Acer offers co-op program
Acer America unveils a new co-op reseller program for its vendors as the computer maker looks to increase its corporate business.
The program marks the first time Acer has offered vendors of its commercial products financial incentives and support, said Rick Ripplinger, channel marketing director.
"We have a good base of resellers who serve small and medium markets. And now we're focusing on resellers who will focus on corporate and larger installations," Ripplinger said. "Within the next year to year-and-a-half, we hope to double the number of resellers who service the medium to large corporate accounts."
Acer works with 4,500 commercial resellers who deal with everything from component sales to high-end networking systems. Under the AcerPremier VAR (value-added reseller) program, resellers will be divided into three groups.
Acer Premier resellers who maintain $30,000 in monthly sales and devote one sales and two technical support resources to their customers will receive co-op funding of 1.5 percent of the distributor invoice price.
Acer Authorized resellers that maintain $15,000 in sales will receive 0.5 percent of the invoice price. These two groups will also receive a district sales manager assigned to their account, direct access to Acer technical support and lead referrals.
The third tier is Acer Registered resellers, who will not have any monthly requirements for sales or resources. This group, as well as the other two, will receive reseller promotional kits and a guild to Acer products.
Van Baker, an analyst at research firm Dataquest, said Acer's program will put the company on par with its competitors in what it offers resellers.
"It's a pretty standard program, but it's a plus and an incentive for resellers who sold Acer as a side product. They'll now put more focus on the Acer product line," Baker said.