What good things you get from your Vendor partners?

NightShade1

Hello guys!
im looking for good ideas to give to our customers maybe Valued added services(free ones) or good support plans etc

As customers as i know there are a lot here, what good things does your partner give you? are there any outstanding thing that your partner have gave you? or what list of good things is giving to you to make you happy?

Cheers
Carlos

the_Grinch

Typically, it has been fruit baskets or chocolates. Gotten a number of usb drives and hubs. When I was attached to the purchasing department boy did they make out like bandits. For the whole month of December they'd get something different and it was pretty awesome. Work for the State now and we aren't allowed to get anything. At least the Feds would let me have a $50 dollar lunch (not that anyone ever took us out when I was in ICE).

ratbuddy

I'll take some free exam vouchers over fruit baskets or chocolates any day

NightShade1

Okay i didnt mean for you! i mean for the company you working for...
For example by having your renewals of your wireless controllers and AP support up to date you get free firmware upgrade and also 2 free email support each month.
Something like that... i was not talking about they giving you chocolates, usbs and that kind of thing to you personally

The Technomancer

Very little unless you're controlling a budget that really make your business worth competing for.

Even still, most companies seem to try to take the route of trying to sway the purchasing administrator or manager with box seats to games or expense account dinners rather than free services or hardware.

N2IT

Altiris shirt.

NightShade1

The Technomancer wrote: »

Very little unless you're controlling a budget that really make your business worth competing for.

Even still, most companies seem to try to take the route of trying to sway the purchasing administrator or manager with box seats to games or expense account dinners rather than free services or hardware.

Well i give a few free things like i mention before. I feel that the customer need to feel that we are there to help him and make everything run correctly on their environment...
I'm really betting on that. On the customer satisfaction.
A happy customer keeps buying stuff to you, and if they feel that you worry a lot about that everything runs fine, rather than charging every penny for everything, he will be more willing to maybe switch other gear they have to the brands you selling(maybe). At least that's how i feel about it

And its true what you said that i need a controlling budged for that, its something that you really need to think on how you gonna do it. In my case it doesn't seems that hard because the brand i represent doesn't really bother at all. We get really LOW support calls. And most of those support calls can be answered via email, which doesn't take the engineer more than 5 minutes.

Anyways thats how i see it, and i was maybe thinking that there were other companies or partners doing the same o their customers, so i was looking for more great ideas for this kind of thing.

Just to give you an example, im trying to encourage the clients to renew their devices suppport with the brand, in exchange if they do it im willing to give him a few free stuff. For now it seems to be working as i can tell you that in the beginning when i just got in this position none renew those support for their devices, now they are starting to do it. I just started with that but we are starting to get the orders of renewals after it.

You see my point?

I do try to stay away from giving away hardware... but i think giving services is not that bad as you can do that remotely most of the times

Of course i could be wrong by giving too many free things to the client but again, everything i do, it have to pass the approval of my boss, i got some stuff approved by explaining him what is the idea behind that, and of course he does not approve everything i want ;P

Cheers
Carlos

NightShade1

Anyone?
Noone get good stuff from their partners out there???? i mean besides baseball seats chocolates and that kind of stuff

Maybe im going in the wrong direction?