Dell talks up channel storage opportunity

Dell continues to encourage its reseller base to sell across its portfolio and is releasing more programmes and rebates to help partners drive new business around storage.

Scott Millard, VP of global channels specialty sales for Dell EMC,  said the firm got off to a slow start in 2017 but finished the year with “tremendous momentum” around storage.

He told partners attending the vendor’s Global Partner Summit in Las Vegas that without yet seeing Dell’s Q1 results, he expects the vendor to gain storage market share, thanking partners for the growth in the “predominantly indirect” business.

Millard said Dell has made improvements in sales engagement and enablement in response to partner feedback, adding that the channel “had been very clear with us that we needed to be easier to do business with.”

Millard unveiled a new demo programme that sees partners using MDF to purchase any of Dell’s storage line – converged infrastructure, hyperconverged infrastructure and data protection – and, according to Millard, “at our deepest hardware discounts ever, with no-cost software support.”

“For the first time ever, we have a competitive and consistent demo programme across the Dell portfolio,” he said.

Partners also asked Dell to reduce the cost and complexity of partner-led proof of concepts (POCs), and the vendor has responded with a new programme that Dell says streamlines the approval process and enables Titanium partners to independently lead POCs at end user locations with no-cost hardware, software, pro-support and shipping.

Also, he said for the first time, Dell will proactively provide partners with assets for tech refresh, including a new two percent rebate for all midrange tech refresh deals.

Millard said storage rebates were up 70%  last year, with Dell paying out $157 million in rebates. But he said, outgrowing the market isn’t enough, he said, adding “We want to outpace the market by at least 2X.”

To show how serious Dell is about taking market share, Millard announced Dell was extending its eight percent new business rebate to any competitive swap.