ScanSource’s Baur: MRR ‘Mailbox Money’ Key to Success

ScanSource this week welcomed about 300 partners and suppliers to its 2019 Partner Summit, held in Indianapolis on the eve of the Indy 500. The theme: Accelerate Your Business.

Key topics under discussion at the conference included the distributor’s new FastLane program, which stresses opportunities for ScanSource and Intelisys partners to network and, hopefully, collaborate on solution selling. The program also brings educational resources and the opportunity to earn incentives. Every $25,000 in business a FastLane partner does with ScanSource earns a point that can translate into monthly giveaways and VIP experiences. Selling Aruba, Avaya, Cisco, Mitel, Zebra and select other suppliers counts at 125 percent of purchase value.

ScanSource has also rolled out under FastLane an Ignite team to help its VARs and resellers build recurring revenue practices. Partners that sell mobile devices, including security cameras, barcode scanners and PoS systems, can work through Advantix Solutions and Intelisys to activate data plans from AT&T, Verizon and other MSOs; the devices can ship with SIMs already loaded. Partners also get help with sales, accounting models and choosing the right suppliers.

The Ignite program plays into other hot topics at the summit: transitioning to a monthly recurring revenue model, selling full solutions and heeding the voice of the customer.

“Recurring revenue is the secret to success for the channel,” said ScanSource CEO Mike Baur, who opened the Wednesday programming with a call to move beyond typical labels — integrator, ISV, consultant, VAR, MSP, telecom agent.

“Everyone’s a partner,” said Baur.

From speaking with partners at the summit, however, it’s clear that going on three years into Intelisys becoming part of ScanSource, there are still silos. Much of the energy at the event was around acknowledging the need for a reset and breaking down those walls. The incentive, of course, is fiscal reality: Customers want the option to buy everything from connectivity to productivity suites to security in an “as-a-service” model, preferably from one solution seller.

In short, says Baur, “Reduce the complexity and simplify the options.”

Scroll through our image gallery below for highlights and a recap of the event.