Jakub Jirsk - Fotolia
Coronavirus: Dell makes moves to ease channel finances
With the current challenges caused by Covid-19, the supplier has made changes to its MDF programmes to make life easier for the channel
Dell has become the latest supplier to take a look at the financial support it can offer partners and take steps to add more flexibility for those looking for funds.
A number of firms have already made moves to ease the demands of their partner programmes to reduce the burden of certifications, increase training, and promote the finance tools that resellers and customers can take advantage of.
Joyce Mullen, president of global channel, embedded and edge solutions at Dell Technologies, shared the details of what it has chosen to do in a blog post. “Covid-19 has changed the way we work, the way we interact, and the way we approach public health. But it hasn’t changed our commitment to our partners. We have our partners’ backs. We always have, and always will,” she wrote.
“That’s why we’ve been working on ways we can continue to support our partners – so they can continue to support their customers – during this unpredictable time.”
To ease the pressure on cash flow Dell is being particularly flexible with marketing and business development funds.
Partners can apply, between 13 April to 20 June, for a one-time up-front cash payout for up to 50% of current partner MDF/BDF balances for use towards future marketing activities. Partners can apply for this at any time between April 13 – June 20. The deadline for the expiration of any unspent funds that was meant to run out between March and July has been pushed back to 24 July.
For distributors, Dell has removed the 1H FY21 client solutions growth targets and increased base rates to improve predictability of earnings.
Free training
For those solution providers in the partner programme, the supplier is waiving the fee on services deployment training for Unity XT, VxRail and DP4400 from now until the end of May. Dell is also introducing team-based pricing options for solutions providers to make all training more affordable.
The other areas where the supplier identified it could help involved its financial offerings with Mullen keen to remind partners of its working capital solutions option.
“Many of our partners are already familiar with our WCS program, which has been around for more than two decades and now supports more than 1,500 partners across 74 countries,” she said. “Through Dell Technologies’ preferred financing supplier, we offer our resellers and distributors some of the most favourable payment terms in the industry, as well as increased credit capacity and simplification of partner accounts payable management through online tools – all of which may help partners’ businesses grow.”
Mullen also pointed resellers in the direction of its Financial Services arm, which has also introduced a number of offers to help keep the order books busy.
Dell Financial Services has some EMEA specific offers including: lowering promotional interest rates by 25 bps, adding 3-months payment deferral on top of the existing promotions, and specifically for VDI & selected storage 6-months payment deferral, giving more flexible eligibility criteria to allow more of our customers to leverage these promotions (subject to credit approval) and to help customers there are short term (6 or 12 month) payment solutions available for a short time.
“We know that customers need technology right now, but many organisations need more flexible repayment terms, and our partners may need help managing cash flow or end-user credit risk,” she said. “It’s a great honour to be part of this remarkable partner community that continues to empower both large and small organisations around the world, especially in these unsettling times.”
