Making The Most Out Of Media Sales

Several years of devastating price wars in the bar code media market have finally come to an end, and that's good news for vendors and VARs alike. But, now that the market has stabilized, it's time to move forward. It's time to establish and strengthen vendor/VAR partnerships.

Technology And Initiative Are The Keys
Kevin Young, senior vice president of Sony Chemical Corporation of America (Mount Pleasant, PA), told me, "One of our priorities is keeping our channel partners happy because the channel is our only source of sales. As a manufacturer, we are constantly evaluating new markets for our distribution channel and designing products for those specific markets. An example is flexible packaging, a process that allows retail manufacturers to use generic packages, which can be custom printed for a number of products. Several types of coffee can be packaged in the same style bag. Then, the bag can be printed to show what type of coffee is inside."

"But, a partnership is a two-way street," Young continued. "We do not want resellers that do not add value in a sale. Value adding is a must, and we demand it from our partners. We can provide new technology, but VARs must take the initiative in helping our industry identify new markets."

Who's Growing The Market?
The answer, according to Brett Cameron, director of sales and marketing for DNP (Concord, NC), is VARs and large integrators. "Electronics, government, and healthcare are the old stand-bys (markets),"said Cameron. "The truth is, customers are looking for new, non-traditional ways to use thermal transfer technology. The channel is helping to identify these new markets."

Continuing, Cameron equated the strength and profitability of the media market to the amount of value adding done in the channel. "We can never underestimate the value of the channel," Cameron stated. "The channel helps define the market. Thermal transfer technology, particularly in the specialty market, requires value-added services in the field that only resellers can handle. Resellers are on the front line with respect to sales. We depend on the channel to put its best foot forward on behalf of the industry."

An Old Story?
Some readers may think all this is an old story. I prefer to think of this as a never-ending story. Manufacturers research new products; manufacturers sometimes identify new markets. But, think of the hundreds of thousands of resellers who have to solve new problems every day. And each chance to solve a problem is a potential new application, an application that may be reproduced in other customer companies. Cameron gave some good closing advice, "Take stock of what it is you do well and focus on it. But, make sure it is still a growing market. And always be looking for new sales opportunities."