MARKHAM, ONT. – During D&H Canada‘s second annual Technology Show and Fun Fair event, held here, the message to the over 300 reseller attendees was to remain optimistic and proactive, despite the changing economy.
While D&H Distributing is now in its 91st year in business, D&H Canada is going on its third in the marketplace. In that short time, Greg Tobin, general manager at D&H Canada, said the subsidiary has already seen 212 per cent growth from year one to year two.
As a testament to its rapid growth in the Canadian marketplace, D&H Canada also moved into a new 45,000 square-foot distribution facility earlier this year, which is 25 per cent larger than its previous building.
Guests at yesterday’s event were also treated to a presentation from Michael Schwab, co-president of D&H Distributing, based out of Harrisburg, Pa. Schwab’s key message to D&H’s reseller community was to not wait for the economy to turn around.
“Waiting for the economy to turn around on its own is not a growth strategy or a way to do business,” he said. “We work in a very innovative industry and we’re adding around 15 new products a day in the Canadian market for our resellers to take advantage of and are also adding new vendors on a regular basis.”
During his presentation, Schwab referenced some recent economic and occupational trends.
“More people are working for themselves and are starting their own businesses now,” he explained. “These people still need technology products and they don’t want to skimp out on this. They want the latest and greatest technology.”
Resellers can take this opportunity to step in as the technical advisor and technology influencer for end-users, he added, offering things such as mini notebooks, or ultra-low voltage (ULV) notebooks to them. ULV notebooks are an alternative to selling netbooks because they offer larger screen sizes and more features, he said.
With the changing times, business decision making metrics are now changing too, Schwab said. Resellers who are not yet working with and offering green products should look into it, he advised.
Partners can also use social networking Web sites such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs to their advantage. These sites can also be used as inexpensive tools for partners to market themselves, too.
“I urge you to get any customer feedback you get posted to these sites to get the information out there,” Schwab said. “Talk about the services you provide, let people know when you have things going on, what your availability is, etc. These are the next generation of customers and this is part of their mobile platform and the way they’re getting and finding information.”
Along with highlighting key areas in the marketplace, Schwab also reminded resellers of D&H’s commitment to them. He said that all resellers, no matter their size, will receive a dedicated and responsive sales representative. In addition, D&H staff are also trained on the vendor products and programs, so partners can focus their efforts on customers. He also mentioned D&H’s commitment to competitive pricing, inventory availability, line-card expansion and credit availability.
“D&H remains proactive in expanding credit and insuring inventory availability because we understand that you need available credit and products in order to do more and be successful,” he said. “We’re here to help you succeed, so while the newspapers may see doom and gloom, we’re staying optimistic and are seeing new opportunities every day.”
