Print.IT Reseller - issue 47

01732 759725 28 Q&A PrintIT Reseller (PITR): Xerox has said that it wants to increase sales to small and medium-sized businesses. Does that mean a greater emphasis on indirect channels? Aqua Porter (AP): There’s a real opportunity for Xerox to see profitable revenue growth in the SMB market. About 75 per cent of that market is covered by indirect channels and 25 per cent is direct. To win in the overall market, we're going to have to continue to shift our market towards those sellers that can deliver, and in the SMB space that's really the indirect channels. So, the short answer is yes. PITR: Do you plan to increase the business you do with existing partners or are you going to recruit more resellers? AP: The idea is to cover the market with as big a footprint as we can, so we'll have Xerox’s Global Channel Strategy Lead, Aqua Porter, recently visited the UK, giving PrintIT Reseller the opportunity to find out more about how the company plans to increase sales amongst SMEs and the important role resellers can play Reaching out to do both. We want to be able to grow the participation of our current partners and increase the number of partners we do business with. That includes traditional print resellers and IT-centric resellers that may see print as just one part of a bigger solution. Quite frankly, we'll probably do some acquisition as well, where we think appropriate. PITR: How do you plan to attract new resellers? AP: In multiple ways. One, we have to provide a value proposition and a financial model that's compelling to partners. We have to make sure our product portfolio consists of products and services that meet the requirements of the end customer and partners or retailers. We need to get good at that and not just think about things from a direct standpoint. That's one thing. The other is we have to continue to bring innovation to the market, both in our products and our services. Our Connectkey launch, with 29 new products, really reinforces the message that we are investing in innovation. We also have managed print services that enable customers to outsource printer fleet administration so that they can focus on what that they need to do. PITR: What do you think are some of the challenges your resellers face, and how are you helping them to overcome them? AP: One is the magnitude of information, products and services for resellers to take advantage of and the fact that there may not necessarily be a roadmap showing how they can best position them and sell them to their customers. We need to do a much better job of helping them create targeted solutions for the environments they are addressing, whether that’s a vertical market or a shared workgroup – making it really easy for them to identify what solution or what set of products might work best. That’s what we are doing with our Connectkey products. They are such a breath of fresh air and so contemporary. The interface is much more like what people are used to seeing on a tablet or a computer and the idea that you can download apps to solve a certain problem for a customer is unique and novel. Now, we even allow our partners to build apps for their customers or other partners to use. That ecosystem provides another level of value to our partners and makes us a more valuable manufacturer to work with. We have to make sure our product portfolio consists of products and services that meet the requirements of the end customer and partners or retailers In April, Xerox announced the largest product launch in its 110-year history, including 29 new ConnectKey devices. In addition to increased functionality, a common user interface across the range and a customisable app platform, the new products fill long-standing gaps in Xerox’s portfolio, especially the new Versalink series. Designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses, these new A4 and A3 devices will enable Xerox to compete better in growth areas such as A4 MFPs and managed print services for SMEs. To do this, the company is also hoping to recruit more IT resellers. Continued.. Aqua Porter