Samsung Springs New Printer Channel Program

The Irvine, Calif.-based Information Technology Division of Samsung opened up a "President's Color Club" for resellers with three new levels of compensation as well as extra marketing support.

"This is a great opportunity for Samsung in the color laser segment, where we have a great deal of products coming out over the next year," said Jay Shears, director of office automation for the Samsung IT Products Division. "We have the opportunity now to enter this brand-new segment with leading products and be able to establish ourselves as a leading brand."

The new program, which will be open to members of Samsung's Power Partner Program, will include three levels with varying levels of compensation for solution providers that resell Samsung's CLP-550 color laser and future printer products:

Tier one, the President's level, will be available to solution providers that purchase five to 10 color laser printers over the course of 12 months, Samsung said. Among other benefits at that point will be a free CLP-550 with the purchase of one.

Tier two, the Silver level, will be open to solution providers that acquire between 11 and 100 Samsung color lasers over the course of 12 months. In that level, solution providers will receive 2 percent cash back on Samsung color lasers, in addition to the buy-one, get-one-free CLP-550 offer, and additional call-in product sales and support.

Tier three, the Platinum level, will include solution providers that acquire 101 or more Samsung color laser printers in 12 months. That includes a 5 percent cash-back rebate plus incentives from other levels and intensive marketing, sales and technical support, Samsung said.

"I think [Samsung's programs have] always been competitive," said Brooks McCormick, director of sales at Tampa, Fla.-based Megabyte International, and a member of Samsung's Reseller Council. "I think they are just putting a strong effort [in color laser printers] to get mind share from resellers.

"They certainly have gotten people's attention in our office," McCormick said. "It's a very good product, and there's a lot of competition out there."

Samsung entered the color laser market earlier this year.

"We see growth in the [printer] replacement market through 2007," Shears said. "We see the replacement market going up like a hockey stick."