Vigil hands resellers key to late payments issue

45-day trial keys part of wider initiative to help resellers with sales, marketing and finance

Teh: We should be making money on the back of sales generated by channel partners

IT security software distributor Vigil Software has pumped the profits it generated last year into a new package of free finance, sales and marketing initiatives for resellers.

The London-based outfit serves about 1,000 resellers and account-manages about 100 of those, including Trustmarque, Caretower and Sapphire.

A new licensing arrangement with Vigil’s key vendor partners is designed to protect resellers against late payments. End users are given 45-day trial keys with permanent keys only issued once payment has been made.

Help with tailored marketing material and telemarketing support will also be offered free of charge.

The 45-day trial key is already available from Vigil’s two largest vendors ­ web security specialist Marshal8e6 and endpoint security outfit Safend. Discussions are underway with log and event management vendor LogRhythm.

Alex Teh, commercial director at Vigil, said: “There is no reason why I should not reach out to our other vendors, but those three are responsible for £4m of my £5m sales. There is no better incentive for an end user to pay the reseller than knowing their anti-spam is about to stop working.”

Teh stressed the trial key system and free sales and marketing support are open to anyone who signs up to Vigil’s reseller programme.

“It is all complementary. We do not charge the vendor or reseller.

"My attitude is that we should be making money on the back of sales generated by channel partners.”

He added: “Last year we held ourselves back on recruiting due to the economic backdrop. We are looking to reinvest the profits we made into more people and resources to better enable our partners to sell products.”

Earlier this month, Vigil designed and sent out an e-shot on behalf of Caretower. It followed that up with a ‘call-out day’, billeting four of its staff at the VAR’s office to drum up leads.

George Neophytou, joint managing director of Caretower, said the exercise generated about 45 leads.

“They spent the day with our sales guys, bought them breakfast and offered them some really big prizes,” he said. “We tend to put our own money into marketing days but, in this case, Vigil took the hit.”

He added: “The finance option on giving temporary keys worked a treat for us and made us feel very secure.”

Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of distributor Wick Hill, said: “The 45-day thing and having all of their vendors signed up to that is fairly innovative. Typically it is 30 days and not all vendors do it. Vigil is delivering a solution that is innovative and has consistency.”