Promethean realigns strategy to focus on VARs

Vendor will still offer a depleted direct approach, but reveals plans to grow through indirect business

Audiovisual (AV) vendor Promethean is shifting its focus to concentrate solely on the channel.
To date, 60 per cent of its business has come from its end-user sales team and 40 per cent through resellers.
Paul Berry, director of UK business at Promethean, said: “We’ve had an indirect route through our distribution business for three years and while Promethean recognised a need to have partners in the UK, I don’t think it recognised a need to embrace them wholly. The distribution business and the direct business were kept separate so we have decided to encompass everything into one business for a more coherent route to market.
“We will still need to offer a direct approach as some end-users will only buy direct from us, but our strategy is to grow through indirect business.”
Promethean will also launch a reseller accreditation programme in March with three tiered levels.
“We have probably dealt with about three times as many VARs as I’d like and while I don’t want to exclude any resellers, we do need clarity and consistency,” Berry added.
Steve Dracup, director of partner management at Promethean, said: “The UK operation was the only Promethean Group business that had a direct sales team, so it makes sense for us to change our approach.”
Jack McGuigan, director of AV VAR Independent Products, told CRN: “We have always got on well with Promethean. The fact that it has former teachers on its sales team who will now be generating leads for resellers is great news.”
Russell Blackburn, commercial director at rival distributor Steljes Trade, said: “Promethean’s shift in focus will be interesting to watch. We’ve found, from 20 years of supporting the channel and not following a direct model, that we’ve managed to keep the market buoyant and customers satisfied, so we can understand why Promethean would want to do the same.”