D&H Increases Programs For Resellers And Dealers Of All Sizes In 2010

Major North American distributor D&H Distributing announces it has increased its investment in several of its reseller programs as it enters Q2 of 2010. It has added a roster of program benefits crafted for the company's varying customer base, including IT resellers of all sizes, from small business to larger-scale VARs; in addition to a range of retailers and consumer electronics (CE) dealer customers. Furthermore, some of D&H's programs are designed to expand upon other, third-party partner offerings to help engage smaller VARs on behalf of those vendors.

For 2010, D&H Distributing has:

• Launched a new SMB program with Lenovo as of March 1, offering prizes for qualifying product purchases
• Quadrupled the amount of vendors participating in its Incentives Rewards Program, and added high-end prizes such as iPods and HDTVs
• Extended its "VIP Partner" discount program on qualifying HP PSG (Personal Systems Group) merchandise, originally scheduled to end in January
• Continued its popular Business Assurance program for small business VARs into 2010, which distributed approximately $40M in credit over the course of 2009, with an estimated $20M more to be added in 2010.

D&H's programs often augment current manufacturer programs that are offered to larger reseller partners, but with scaled-down requirements that allow the benefits to be leveraged by smaller resellers as well. This helps encourage all different levels of VARs to get involved in sales of these products. This not only helps to bolster loyalty to that brand, it also creates an easier path for the featured products to move-up in their lifecycles.

From an incentive program that thanks customers for their business; to exclusive, vendor-based discount programs and credit offerings meant to increase the VAR's purchasing power, D&H has devised both plateau-based and percentage-based programs that promote a balanced range of product sales and accompanying benefits, to represent solution providers of all profiles.

"We build-in a certain scalability, creating a selection of programs where no one is excluded," said Mary Campbell, vice president of marketing at D&H Distributing. "Our programs tend to have a low-volume entry point to accommodate the independent reseller, yet our higher-tier customers can still see significant gains, across several of the markets we serve."

D&H Has Implemented Major Program Enhancements Such As:

• The New D&H "$MB Think Outside the Box" Program with Lenovo: D&H's latest exclusive program is a "plateau"-based rewards plan for small- to mid-sized resellers and retailers. Each quarter, customers earn points for purchases of Lenovo notebooks, desktops, servers, monitors, accessories or warranties. Different product categories are worth different point values, ranging from one to five. As customers accumulate points, they will qualify for a prize at each of three program "levels," as per below:
  • Level 1, reached at 35 points: A "Flip" USB-based videocamera
  • Level 2, 120 points: An eBook reader (brand TBD)
  • Level 3, 500 points: A choice of either an all-in-one, notebook, netbook or desktop computer, from a qualifying selection of products in the above categories

• D&H's VIP Partner Program with HP: The success of D&H's exclusive "VIP" buy-and-earn program has led to its extension through July 31, 2010, offering resellers significant pricing discounts on qualifying HP PSG (Personal Systems Group) merchandise.

  Enrolled resellers accumulate one point for every $100 of most Business Open Source purchases. Points are valued at $1 each. That means VARs can spend as little as $1,500 on these HP products to qualify for a merchandise credit – with no upper limit on how much they can accumulate. In addition, joining this program entitles resellers to purchase HP Business demos at up to 50% off retail value. D&H customers can visit the www.dandh.com/hpvip for details and to determine eligibility.

• D&H Incentives - Quadruple the Vendors, Double the Prizes: D&H's Incentives Rewards program now boasts four times the amount of vendors whose merchandise qualifies for points, compared to early last year. This increase gives resellers a greater choice of qualifying purchases that can help build their cache of Incentives points faster.

  Through this program, resellers accumulate one point (worth $1) for every $10 of qualifying purchases from a selection of more than 80 vendors. Points can be redeemed for prizes at D&H's online "Incentives Mall." The amount and level of prizes at the virtual mall has also been significantly increased: Resellers can now claim items such as an iPod Nano, Touch, Classic or Shuffle; LG Blu-ray players and HDTVs; Kodak EasyShare digital cameras and printers; TomTom GPS devices; and a long list of other prizes ranging from bicycles to a gas grill to spa gift cards.

  D&H Vendor such as Cisco, ASUS, Toshiba, Kaspersky Lab, MSI, ViewSonic, Hannspree, and Case Logic all offer products that qualify for Incentives points, amounting to thousands of popular items. D&H customers may visit the D&H Incentives page for further information.

• Continued "Business Assurance" Credit: The D&H Business Assurance credit program that helped bolster many VARs' businesses during the recession is still in force this year. D&H has already begun rolling-out additional credit increases, which D&H estimates will amount to close to $60M worth of extensions over the life of the program. This shows that D&H's commitment to the channel is long-term, regardless of the economic climate. The program is also scheduled to roll-out in Canada in the spring.

"We never take a blanketed, one-size-fits-all approach," added Campbell. "It's not in keeping with D&H's model. We customize. We ‘upsize' our services and support our vendor partners' offerings as well. In 2010, the enhancements to our programs reflect those philosophies."

All of the above-mentioned programs are active right now. Resellers can call their D&H representatives for further information.

About D&H Distributing
As the nation's leading technology distributor, D&H provides a wealth of resources to empower solution providers and consultants, delivering a broad selection of SMB categories, products and applications. The company's offerings span server and infrastructure, SOHO and mobile applications, consumer electronics and gaming. D&H's multi-market expertise, account-dedicated sales teams, sterling service and flexible financing options are unmatched in the industry.

With an impressive 92-year history serving as a trusted advisor to the reseller channel, D&H has been able to consistently reinvent itself based upon changing market conditions. The company prides itself on creating business partnerships with an astute focus on ease-of-doing-business, relationships, value, performance and service.

D&H won the Microsoft Licensing Operational Excellence Award six years running and was named Microsoft's OEM Distributor of the Year. The company ships out of five separate locations in North America, including its US headquarters in Harrisburg and its Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. For more information, visit www.dandh.com.

SOURCE: D&H Distributing