Print.IT Reseller - Nov/Dec 2015 - page 29

PRINT
IT
RESELLER.UK
PRINTERS
29
UK distributor Westcoast, a strategic
Lexmark partner, has launched a
series of ‘buy better, buy bundles’
that give resellers the opportunity to
buy selected Lexmark printers and
MFPs bundled with high capacity
toners for half price.
For every colour or mono printer/MFP
bundle sold, Westcoast is donating £5 to
Meningitis Now. By the end of the year, it
hopes to have raised £5,000 for the UK’s
largest meningitis charity to support the
work it does in offering support, funding
research and raising awareness of the
disease.
At the time of writing, Westcoast
had already donated £1,135 for sales in
October, with a further donation of £810
on its way to the charity. Donations are
made on the reseller’s behalf.
Westcoast’s Lexmark Product Manager
Mike Newson said: “We’ve selected five
SKUs and pledged to donate £5 for every
device we ship throughout Q4. In addition
to supporting a really worthwhile charity,
these bundle offers provide our dealers
with a unique opportunity to proactively
win new business. We’re giving them
the ability to compete in a market where
purchasers are searching online for the
cheapest prices.”
Martin Fairman, Lexmark Channel
Sales Director, UK & Ireland, said:
“Meningitis Now provides much needed
support for families and children affected
by meningitis. We are proud to support
Westcoast in raising funds for this worthy
charity."
In addition to its fund-raising initiatives
for Meningitis Now, Westcoast supports
Macmillan Cancer Research, other Cancer
Trusts, local charities and children’s football
teams.
A competitive edge
Westcoast is shipping the Lexmark devices
with a full set of high yield toners, and how
the reseller chooses to pass the savings on
to their customer base is up to them. “This
is a trade-only deal and, as such, it places
the channel in a unique position where
they can choose how they sell on to their
customers,” said Newson.
“Discounting the hardware is a great
deal in its own right, but by bundling
the hardware with the consumables and
offering both at half price, we’re providing
channel partners with a real competitive
edge. Resellers could resell the toners
at full price, for example, and use the
lower headline cost of the printer as an
opportunity to encourage customers to
refresh their printer fleets.”
He added: “Vendors who currently
only sell hardware will be able to secure
additional revenue from toner sales and
make a decent margin, and for EOS-only
vendors, we’re providing the opportunity
to seed new business by selling printers to
their customer base.”
Another compelling sales proposition
is Lexmark’s end-user reward programme.
Westcoast is offering resellers 50% off selected Lexmark printer/toner
bundles, and is donating £5 to Meningitis Now for every one sold.
Going, going,
but not yet gone
Each new printer purchase earns the
purchaser two points and each cartridge
returned to the OEM for recycling is worth
one point (a full set of CMYK earns four
points). In addition, programme members
get free imaging units for life.
“The bundles we’re offering, comprising
a printer, a starter set of toners and a full
set of high yield cartridges, is worth ten
points in the rewards programme – and
ten points equates to one free toner for the
end user,” explained Newson.
One-stop-shop
As a Lexmark partner, Westcoast is in a
strong position to support its customer
base. The firm is unique in the distribution
channel in that it offers Lexmark hardware,
supplies and spare parts, and can ship all
direct to the end customer in packaging
that features the reseller’s branding so that
it looks as though it’s come from them
direct. It also offers timed delivery options.
“As a business we have a narrow
and deep philosophy, which allows us
to specialise in a vendor’s full range of
products and services. The fact that we
offer all three categories is unmatched in
the disti channel,” said Newson. “Because
we work with fewer vendors, we have
knowledgeable sales specialists across all
areas of the business, ensuring our channel
partners get the expertise they need to
offer their customers the most appropriate
products and services. This makes
Westcoast a true one-stop-shop.”
For the channel, the purchasing process
is seamless. All products can be purchased
online and Westcoast boasts 99.9% pick
rate accuracy.
Another value-added service Westcoast
provides is consignment warehousing. It
holds all inventory for resellers, which they
can draw down as required. “This works
especially well for smaller operations
who don’t have the space to carry large
amounts of stock in their own premises,”
said Newson.
We have
knowledgeable
sales specialists
across all areas
of the business,
ensuring
our channel
partners get
the expertise
they need.
Mike Newson,
Lemark product
manager,
Westcoast
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