From print and imaging to emerging products and solutions, the company is an asset to OEMs and dealers alike.
Don’t underestimate the value of a good distribution partner. As shipping costs escalate and managing inventory becomes increasingly challenging, more manufacturers are leveraging the expertise of distributors such as TD SYNNEX to ensure their products reach dealers as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Vendors such as HP, Sharp, and others understand the value of TD SYNNEX and the cost efficiencies and savings associated with using them as their distribution partner.
“It’s challenging to have warehouses within the U.S. to reach all your partner bases,” said Desiree Cruz, senior director of product management, print, TD SYNNEX. “They just don’t have enough infrastructure. They can only reach and satisfy X, where we can reach and satisfy A to Z. We have 5 million square feet of warehouse space that we can run a lot of products through while also layering those other services for both the partner and the vendor. For OEMs looking to grow their business, distribution is the avenue.” And of course, that also benefits dealers who can get products faster and more economically.
TD SYNNEX is no stranger to the office technology dealer channel and has worked with BTA dealers for 20-plus years, supplying them with print and imaging solutions, a core product segment for the company. But like the OEMs and progressive dealers, TD SYNNEX is expanding its offerings and helping dealers diversify.
“We are helping partners capitalize on more than just print imaging,” said Cruz. “There’s so much out there that are either adjacent markets where dealers could be successful or product categories that they sell today.”
Think of a traditional office product or technology dealer with customers in the education market or who supplies furniture for a business’s conference rooms. Why not also sell AV equipment or provide IT products for those customers? TD SYNNEX has those products to help dealers expand their offerings. Equally important, it can also provide the skillsets necessary to break down barriers to entry into new and emerging product categories. “We have those resources and an infrastructure to help them overcome those hurdles,” said Cruz. “We’re always looking at how we can best educate and find tools and services to enable our partners’ success.”
A field resource team supports partners from a geographical perspective and is constantly interacting with those partners, focusing on their abilities, team, and market, and asking how they can help them be even more successful. Another asset is subject matter experts with knowledge of specific vertical markets. Because the public sector is a strong target market for the dealer community, TD SYNNEX employs subject matter experts with first-hand knowledge of those markets, such as ex-chiefs of police or educators and administrators. For example, a former school principal is available to help partners better understand how to sell more IT services into the education sector.
Partners gravitate toward TD SYNNEX because of those aforementioned capabilities and more. “We’re not pick, pack, and ship,” said Cruz. “We are much more than that. We provide extended credit terms. We provide advanced exchange services and buy-and-hold options. If the dealer is a non-stocking dealer and has a large deal and needs to hit a certain number for a specific OEM, they can buy the product and we can hold it for them. We have as-a-service offerings and break-fix capabilities.”
The company is a familiar face at industry events, which Cruz emphasized is important for networking and helping partners better understand the value TD SYNNEX offers. “Yes, we’re a $63-billion organization, but we must ensure that our partners know everything we’re doing to best support that,” said Cruz.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
With diversification raging across the office technology industry, how does TD SYNNEX stay ahead of the diversification curve? This is where listening to its partners is critical to how TD SYNNEX determines which new products and services to offer. “The dealer community started this annuity business years ago, laying the foundation for service billing and the as-a-service model,” observed Cruz. “They should pat themselves on the back for trailblazing something that is so important as the annuity billing model that is so relevant right now.”
Cruz encourages dealers to contact TD SYNNEX as they explore new ways to diversify. “Diversification is very real, and we’re here to help,” said Cruz. “You can still diversify without losing confidence in your core. Don’t be afraid to contact your inside sales rep at TD SYNNEX. Our partner’s voice is critically important for us collectively to be better—better in our traditional business and core competencies—but also for what’s next. Lean into TD SYNNEX as it relates to going out to those different adjacent markets or complementary product segments because we have the infrastructure to support partners to get over those barriers.”
TD SYNNEX’s Investments in the Imaging Space
Although diversification is critical to TD SYNNEX and the office technology dealer community, it’s impossible to ignore the roots of the business—printing and imaging. “The core of what this dealer community has is very real and very important to so many verticals, end customers, and small businesses,” said Cruz. “While we may see page count decrease yearly, the need for print remains relevant and necessary.”
As more people return to the office, she sees a rise in printing and predicts that 85% of the MFPs will be A4. “That means a lot of supplies,” she said.
The company has made several investments in the printing and imaging space during the past five years, including building out its field sales organization to better support partners. And Cruz revealed that the company will add more subject matter experts as needed.
Integrating with partners is critical. As a result, TD SYNNEX has made significant investments in its ERP and platform. It also has a business operations group that supports its homegrown ERP. “That’s important,” said Cruz. “We must be able to provide information to our partners very quickly. We have developers on staff who can make quick changes to an account. We are constantly redeveloping and streamlining our order processing.”
The company is vendor agnostic; however, it realizes that many partners have strong connections to certain vendors. Because of this, it works with all types of data collection agent organizations and software companies to best provide managed services for its partner base.
A True Partnership
By ensuring its success, TD SYNNEX is ensuring its partner’s long-term success, whether it’s an OEM or a dealer. “It’s truly a partnership,” said Cruz. “We always try to help our partners be successful, which ultimately positively helps the overall organization. We’re in an established market, and because of that, everybody knows everybody. People buy from their friends, and we need to ensure that we’re protecting our friends.”
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