Access Distribution Gives Sun Partners A Helping Hand
The distributor has three new programs to recruit Sun Microsystems solution providers, said Scott Zahl, vice president of marketing and vendor relations at Access Distribution, Westminster, Colo.
"We identified geographic markets and verticals where we didn't feel we had the depth of expertise or the coverage model to be successful," he said.
The MarketSmart Catalyst, Grow Organic (GO) and Business Accelerator programs provide training and leads to get new partners ramped up quickly, Zahl said.
>> Grow Organic (GO): Helps identify and qualify opportunities to leverage Sun's TARP, which provides rebates of up to 20 percent for business to new or inactive Sun customers.
>> Business Accelerator: Assists solution providers in ramping up Sun business through account setup, internal contact affiliation, product and program training, product certifications and partner business development.
Access Distribution is particularly seeking solution providers that specialize in health care, energy and retail solutions, as well as those in secondary and tertiary markets, he said. "We have no size requirement, but they should be large enough to make a commitment to the certification requirements with the sheer number of bodies that have to be authorized," he said.
MarketSmart Catalyst provides marketing funds and planning support to help partners ramp up business more quickly, Zahl said. It also includes project management hours and leads for the first six months as a Sun partner.
The GO program aims to stimulate Sun sales by identifying opportunities to leverage Sun's Target Account Rebate Program (TARP), which provides rebates of up to 20 percent for business to new Sun customers or those that haven't been active recently with the Santa Clara, Calif., vendor.
The Business Accelerator program assists solution providers in moving through the account setup process and with internal contact affiliation, product and program training, product certifications and business development.
Moongate Technologies, a one-year-old Indianapolis-based solution provider, plans to use the MarketSmart Catalyst program to jump-start its Sun business, said Julie Kennedy, president. "As a startup, the $15,000 provided to us for marketing purposes is extremely valuable to do events and promotions that otherwise might be cost-prohibitive," she said.