PRINTITRESELLER.UK 31 Partner feedback was really positive. “Dealers attending Inspire Expo really enjoyed it, not only from a hospitality point of view, but also from meeting each other, talking amongst each other about what have you tried? How have you found it with Sharp? What’s the support been like? Have you made money out of this?” He said peer to peer conversations were invaluable. “There’s no better way than having references from dealers who can talk positively and other dealers say, we didn’t realise that’s the way that you package everything up and we’d like to talk further about it.” Budd added: “Investing in such a big event as this is that line in the sand for us, that statement to say that we are absolutely right behind you on this journey, and we will help you in any way we can. “We might not be able to box solutions for everything today, but we will know what those box solutions will look like in the future, and if it’s a case of educating, if it’s a case of partnering in a true partner sense, helping you through deals and into opportunities and bespoke solutions, we are there on that journey and able to do that with you.” In conclusion, Sykes said: “This is a marathon, not a sprint. Sharp is a longterm partner, we’re stronger together. And therefore, when the time is right for you to decide that you want to diversify, talk to us.” www.sharp.co.uk and developing new relationships,” he explained. “We do have a really strong reseller program and we’re getting a lot of people knocking on our door.” Sharp’s breadth of solutions means dealers can diversify at their own pace. “The message over the last few days [at Inspire Expo] has been we’re stronger together,” he said, adding: “Some partners will want to stay with just print, but others will say telecoms is right for me, or AV is right for me, or meeting room solutions, and at that time we can help them do that.” He continued: “Often in businesses, there’s a desire to try something new but not necessarily to invest hard cash and we’re there for that early part. We will give partners the resources and help them until they think it’s the right time to actually embed it into their business. “We can consult, we can design, we can implement, we can look after anything a partner wants us to do to help them move forward with AV products.” Dealer feedback The event hosted 400 guests from dealerships across Europe, including 20 UK organisations. “That ranged from people who have been with us for 46 years as a dealer to some who have been a partner for less than a year,” Sykes said. Sykes added that the combined capabilities of the UK IT business, Apsia and the Swiss datacentre (previously ITpoint): “definitely complement each other and enable Sharp to go to all parts of the client market.” Budd said the timing of the UK’s move to a single legal entity aligns with Sharp’s broader European strategy. “It’s not until we’ve got that complete European-wide IT capability that it’s been the right time to come together as one technology partner in this One Sharp call to action.” While the Sharp DX brand will not be used in the UK, it will be the trading entity for pan-European enterprise opportunities. “The Sharp DX piece enables us to position ourselves a single point of contact for IT across our geographies and across the skillsets that these acquisitions have given us. We’ve got the capability to do almost everything that any of our clients would want or expect us to be able to deliver,” he added. “This is good news for dealers,” Sykes said. “Knowing that Sharp is in the enterprise space gives them and the potential client more confidence, that in partnership, we can manage their needs.” Stronger together Sykes said Sharp is actively expanding its dealer base. “We are bringing on and looking for new dealers every day INTERVIEW Trevor Budd
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