C2000 helps resellers go for Gold

Distributor revamps Business Class Accreditation programme

Broadline distributor Computer 2000 (C2000) has recorded a 73 per cent increase in profit for its fiscal year and has revamped its Business Class Accreditation reseller programme.

Despite parent firm Tech Data laying off five per cent of its staff last week, C2000 reported turnover of £939m for its year ended January 2001, a rise of 21 per cent on the year before. Profit before tax was £17.8m, compared with £10.3m last year.

The firm has also announced that it is to help its resellers target the small to medium sized enterprise space more effectively.

C2000's most productive resellers are divided into Gold and Silver Business Class accreditation levels. To qualify for Gold status, resellers must generate at least £50,000 of C2000 business each month, while the minimum for Silver partners is £25,000. Remaining resellers are grouped together as Club Class partners.

All of the Gold and Silver resellers will receive dedicated account management, with sales, marketing and training tools, according to marketing manager Nigel Judd.

At present the company has about 100 Silver and 50 Gold partners, but C2000's 4,500 Club Class resellers will be given the chance to improve their level of accreditation.

"We are trying to help the right Club Class resellers become Business Class partners," said Judd. "This revamp to the Business Class programme will not make accreditation easier. We are tightening up what is required."

C2000 is also providing extra services to help resellers reach end users, explained Judd, citing the firm's mobile Windows XP exhibition unit which C2000 loans out to partners for limited periods.

However, Phil Kennerdal, senior sales consultant at reseller Abtec Network Systems, said he preferred support and services to come directly from the vendor. "We just use distributors as fulfilment houses because resellers want to retain the margin for installation and support," he said.