Gurpreet Brar
Director - SMB & Commercial Channel
Personal Systems Group, HP India

Can you brief about the product segments you are dealing with in India?

HP has the advantage of a broad portfolio that can fit the varied needs of its many customers. Customers can find the right combination within HP's expansive portfolio and rest assured that the products and solutions can work together seamlessly. HP's commercial portfolio includes commercial notebooks, desktops, workstations, accessories, RPOS solutions, digital signage and MultiSeat solutions.

How do you define the distribution network for your different range of products?

HP takes pride in its extensive channel network of 3,500 partners to provide reliable, high-quality products and solutions, local and specialized expertise and a simplified experience with technology to its customers today.

HP's distribution strategy has been designed to improve  efficiency, increase channel profitability, enhance the consumer's brand experience, and ultimately, to explore the vast potential that the untapped markets in India offer.

HP's notion behind its distribution policy is "If the channel makes profit, the brand will always have potency in the market, in order to introduce 'a go-to-market' and a certain amount of consistency and methodology."

HP engages with its channel fraternity in a consistent, effective and well-defined manner, in line with our policy and process mandate. We will continue to keep our channel partners informed of all the changes that have a direct and indirect bearing on their business. Our local sales team is always in constant touch with the dealers and the associations so that we can form a mutually beneficial ecosystem. We are committed to our channel partners and it is our constant endeavour to make this relationship grow stronger. 

What are the opportunities for the channel? 

We feel that the opportunities for the channel partners are immense.   HP as a channel-friendly company is continuously trying to find ways and means to help the partners increase their profitability and drive business growth. HP's channel ecosystem is the backbone of the company's growth in India - it helps us expand our customer base across newer geographies. HP's focus on channel partnerships has been consistently intense and our partners contribute to over 70 per cent of our total revenues. 

With businesses growing and spread across the length and breadth of the country, and operating in such competitive environment today, it becomes imperative to have consistent partners, which not only help us improve day-to-day business but also bring reliability and wider reach to our operations. 

Please share HP's channel strategy for the year FY12?

HP is always committed to draw partners who are highly committed and highly qualified - and are equipped with the right framework, tools, and resources to capture the enormous opportunities that lie in the market today. 

Keeping in mind the basic IT needs of the SMB segment in India, HP launched a slew of computing solutions that provide them with a seamless, simple and comprehensive package. This will empower channel partners to offer a more robust product portfolio to customers. 

Solution-based approach: HP's vision is to build ecosystems with hardware, software, seamless connectivity and rich content and applications which will dramatically enhance our customers' experiences, and enable us to differentiate and win with innovation that matters to our customers. HP aims to provide complete solutions rather than mere transactions to its channel partners. 

Education is key focus and it will be driven through the HP MultiSeat offering - the HP MultiSeat t150 Thin client allows up to 10 students to simultaneously share a single host computer using a simple USB connection, so that schools can maximize the number of computer seats without increasing their technology budgets.

Focus on the government sector through partnerships: HP is working with various Solution Integrator partners involved in various turnkey projects. HP also plans to leverage the cross business alignment of HP's Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) and the Enterprise Servers, Storage and Network Group (ESSN), with the Government.  HP is also in the list for various rate contracts at the State and Central levels. 

Expansion of reach: HP boost of an extensive channel network.. We hope to increase this network even further in the coming year. 

Please throw some light on the new initiatives for the channel community?

HP is committed to its channel partners and focusses on channel programmes which are beneficial to them such as incentive programmes, training sessions, etc. and thus launched a series of initiatives and events to educate these partners on HP India's new products and solutions recently. The company is planning to take this campaign to smaller cities across the country and will be doing so in a phased manner.

HP Speed Programme: Under the "Speed' express delivery programme", SMB customers and partners enjoy the freedom to order notebooks through any HP Business partner at special prices and get the product delivered within seven days. 

HP Reseller Compensation programme has been designed to improve the performance of HP's business partners and also to encourage resellers to focus on value portfolio and conduct cooperative marketing activities.  

HP AchievePlus is a sales representative's incentive programme to motivate members to increase sales of HP products and to drive focus on Attach selling. 

HP has also started a special training programme for its channel partners in different cities. These sessions are interactive with role plays and active discussion, with the aim to engage with the channel partners and address their issues. 

Moumita Deb Choudhury
moumita@varindia.com