Ingram Micro Program Offers More Features To Alliance Partners
PartnershipAmerica passed on vendors' government and education pricing discounts to solution providers, but the new program,the Ingram GovEd Alliance,offers more ways to drive business to solution providers in those markets, said Bob Stegner, vice president of channel development at Ingram Micro, based here.
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Stegner: GovEd Alliance program gives solution providers more flexibility.
The GovEd Alliance includes a bid-notification service with daily e-mail updates, GSA schedule administration, 60-day interest-free financing and dedicated regional sales associates, Stegner said. It also retains discounted pricing from 320 vendors and a community site where users can look to partner with other members, he said.
Ingram Micro will charge fees for the bid-notification and GSA services based on activity, but other features will be free to solution providers, Stegner said.
"Originally, I was thinking of making this more of a tiered program, but our research showed that is not what solution providers were looking for," he said. "They wanted a more flexible program, with cafeteria-style items. If I'm a small government reseller, I don't want everything, but there are some specific things I want. We made it easier to pick the parts of the program they are looking for."
The new program will address more reseller needs in the government and education markets, said Gerry Waldrop, general manager of Connected Workplace Solutions, a Chantilly, Va.-based solution provider.
"The support for the GSA schedule and the bid-[notification service are great ideas. They're adding value by bringing services to me that I could not afford to go out on my own and acquire," Waldrop said. "They were putting the tools out there, but we had to use our own resources to utilize those tools. Now they're bringing a finished product to me that I can easily fit into my business."
Under the GovEd Alliance umbrella, Ingram Micro expects its roster of government and education solution providers to top 2,000 participants, up from 1,600 under PartnershipAmerica, Stegner said.
The distributor has scheduled a conference for members in Atlanta this October.