Xerox Gives Big Channel Partners New Tools For Sales

Xerox has a new designation for high-performing channel partners to help them increase sales in managed print services, and pursue bigger deals using corporate resources.

Among the first six to be named Accredited Master Elite MPS Partner is Josh Justice, president of JustTech in LaPlata, Md.

"Earning MPS accreditation from Xerox takes time and effort, but it's worth it because it assures clients that we can meet their MPS needs," Justice said. "This goes way beyond giving a great price per print. This is about becoming a partner with the customer to solve real problems and achieve real goals."

Xerox created the new tier last year, and partners have been working since then to earn the title, said Jim Joyce, vice president, United States Channel Unit MPS, Xerox. He said partners must train employees in areas of operation, selling, consulting and ownership. Their organizations also have to have a depth in their market, at least five trained and certified sales people, five trained and certified consultants, ownership has to be trained on driving the fundamentals of the MPS business, and the business must have in excess of 1,000 devices under management.

"We made that a pretty heavy hurdle to send the market the message that those people who are truly master elite, are the best of the best," Joyce said. "Only six have achieved that level. We've got some others that are on the cusp of it … Josh and team met all those criteria and he's got some stellar resources."

Joyce said apart from achieving the benchmarks, partners must be effective in the business, and demonstrate that they are driving the growth in their MPS business.

"There's a whole list of benefits that they get, which is why somebody like Josh would drive his business, to get to that level," Joyce said. "There's a number of inherent business advantages that will support his expansion."

Partners with accredited designations have dedicated virtual support, employees are trained at no cost, access to Xerox's own managed print senior consulting team, access to Xerox analytic and assessment software, tools, and technology for enterprise assessment, preferred access to Xerox negotiated contracts, said Ginny Mayer, director, United States Channel Unit Partner MPS Strategy & Programs, Xerox.

"They're winning deals that they never would have pursued previously because they can bring folks from our program practice, our senior consultants, to these clients meetings with them," Mayer said. "We're writing strategy, developing proposals, presenting with the partner in front of the customer and driving huge deals, thousand-plus, 1,500-, 2,000-unit deal opportunities and enterprises they never would have walked through the door previously."

In addition to JustTech, five other partners have been named to the elite level: Benchmark Business Solutions Inc., Excel Office Services, Office Depot Inc, Parmetech Inc., and XMC Inc. Joyce said managed print services allows partners to build an annuity that strengthens their business, and allows them to expand their footprint. He said Xerox is the largest MPS provider to the U.S. government, as well as 90,000 municipalities, and he called the elite partners the "tip of the arrow" when it comes to defending that share.

Mayer said private customers as well, are starting to catch on to the designations and demand it.

"It literally changes the way they go to market," she said. "We give them the tools and provide them the discipline that we have used in our enterprise space to be successful in managed print, for the last 20 years and it differentiates them and the sales people are just simply excited."