Tag Archives: sales
Wholesale Distributors Meeting 21st Century Challenges
Expanding Services Margin Upside
Product margins vary for Wholesale Distributors, based on products, territories, and their own efficiencies. But clearly, service margins are usually much higher. Along with outsourcing, manufacturers are also closing branch offices and service depots. Businesses don’t want the head count or the challenges associated with the resource management of diverse and remote facilities, logistics, and people.
That represents the upside for the wholesale distributor! Local market knowledge, the strength and weakness of the product catalog, and insight can be provided into the types of services that customers need. Today, many brand companies clearly know that their channel partners are the ‘sales and service arms’ of their companies. And many have put large investments in place, from sales training to product installation, repair training and certification.
For call centre management, this capability can also be leveraged to support clients’ businesses. Again, instead of making the WD just a cost centre to manage customer interactions, it can become another service and a source of revenue.
Manufacturing services are playing a great part in the distributor’s business model. From light ‘kitting’ and assembly to custom value-added-reseller (VAR) services, the proximity to customer markets, again, allows the WD to open discussion on these higher margin activities. Once the WD is in the ‘manufacturing game,’ customer-specific services such as configuration management, pre-loaded software and installation can all be done.
Diversity and Multi-channel
A big challenge for the WD is managing diverse methods for customer sales and self-service options, often called multi-channel. This is the ability to provide a ‘single face to the customer’ regardless of their preferred shopping methoddirect sales, web, catalog, phone or showroom. Often, established customers use multiple channels. This is a huge issue if the processes, system and business tools can’t identify this customer and assure that all the appropriate services and agreements are instantly known. Does the sales person in the showroom know that this customer is entitled to a 30% discount? Does the system know that this customer, when ordering on-line, has higher priority when allocating scarce product? Can the 3rdparty warehouse have access to all the proper labeling and shipping information?
Foundationally, today’s WDs should be old pros at this type of challenge. Right?
Added to this are the complexity and diversity of the services, priorities, pricing, and ‘deals’ unique to each customer. In addition to providing transparency in sales and fulfillment, the WD’s business accounting software and billing system has to be precise, productive and transparent to the customer. Too often WDs are filled with paper tracking down pricing complaints, dealing with charge-back and settlements with customers, with no audit trail of transactions and service add-ons. Making the sale, only to lose margins in poor paperwork and ‘give backs’ to customers, who clearly did not really earn those discounts, is an all too familiar story. Diversity can cost. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Icron Technologies Appoints Thorsten Goecke as Channel Sales Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa
Burnaby, British Columbia and Munich, Germany February 27, 2012 Icron Technologies Corporation, a global leader in USB and KVM (keyboard-video-mouse) extension solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Thorsten Goecke as new Channel Sales Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Based in Munich, Germany, Mr. Goecke will oversee the management of channel sales activities over EMEA territories and lead Icrons rapid growth in the region, including the companys expansion into Information Technology (IT), Industrial, Education and Medical markets.
Mr. Goecke has extensive experience in sales and business development. Prior to joining Icron, he worked as the Managing Director for Gefen Distribution GmbH in the European Pro Audio/Visual market and previously was Sales Manager for SDI GmbH.
Mr. Goecke will report directly to Thomas Strade, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Icron Technologies.
“Thorsten brings to us extensive business acumen and a deep understanding of our technology portfolio and the markets we serve,” said Tom Strade, VP of Sales and Business Development, Icron Technologies. “I am confident Thorsten will advance the growth of Icrons USB and Video extension products in the EMEA markets.”
“Im delighted to join Icron as Channel Sales Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. This diversified region has exciting potential for growth, and I look forward to working with our customers and the Icron team,” added Thorsten Goecke, Channel Sales Director EMEA, Icron Technologies. “
Icron Technologies is an innovative leader in the development and manufacturing of high performance USB and video extension solutions for commercial and industrial markets worldwide. Icrons patented extension technology extends PC Video and USB devices over many media types including Cat 5, Fiber, Wireless, DisplayPort, Coax, Powerline, and over a corporate LAN. Icrons extension products are deployed in a wide range of applications including digital home connectivity, industrial automation, medical imaging, aerospace, interactive digital signage, remote desktop extension, security and surveillance, enterprise computing, isolated USB, and point-of-sale markets, or anywhere a PC needs to be remotely located from a display or peripheral device.
Icrons extension products are deployed in a wide range of applications such as digital home connectivity, industrial automation, medical imaging, aerospace, interactive digital signage, remote desktop extension, security and surveillance, enterprise computing, isolated USB, and point-of-sale markets, or anywhere where a PC needs to be remotely located from a display or peripheral device. The company sells in North America, Europe and Australia and is expanding into South America and Asia.
Icron has recently evolved from a USB extension company into a Video and USB extension company. The company has now delivered its first ExtremeLink video and USB products and will be introducing more products throughout the coming years that offer unique extension options for its customers. Icrons customers can now have complete video and USB connectivity (a remote desktop) at locations throughout the office, factory, or home. Icrons technology is available in a variety of formats including Icron branded and private-label products and modules.
Contact information:
Media : Susan Kirk, Icron Technologies, PR, susan.kirk@icron.com
EMEA Sales : Thorsten Goecke, Icron Technologies, Channel Sales Director EMEA, tgoecke@icron.com
Icron Technologies Appoints Thorsten Goecke as Channel Sales Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa
Burnaby, British Columbia and Munich, Germany February 27, 2012 Icron Technologies Corporation, a global leader in USB and KVM (keyboard-video-mouse) extension solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Thorsten Goecke as new Channel Sales Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Based in Munich, Germany, Mr. Goecke will oversee the management of channel sales activities over EMEA territories and lead Icrons rapid growth in the region, including the companys expansion into Information Technology (IT), Industrial, Education and Medical markets.
Mr. Goecke has extensive experience in sales and business development. Prior to joining Icron, he worked as the Managing Director for Gefen Distribution GmbH in the European Pro Audio/Visual market and previously was Sales Manager for SDI GmbH.
Mr. Goecke will report directly to Thomas Strade, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Icron Technologies.
“Thorsten brings to us extensive business acumen and a deep understanding of our technology portfolio and the markets we serve,” said Tom Strade, VP of Sales and Business Development, Icron Technologies. “I am confident Thorsten will advance the growth of Icrons USB and Video extension products in the EMEA markets.”
“Im delighted to join Icron as Channel Sales Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. This diversified region has exciting potential for growth, and I look forward to working with our customers and the Icron team,” added Thorsten Goecke, Channel Sales Director EMEA, Icron Technologies. “
Icron Technologies is an innovative leader in the development and manufacturing of high performance USB and video extension solutions for commercial and industrial markets worldwide. Icrons patented extension technology extends PC Video and USB devices over many media types including Cat 5, Fiber, Wireless, DisplayPort, Coax, Powerline, and over a corporate LAN. Icrons extension products are deployed in a wide range of applications including digital home connectivity, industrial automation, medical imaging, aerospace, interactive digital signage, remote desktop extension, security and surveillance, enterprise computing, isolated USB, and point-of-sale markets, or anywhere a PC needs to be remotely located from a display or peripheral device.
Icrons extension products are deployed in a wide range of applications such as digital home connectivity, industrial automation, medical imaging, aerospace, interactive digital signage, remote desktop extension, security and surveillance, enterprise computing, isolated USB, and point-of-sale markets, or anywhere where a PC needs to be remotely located from a display or peripheral device. The company sells in North America, Europe and Australia and is expanding into South America and Asia.
Icron has recently evolved from a USB extension company into a Video and USB extension company. The company has now delivered its first ExtremeLink video and USB products and will be introducing more products throughout the coming years that offer unique extension options for its customers. Icrons customers can now have complete video and USB connectivity (a remote desktop) at locations throughout the office, factory, or home. Icrons technology is available in a variety of formats including Icron branded and private-label products and modules.
Contact information:
Media : Susan Kirk, Icron Technologies, PR, susan.kirk@icron.com
EMEA Sales : Thorsten Goecke, Icron Technologies, Channel Sales Director EMEA, tgoecke@icron.com