Lexmark strikes back against Big Blue
Bigger reseller rebates, a multimillion-pound advertising campaign and a new distributor
Just weeks after IBM began making noises in the printer arena, Lexmark has hit back with larger reseller rebates, a multimillion-pound advertising campaign and a new distributor.
The printer vendor launched its 100% Partner Programme a year ago, and has claimed to have signed more than 1,300 resellers as Business Partners.
To help with reseller support, Lexmark has appointed Northamber as a Preferred Printer Supplier. However, the distributor was also appointed to IBM's printer range last month.
Amanda Bibbey, marketing programmes manager at Lexmark, said the move will see the distributor work more closely with Lexmark. "Northamber wants to increase Lexmark sales by 20 per cent," she said.
David Phillips, chairman of Northamber, said in a statement that Lexmark's focus on SMEs makes it an ideal partner.
"Lexmark has demonstrated commitment, understanding and assistance in enabling our VARs to profitably meet the needs of SMEs. Its partner programme and its emphasis on bringing added profitability to the channel is valued in the SME space," he said.
Also last week, Lexmark introduced a new rebate scheme for resellers. Bibbey explained that Business Partners that sell over £5,000 of equipment per quarter will now receive a three per cent discount, compared with the two per cent they previously received.
Resellers that sell between £2,000 and £5,000 of equipment will receive a two per cent discount.
Bibbey added that the firm has launched a multimillion-pound advertising campaign to generate leads for resellers, and said all leads passed to resellers will be qualified.
"Resellers want leads that are genuine to avoid wasting time," she said.