29 July 2010
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3 November 2009
Reward Schemes the Key to Channel Success
A well-run incentive scheme is the best way to motivate resellers and maintain enthusiasm in a difficult market, according to office tech specialist Brother.
Whilst the most recent Context stats indicate that the printer market is still in decline (6% for laser and 17% for inkjet), feedback from the channel and recent reseller activity shows that enthusiasm to sell remains high, especially when incentivised by an effective and simple reward scheme.
“Having a straightforward incentive programme in place definitely motivates the team,” confirms Glen Renton at Ben Johnson Office Solutions in York. “The key is providing a scheme that’s easy to use and gives salespeople rewards that they actually want.”
Terrence Kerrigan at Jungle IT in Leeds agrees: “In a downturn, it’s important to give staff something extra to work for – a good reason to push back against the challenging market. An incentive scheme can fulfil this role, but it has to be simple to use and clearly communicated by the vendor offering it.”
Brother UK recently revamped its “Bonus Points” incentive system, moving to a new online portal called Sell and Select. Following its launch via the high profile “Sell a Brother, Change Your Life” campaign in Q1 of this year, the company has seen a 160% increase in the number of claims per month compared to the old system.
Ben Johnson Office Solutions has been using Brother Sell and Select since May: “We’ve seen a 20-30% increase in printer sales since we signed up to the scheme so it’s certainly caught people’s interest. It’s actually been so successful, we introduced something similar for our customers, which has proved very popular and helped to boost sales even further. Incentives are definitely one solution to a difficult market.”
Jenny Allison from Normans in Billingham has a similar story: “The Sell and Select scheme has worked really well for us in terms of increasing sales at a difficult time. Brother has been very supportive in helping us to implement it effectively and it’s definitely led to a marked increase in sales.”
Terry Caulfield, head of sales, P&S division, Brother UK commented: “When we decided to relaunch our loyalty scheme, we consulted with our channel partners on what they liked and didn’t like about the existing system. What emerged was that our resellers wanted better communication on how the scheme worked and more choice on reward items – a more aspirational selection. As a result, we used the Sell a Brother campaign to communicate the launch of Sell and Select and now offer a much wider range of reward products, as well as holiday and reward day vouchers.
“We now have 1150 partners registered on our incentive scheme. Feedback from resellers has been extremely positive and it’s a clear illustration that a well planned rewards package still resonates with the channel. It’s all about building the right package and making sure our partners know how much we value their work.”
For more information on Sell and Select or becoming a Brother partner, please call 0844 844 9940, and select option 3.
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Whilst the most recent Context stats indicate that the printer market is still in decline (6% for laser and 17% for inkjet), feedback from the channel and recent reseller activity shows that enthusiasm to sell remains high, especially when incentivised by an effective and simple reward scheme.
“Having a straightforward incentive programme in place definitely motivates the team,” confirms Glen Renton at Ben Johnson Office Solutions in York. “The key is providing a scheme that’s easy to use and gives salespeople rewards that they actually want.”
Terrence Kerrigan at Jungle IT in Leeds agrees: “In a downturn, it’s important to give staff something extra to work for – a good reason to push back against the challenging market. An incentive scheme can fulfil this role, but it has to be simple to use and clearly communicated by the vendor offering it.”
Brother UK recently revamped its “Bonus Points” incentive system, moving to a new online portal called Sell and Select. Following its launch via the high profile “Sell a Brother, Change Your Life” campaign in Q1 of this year, the company has seen a 160% increase in the number of claims per month compared to the old system.
Ben Johnson Office Solutions has been using Brother Sell and Select since May: “We’ve seen a 20-30% increase in printer sales since we signed up to the scheme so it’s certainly caught people’s interest. It’s actually been so successful, we introduced something similar for our customers, which has proved very popular and helped to boost sales even further. Incentives are definitely one solution to a difficult market.”
Jenny Allison from Normans in Billingham has a similar story: “The Sell and Select scheme has worked really well for us in terms of increasing sales at a difficult time. Brother has been very supportive in helping us to implement it effectively and it’s definitely led to a marked increase in sales.”
Terry Caulfield, head of sales, P&S division, Brother UK commented: “When we decided to relaunch our loyalty scheme, we consulted with our channel partners on what they liked and didn’t like about the existing system. What emerged was that our resellers wanted better communication on how the scheme worked and more choice on reward items – a more aspirational selection. As a result, we used the Sell a Brother campaign to communicate the launch of Sell and Select and now offer a much wider range of reward products, as well as holiday and reward day vouchers.
“We now have 1150 partners registered on our incentive scheme. Feedback from resellers has been extremely positive and it’s a clear illustration that a well planned rewards package still resonates with the channel. It’s all about building the right package and making sure our partners know how much we value their work.”
For more information on Sell and Select or becoming a Brother partner, please call 0844 844 9940, and select option 3.
