01732 759725 36 customers have different needs, so we need different offerings and different ways for them to access the portfolio,” he added. Options and opportunities Valjak also acknowledged that partners are experiencing a high degree of change, pointing out that it’s not because Xerox is imposing it, but because they now have more options and opportunities than before. “We have a full Xerox-branded portfolio. We have opened up the Lexmark-branded 9 Series devices to legacy Xerox partners, but as we refresh the portfolio, everything will transition to Xerox. The Lexmark brand will go away. “Some still need to adjust to the idea that the 9 Series A3 devices carrying a Lexmark logo are, in fact, Xerox devices, because Xerox acquired Lexmark. It’s just a mind-set shift, but I don’t see that as a roadblock,” he explained. Molhoek said: “You also have to look at the opportunities today. There are real opportunities now. “The organisation I now lead used to be seen as Xerox direct. But I’m not direct, I’m named accounts. We have a proven track record of working with partners, both together and individually, and my background includes winning some incredibly large opportunities in conjunction with partners.” Bringing Lexmark and Xerox partners together at the event was intentional. “Every partner here can mingle, talk and understand how we work,” Molhoek said. “I see huge opportunity. In named accounts, customers who want to deal Partner feedback I sat down with both Valjak and Molhoek at the event and we spoke about how, over the past several months, Valjak has been visiting partners from both legacy organisations, a move that reinforces Xerox’s commitment to a partner-first approach. “Across all my visits and interactions, feedback has been extremely positive,” he said. “Partners appreciate the partner-first strategy, even in the named accounts space where we will only go direct where needed or where legacy dictates.” There are of course a number of marked nuances around service delivery between legacy Lexmark BSD partners and Xerox concessionaires. BSD partners typically deliver their own service, while Xerox concessionaires and partners have historically relied on PagePack. Valjak noted that Xerox concessionaires in particular, value the openness to dialogue around service delivery. “Some partners want the option to deliver service and supplies directly and they are interested in the BSD programme. For decades, many concessionaires could only resell Xerox equipment with PagePack, even if they had other lines of business and their own service capability. Now we’re giving them options so they understand what’s available. “For those who prefer not to deliver their own service, we will continue with PagePack. It’s about offering choice. The partner landscape is diverse, some focus on production, others on office, some lead with solutions, others sell into public sector or logistics. Different “The market is changing. We are targeting profitable customers who either print today or have mix-shift opportunities,” Molhoek explained. “Our go-to-market strategy is aimed at high value core markets, and we’re looking for customers who actually print – public sector, logistics services and retail, are all print-heavy environments. “There is tremendous opportunity in the enterprise segment, and importantly, there’s no overlap between the two organisations,” he added. Molhoek also pointed out that Lexmark historically secured its largest deals through partners. “I want to be your partner, and we can work together,” he said. …continued EVENTS Thomas Valjak
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