Avnet Partner Solutions Steps Up Sun Business Partner Recruitment

The channel to benefit from a new On-Boarding initiative and Vendor Focus Days
 
Avnet Partner Solutions, Sun Division has doubled the number of its Business Partners in the UK in the last six months. This 100% increase was the result of an extensive recruitment campaign following a review of the market place and research of reseller requirements in the current business and economic climate. Avnet Partner Solutions, Sun Division is a part of Avnet Technology Solutions, a leading value-added distributor serving channel partners globally.
 
Avnet Partner Solutions (APS), Sun Division put together a series of initiatives to attract new partners with an objective to get them signed up and writing revenue within the first quarter. These initiatives include a new "On Boarding" programme consisting of training, accreditation and the creation of a business plan to take advantage of the value-add services available from APS.
 
Andrew Sayers, Director of the Sun Division at Avnet Partner Solutions (APS) explained, "In conversation with our existing partners it became clear their requirements are increasingly centred on the need for support in terms of business development, taking solutions to market and keeping in touch with new technologies. There is a real need to turn the information available to them into concise messages to rollout to both existing and new customers to produce incremental revenue for all parties."
 
In addition, APS introduced Vendor Focus Days which provide an opportunity for new business partners to meet and network with senior contacts at Sun Microsystems, such as practice managers and those in marketing.
 
Andrew Sayers continued, "The Focus Days are just one example of the many events held in the APS Resource Centre to help partners on an on-going basis. So far they have proved popular on all fronts as it is an opportunity for our contacts at Sun to meet partners who are engaged with the end user on complete and often complex solutions. Shifting tin is a diminishing opportunity and it's increasingly important for Sun to forge relationships with partners bringing USP's to the market."
 
Charlotte Selby, Partner and Alliances Sales Director, Sun Microsystems UK and Ireland said, "APS, Sun Division has certainly stepped up the pace in the last six months and now rank amongst the most proactive Channel Development Partners (CDP) we have in the UK. The Vendor Focus Days are a great way for senior people at Sun to meet new business partners with specific market focus, often in business areas we have not operated in before. We are delighted to be working along side APS in support of its new resellers."
 
Andrew Sayers concluded, "The latest recruitment campaign was focused on companies not currently offering Sun products. With Sun's latest energy efficient and eco responsible computing solutions and arguably its best product range for many years the idea is to increase market share for both the vendor and APS while giving the reseller community more choice. Our commitment is to help incremental revenue for our partners, Sun and Avnet."
 
APS, Sun Division will continue with its recruitment programme building on its own extensive experience and that available within the technical and marketing departments of Avnet Partner Solutions.
 
 
About Avnet Technology Solutions
 
Avnet Technology Solutions is an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT) representing US$5.1 billion in annual revenue for calendar year 2006, with locations in more than 30 countries. As a global technology sales and marketing organisation, Avnet Technology Solutions has sales divisions focused on specific customer segments and a select line card strategy enabling an exceptional level of attention to the needs of its customers and suppliers.
 
About Avnet
 
Avnet, Inc (NYSE:AVT) is one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and technology services and solutions with more than 250 locations serving 70 countries worldwide. The company markets, distributes and optimizes the supply-chain and provides design-chain services for the products of the world's leading electronic component suppliers, enterprise computer manufacturers and embedded subsystem providers. Avnet brings a breadth and depth of capabilities, such as maximizing inventory efficiency, managing logistics, assembling products and providing engineering design assistance for its 100,000 customers accelerating their growth through cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the fiscal year ended July 1, 2006. Avnet generated revenue of $14.25 billion.