Partners enable Ingram Micro to extend on-ground support and services to end customers

Minakshi Samant 
Executive Director and Head of Sales - Ingram Micro India 

Ingram Micro aspires to create a culture of clear and transparent communication so that each channel partner is aware of what is expected of them and contributes to the best of their capabilities in building a foundation for a successful, mutually beneficial relationship. 

Every partner program plays a significant role in deciding the growth trajectory of any IT distribution company, and we strongly believe that it helps us drive our business across geographic realms. Once a partner program is structured and executed effectively, it can potentially help organizations leverage the partner’s strength and capability to expand their reach and serve end customers with customized solutions. 

Partners often bring specialized knowledge and expertise in specific industries, technologies, and verticals, which can help organizations expand their reach and accelerate the time-to-market for new products/solutions. Additionally, as partner programs help foster trust and confidence with a wide range of partners, they enable us to extend on-the-ground support and services to end customers. All these can pave the way for delivering a superlative experience to end customers. 

Our 360-degree approach to communication starts with a structured onboarding process and detailed agreements, which clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of all the stakeholders. Once we have a clear understanding of our partners’ expertise, knowledge, and competence, it becomes quite easy to collaboratively decide the short-term or long-term goals. Subsequently, we organize multiple partner connections—individually as well as on a larger forum—to discuss all the new opportunities or challenges.  

In the age of stiff competition, it becomes an absolute necessity for any IT distribution company to carve out a strategy that can help them foster loyalty and long-term relationships with partners. Hence, we keep our focus intact on motivating and rewarding partners (as well as all stakeholders involved). We have envisioned and implemented multiple offers for partners to win a lot of freebies in order to boost the performance. Similarly, there are multiple offers that keep coming on Xvantage with compelling benefits, such as rebates on revenue, travel-related packages, etc. 

When it comes to evaluating the success of any partner program, we believe that there can never be a one-size-fits-all approach. Different partner programs are envisioned and rolled out with distinct objectives, and we need to be very meticulous about choosing the KPIs and evaluating their impacts.