‘Biggest channel event’ to be held this month

Trade

Pictured: HP’s Martin Cullen wants to meet partners’ sales forces

HP is preparing to host what it claims could be the biggest channel gathering in Ireland when 200 salespeople from partners attend the Open for Business event in Cavan this month.

A major focus of the event is likely to be the vendor’s ability to deliver end-to-end solutions covering areas such as print, image, PCs, notebooks, servers, storage and services.

“It’s an opportunity for us as HP to explain what it means to sell HP and what our portfolio is about,” said Martin Cullen, HP general manager for PSG and SPO. At the event the vendor will seek to redress the piecemeal approach that people take to approaching customers by showing them how its products interconnected to give an end-to-end solution to customers.

Open for Business was “slightly different”, he added, because it was targeted at salespeople rather than senior management. Typically, vendors sought to articulate their messages at a strategic level.

“We want to bring it back to what it means to the sales guy on the ground,” Cullen said.

He described the event as providing a “net benefit” for customers because it gave partners confidence and consistency. “Customers want advice, direction and clarity of purpose from partners. We help educate people to let them understand what the propositions are. We’re the only vendor that can do full end-to-end. That’s a value to them and they can focus on HP and lead with confidence.”

Cullen claimed the event, which is in its second year, was a reflection of HP’s “commitment to the channel. We are the channel player, we have been forever and will continue to be. We’re the safe house”.

Louise Curle, business development manager at HP partner Hibernia Computer Services, attended last year’s event and described it as “a great way to cover off the huge portfolio HP has and to deliver information in a way that wasn’t death by PowerPoint”.

It had also been a useful platform for getting to know personnel within HP who partners may previously have dealt with only by phone. “You’re able to take time out and get to know more,” Curle added.

Read More: Trade News