer on training and incentives and develop joint marketing projects.
“We doing this because there are so many profit opportunities in the channel right now that we don’t want to miss a single one – and neither do you.”