Intermec Promotes Automatic Data Collection to VARs

Let’s be honest, here. The VAR Guy and friends mainly focus on VARs and MSPs in the traditional IT industry. But there are some hidden opportunities in the Automatic Data Collection (ADC) industry. That’s the message from Intermec’s Scott Anderson, global channels manager and Jim McDonnell, senior VP of global sales. Here’s what they had to say.

If you’re unfamiliar with the ADC marketplace, basically, it entails barcode scanners, readers, RFID chips and readers and a whole slew of ruggedized computers. Intermec is one of the larger manufactures, with Motorola and Zebra ranking among their main competitors. You may have touched an Intermec device the last time UPS or FEDEX showed up at your door and asked you to sign for something.  But the bottom line is that if data collection is your game, Intermec wants their solution to be front of mind.

They do this through specialized VARs and ISVs, and Scott Anderson says that these VARs are more ‘hardcore’ than your traditional VAR. Recently, Intermec launched a new partner program to drive channel-sales as much as possible and bump up the incentives for partners or new ones.

That new partner has been dubbed “PartnerNet” and it’s a complete overhaul and revitalization of Intermec’s go-to market strategy. What does that mean exactly? Basically, it boils down to four things: growth, profitability, transparency and predictability. “[We want to have] raving fanatical partners out there. We want people driving us as a primary vendor” said Anderson

The biggest thing that’s been overhauled is project registration. “Our partners love it,” proclaimed Anderson. “[It works like this,] you invite me to the dance and I’ll dance all night long with you. You bring us into a project and we’ll protect your investment into this piece of business.”

And then there’s Intermec’s devotion to transparency. “We have accounts we do direct [and it’s all] published on a list for partners…to know what’s direct. If it’s not on the list, we can’t do business.” At the same time, Anderson wanted partners to know “That doesn’t mean a partner can’t engage with us [if they’re adding better value].” But overall, it means  Intermec wont be stepping on their toes.

Currently, Intermec wants to drive 80% of sales through the channel, but right now they’re roughly at 70% with it fluctuating. Anderson also added he wanted partners to have an ‘Oh Wow!’  experience when they’re working with Intermec’s partner program. “We get back to the partner in 72 hours [after registering] and give the discount to their distributor of choice for the specific project. A cool thing for VARs is that there’s no claiming process, we give it upfront and manage it on their behalf. There’s no back-end nightmare.”

Asked for a final comment to give our readers, Anderson emphatically stated that “Intermec has pulled out all the stops with the reinvention of our Channel program in effort to drive Channel growth and overall partnerships.”

We’ll be listening for feedback from Intermec’s partners.