Distribution Giant Looks to Gain Partner Mindshare and Capture Untapped
Sales Opportunities Within Public Sector
SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM), a leading technology, sales marketing, and logistics company, today announced it is expanding marketing resources and solution provider recruitment efforts surrounding its GovEd Alliance partner community.
"With its predictable buying seasons and budget plans, the public sector is a hotbed for technology sales, which is why we're continuing to invest in our GovEd Alliance partner community and build awareness among solution providers of the market's potential," said Bob Laclede, vice president, government sales, Ingram Micro U.S. "Our GovEd Alliance is in a league of its own and remains one of the only partner communities dedicated to solution providers servicing the government and education market."
As part of its expansion efforts, Ingram Micro will kick off a number of new sales and service resources and initiatives at its GovEd Alliance Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. (Nov. 3 - 5), and the company will also introduce a tiered partner pyramid that will help identify and market the community's solution provider partners into three groups that will be determined by sales growth potential, target market segments and overall engagement within the customer community. This new partner pyramid will help the distributor target its business resources to the right audiences and assist in teaming customers with the right manufacturer partners to effectively grow market reach and share.
In addition to building the expertise within its operations and sales teams, which support College Campus Reseller initiatives and support GSA with valuable offerings including a pass through program and bid/proposal resources, Ingram Micro will announce the following initiatives and resources as part of its overall GovEd Alliance sales growth and marketing strategies:
* More Peer-to-Peer and Manufacturer Networking Opportunities:
Combining its four Spring 2005 GovEd events with its Market Focus
event circuit. The events will continue to operate independently yet
will share the same venue, feature joint breakouts and technology
fairs that will provide the priceless opportunity for manufacturers
and solution provider networking.
* New Manufacturer Participation in Public Sector Special Pricing:
Teamed with up to 275 manufacturers that are providing special
discounting for orders intended for the public sector.
* Expanded Credit Solutions with IBM Global Financing: Offers Ingram
Micro subsidized 60-day net extended terms for those solution
providers who qualify with IBM Global Financing.
* Ingram Micro Steering Committee and GovEd Advisory Council: Comprised
of key government and education solution providers, this committee is
designed to help Ingram Micro identify and prioritize the needs and
resources of the College Campus Reseller program. In 2005, Ingram
Micro will also name a GovEd Advisory Council to assist with the
continued development and strategic direction of the entire GovEd
Alliance community.
* Broader Membership Reach: Opening the GovEd Alliance to a number of
large corporate customers outside of the GovEd sales division (VAR and
corporate reseller sales divisions) who although do a sizable amount
of government and education business do not consider the public sector
a primary market.
"By expanding our reach to include large corporate resellers, we're able to increase the number of solution providers using our GovEd Alliance offerings and, in turn, use the additional scale and volume to negotiate more strategic engagements with our manufacturer partners and deliver a wider array of resources from sales, marketing and finance," continued Laclede.
About GovEd Alliance
Established in 1994 as Partnership America, GovEd Alliance is the technology industry's leading partner community for solution providers doing business in the federal, state, local and K-12 education segments.
As part of GovEd Alliance, solution providers receive preferred partner offerings including customized financing options, business development services, bid response services, GSA support capabilities, and access to new industry trends and technology innovations. For more information on GovEd Alliance, visit www.ingrammicro.com/goved or contact your local Ingram Micro sales representative at (800) 456-8000.
About Ingram Micro Inc.
As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics services, technical support, financial services, and product aggregation and distribution. The company serves 100 countries and is the only global IT distributor with operations in Asia. Visit www.ingrammicro.com.
(c) 2004 Ingram Micro Inc. All rights reserved. Ingram Micro and the registered Ingram Micro logo are trademarks used under license by Ingram Micro Inc. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
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Robert Laclede
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SOURCE Ingram Micro Inc.
-0- 11/01/2004
/CONTACT: Jennifer Baier, +1-714-382-2692,
jennifer.baier@ingrammicro.com, or Marie Meoli, +1-714-382-2190,
marie.meoli@ingrammicro.com, both of Ingram Micro Inc./
/Web site: http://www.ingrammicro.com/goved /
/Web site: http://www.ingrammicro.com /
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