Lower Freight Among New TechSelect Benefits

Tech Data told partners at the Rancho Mirage, Calif., conference it has lowered the minimum order size needed to qualify for free shipping. For ground shipments, TechSelect members must purchase at least $1,500 for phone orders and $500 for Web orders. The figures compare to $1,800 and $600, respectively, for non-TechSelect members. For FedEx Air shipments, members will receive discounts of up to 30 percent, said Stacy Nethercoat, vice president of inside sales and services at Tech Data.

Solution providers applauded the move.

"Anything they can do to reduce my costs is great," said Bob Parsons, president of Automated Office Solutions, an Evansville, Ind.-based solution provider.

Parsons said free freight could be the deciding factor in a bid he has out against Dell. Dell plans to charge the end user $580 to ship a $20,000 order. "They said they'll do about six of those orders a year. [Free shipping] could be a big advantage."

In addition, Tech Data has contracted Industry Insights to compile financial statements from members into a report that members can use to compare themselves against their peers. The reports should be available at TechSelect's fall conference in Washington, D.C.

"It will have career financial ratios, performance grades in key operating areas. After they see the study, they'll be able to use an intricate tool for what-if scenarios where they can see if they make this change, this is what will happen to their bottom line," Nethercoat said.

Tech Data also has signed a deal with Sesco Management Consultants to provide discounted human resources services to members. For example, solution providers can have the Sesco write a company handbook, provide legal support or develop employee benefits, executives said.

"That's a wonderful program. I now have a company policy and a handbook of all the NY state and federal HR laws. Every employee received it. Everyone knows what is expected. That is a definitely a benefit," said Joe Ambrosole, president of NetConnect, a Staten Island, N.Y.-based solution provider who participated in a pilot.

Meanwhile, Tech Data plans to offer C-Net's Datapack Pro database of data specifications, product shots that can be integrated into a solution provider's Web site, Nethercoat said.

Tech Data previously had compiled its own database, but the Datapack Pro is more detailed and provides side-by-side comparisons of products, she said.

This week's conference is the largest TechSelect conference to date, with 151 solution providers in attendance including members from Canada and the Caribbean for the first time, said Tech Data executives.

"But more than numbers, it's the resellers themselves and the technologies that they are focused on that are exciting the vendor community," said Terry Bazzone, senior vice president of U.S. sales at Tech Data.

At the conference, several of TechSelect's regional chapters met for the first time. Tech Data has invested $350,000 to help the chapters reach more vendor partners for sales and technical training, said Annette Taber, director of TechSelect sales at Tech Data.

"Our New York City chapter members developed business plans that they have shared with the vendors. They know from their community what vendors they want to partner with and can proactively work with the vendors to bring them in for training," Taber said.