D&H Distributing said that it wants to teach its SMB resellers to take a strategic sales stance, offering a roster of products that can save time, money, energy and physical resources for small business environments. The distributor currently carries a multitude of merchandise that can create efficiencies and decrease total cost of ownership in the SMB office space. This caters to the conservative budgets typically associated with the small business sector.
D&H carries items that deliver this value in categories from convertible mobile computing devices, to storage products (many new SMB-scaled models have a cloud-based component), to peripheral items such as monitors, arms and accessories. Some of these offerings are from new D&H partners like Connected Data and Ergotron; or unique vendors such as QNap and Wacom, whose innovations make for profitable add-on sales.
Some examples of the distributor’s linecard include:
A redundancy of devices is one of the drawbacks of a diverse marketplace—and presents an opportunity for SMB business owners to consolidate costs. Notebook vendors such as Lenovo, Toshiba, HP, Acer and ASUS have created convertible, hybrid and “slate” computing units that function as both tablets and notebooks. These include the HP EliteBook Revolve, which swivels to convert to a tablet; and the Acer ICONIA slate, a powerful tablet-size computer that clicks into a keyboards and stands up to function as a notebook. These dual-format items save the small business owner from having to invest in multiple units.
Multiple cloud storage devices allow companies to store and share data on their own hosted platform, with no fees. These include new D&H partner Connected Data’s external “Transporter” drive. QNAP offers a high-performance, cloud-based NAS unit that allows users to synchronize files from their phones, tablets, laptops, etc., along the lines of Drop-Box. These affordable items accommodate large-scale storage without third-party services.
Ergotron’s “Sit and Stand” adjustable-height, dual-monitor workstation accommodates a double-display configuration in the desktop setting, which has shown to increase worker efficiency.
In addition, both Lenovo and Toshiba offer USB-based “travel monitors” that easily connect to an existing laptop for an additional, productivity-enhancing second monitor on the road. Lenovo’s ThinkVision and Toshiba’s LCD Mobile Monitors deliver displays up to 14 inches.
“Our customers generally sell to local, community-based companies such as real estate offices, healthcare practices and financial companies. This profile is plentiful enough to provide lots of opportunity—but local offices are usually under significant budgetary restrictions. Every dollar counts,” said Jeff Davis, senior vice president of sales at D&H. “We want to provide ammunition for VARs to make a more comprehensive, turn-key sale to companies of this size. They can do so by including products that create economies, which is an easier sell and usually results in an enhanced order.”
