Though Acer’s direct dealers have enjoyed the benefits of the company’s partner program, dealers buying through distribution have been left out in the cold.

But now the company has re-vamped its channel program to bring in-direct dealers the sorts of benefits it Gold and Silver partners have been enjoying for years.

Greg Mikaelian, General Manager, Channel Sales, told SmartOffice Reseller that the Acer VAR Partner Program is tailored to support those indirect dealers because this is the company’s channel to thew fast-growing SMB market. Most of the Gold and Silver partners it works with focus on enterprise, Government or education, but it’s the business the company can get form the SMB market that it needs to maintain its 100 per cent annual growth rate.

“The main benefits to dealers in signing up to the Acer VAR Partner program is receiving formal accreditation from Acer and having access to a wealth of Acer resources,” said Mikalean.

“As an Acer VAR Partner, resellers will have access to the very best in supply-chain excellence, ground-breaking e-Commerce solutions, training, demand generation programs and access to Acer’s Click and Mortar Sales Support Program”.

Marketing support, quarterly rebates, online training, invites to the annual March Channel Forum at Darling Harbour, all this and more are now on offer for resellers buying their Acer gear through distributors.

The company’s distribution landscape includes, Ingram Micro, Bluechip IT, CompuWholesale in WA and Hi Tech Distribution in SA. Express Data/Express Online are also distbutors though typically focusing on the server and networking product areas.