As part of its on-going commitment to growing its South African operations and supporting channel partners, WD has announced its new sales support initiative, WDDirect, with a new resource dedicated to the South African region to directly engage with resellers and channel partners.
In addition to the WDDirect initiative, WD has also made improvements to its myWD online partner programme, which will offer WD channel partners personalised benefits to help them find the right WD products for their business and customer base.
“South Africa is a growing region for WD as it is the gateway to the African continent. Our channel partners are an integral part of accessing our markets, so the decision to augment our channel support was a natural one.
“The new resource – although based in Germany – is dedicated solely to the South African channel, particularly the SME companies within our reseller base with the goal of showcasing the WD product portfolio of hard drives, educating them on the different products and their applications, answering any queries they may have, streamlining the ordering processes and more,” says Kalvin Subbadu, sales manager – Components, WD South Africa.
Augmenting the benefits of a dedicated local resource, the myWD online partner loyalty programme has been re-designed to increase benefits for their partners while expanding and creating a solid relationship. The myWD portal now features points-based rewards with more communication and marketing tools adding extra benefits and promotions for members.
The aim of WDDirect in combination with myWD is to assist resellers to make informed business decisions with product advice and information.
The myWD programme also rewards channel loyalty with point-based rewards delivered through a personalised tier system based on purchasing levels.
Partners can build loyalty over long periods of time, and with increased loyalty can move up to higher tiers, which provide increased benefits. Members can access exclusive promotions and events, access demo programmes and leverage a wealth of marketing materials, training and other resources. myWD is also a valuable communication tool, where channel partners can learn about product updates and access WD marketing materials online.
“Through these initiatives, as well as existing programmes like WD University, we will increase direct engagement with our resellers and help them to gain a better understanding of the WD product range. This in turn will enable them to better service their customers, ensuring they sell the right hard drives to meet different needs. It is a win-win situation for all parties, which will assist us with building our brand in this influential market,” Subbadu concludes.
Resellers and partners in can join the myWD programme by visiting WD’s Web site.