Lenovo Pitches Services Opportunities to Channel Partners

How do you differentiate in the highly competitive PC market? Lenovo thinks it has some new answers. The PC and mobile computing giant has inked a distribution relationship with Brightpoint and launched a new Partner Services Program. Here’s what ThinkPad and Idea channel partners can expect, according to Jay McBain (pictured), director, Small and Medium Business, Lenovo Americas.

On the distribution front, Brightpoint traditionally is a wireless device distributor. But McBain points to convergence opportunities for channel partners:

So starting July 2010, US partners can buy Lenovo ThinkPads and Idea products from Brightpoint.

Oh, About That Channel Program…

But the bigger news is that Lenovo is announcing their Partner Services Program. It’s all part of Lenovo’s plan to make it life easier for partners by giving them the ability sell more than hardware while enabling them to look to Lenovo for services that traditionally had been sought elsewhere. The portfolio includes service offerings for the entire “life-cycle of the PC.” McBain explained that they don’t want to compete in the services business. They just want to give their partners more up-sell opportunities:

McBain detailed that the Performance Incentive Program allows resellers to gain up to 10 additional discount points on what they’d typically receive selling Lenovo Priority Support. In addition, Lenovo has developed a program rewarding resellers who are expanding their services business with data protection and life-cycle services by earning between 7 and 12 percent of the invoiced amount.

When I asked about the point of entry for the new services and level of support, McBain noted that…

The Bigger Picture

Lenovo’s push beyond traditional PC and notebook segments has been underway for more than a year. In April 2010, Lenovo introduced a server purposely built for managed services providers. And McBain has been busy attending MSP-centric conferences, analyzing trends and connecting the dots between managed services, mobility and the cloud.

After navigating the recession, Lenovo in May 2010 signaled a return to growth mode — though competition with traditional PC makers and emerging mobile device makers remains fierce.

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