How to Add Services Profitably to Your Business

Selling services isn’t always top of mind with resellers, but it can be a great way to achieve higher margins and modernize your go-to-market approach, not to mention an excellent source of ongoing revenue.

“The best advice we offer our reseller partners is to make sure to attach services to every piece of hardware they sell,” explains Nina Buik, senior principal business development and marketing manager at Ingram Micro.

The following service areas can be a great source of income over and above what resellers make from the sale of equipment:

Within this lifecycle approach, Ingram Micro Professional & Training Services also helps reseller partners prepare for digital transformation and burgeoning technologies coming to the marketplace.

With a frequently updated service menu, including consulting services with one of the industry’s most qualified teams (Partner Technical Enablement’s technical consultants), services can be added to not only increase profitability, but to greatly expand resellers’ technical competency—leading to further customer sales and stickiness.

A practical and affordable alternative to outsourcing

“If you don’t have the staffing or technical expertise to provide these services in-house, it makes sense to leverage the extensive resources of Ingram Micro Professional & Training Services,” says Buik. “We’re uniquely equipped to help you deliver a truly comprehensive solution across the entire technology lifecycle. By expanding your technical competency and extending your geographic reach, you become an indispensable business partner to your customer. The process is seamless, and you can bill the services as additional revenue over and above the equipment sale.”

“We’ve designed several financial programs to make it easy for you to transition to a services model,” explains Kelly Carter, vice president, Financial Solutions at Ingram Micro.

“With our Lease-IT! program, for example, we’ll add the monthly recurring charges to the monthly equipment invoice, so the customer receives one consolidated bill with everything on it.  We can white label the services and financing so that it all feels seamless to your customer.

If your customer wants to purchase outright, but you’re concerned about having the working capital to take on such a large deal, our Direct Express Complete program may be your answer. We finance the product and services and invoice your end user directly in your name. We also provide the capital and manage the A/R risk while you maintain ownership of the sale.

“Access to working capital shouldn’t be a deterrent to adding service offerings to your practice,“ says Carter. “Talk to Ingram Micro to learn how we can help you overcome any financial challenges, including the cash flow strain of transitioning to a full managed services model.

Incorporating services into your business model can be a great way to grow your long-term revenue stream. Ingram Micro wants to do everything possible to help you do it successfully.

This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.