Promethean reActivates channel commitment

The vendor announces a product update as part of an overhaul in channel philosophy

Interactive technology vendor Promethean has relaunched its channel programme and product offering in an effort to boost its partner sales.

The firm has unveiled Activ-board+2, an enhanced version of its Activboard offering, including features offered by rival manufacturers.

A new version of Promethean’s Activeparther+2 partner programme also promises resellers more resources to attack the audiovisual (AV) market.

Promethean’s director of partner management, Paul Dean, said the move reflects the vendor’s commitment to the channel.

“Until June last year we had a mixed approach. We sold to the channel, but we also sold direct, which most resellers did not really appreciate,” confessed Dean.

“We decided to commit ourselves fully to the channel. You might as well do it wholeheartedly.”

As part of Activepartner+2 Dean promised to throw more resources at the channel. New initiatives include setting up a demand creation team, with sales staff specialised in selling to local authorities and generating leads to be fulfilled by AV resellers.

Promethean has also pledged more funds for co-operative market development and rebates.

Egham-based AV reseller Matrix Display Systems was impressed by the changes in Promethean’s channel philosophy.

“We went from doing £300,000 of business one year, to turning over three million the next,” said Daryl Clark, managing director at Matrix. “We were Smart’s biggest reseller for 10 years. Now we are Promethean’s.”