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The manufacturer of A4 devices and printers shows no signs of slowing down.
During the past five years, we’ve noticed an interesting development in our Annual Dealer Survey—the increasing percentage of dealers who have identified Brother International as one of their top four providers of A4 products. What started in the single digits has climbed to 16% in our 38th Annual Dealer Survey.
Obviously, the company is doing something right to capture dealer mindshare, particularly in a crowded A4 market. The number of dealers carrying Brother products mirrors the results of our Annual Dealer Survey.
“Every year, we continue to add new partners,” said Laurie Sofield, director of regional sales at Brother USA. “We do that a lot through word of mouth, utilizing not only BTA and The Cannata Report but our different relationships. I don’t need to tell you that everybody in the dealer community talks to each other, but one of the things that we do is utilize those relationships as a warm call instead of a cold call. We’re having great success.”
Collaboration and Ease of Use
One of the key factors contributing to Brother’s success is establishing strong partnerships. This is a role that Brother’s Strategic Channel Partners group, specifically designed for this purpose, has excelled at in recent years in the copier dealer channel. “One of the things I’ve heard from our partners is we do what we say, and we say what we do,” said Sofield, emphasizing the group’s commitment to transparency and reliability, which instills confidence in its partners. Brother’s tag phrase is “At Your Side,” and as Sofield pointed out, “We go shoulder to shoulder in the field with our partners.”
Brother’s sweet spot is among dealers with $10 to $20 million in yearly revenues, although it counts more than a few mega dealers as partners. “Our support doesn’t change with the scope of the deal,” said Sofield.
Anyone who has been around the dealer channel for any length of time understands that dealers have high expectations of their manufacturers with favorable pricing usually ranking at the top of the list. But that’s not all. “The key areas that they’re looking for is a dependable product, a support team that they can use, and ensuring that we are educating their sales force,” said Sofield. For favorable pricing, that’s where the various Brother partner programs, such as the Value Partner Program, make a difference.
“It’s like an MPS program—focused and simple to understand and use,” explained Sofield while touting the company’s next-day exchange option. “If the dealer is having any type of issue with a product in the field and we can’t fix it over the phone, then a product goes out the next day,” explained Sofield. She added that Brother has a very low exchange percentage rate because the products are so reliable, which is why Brother has no qualms about offering a three-year warranty.
As more manufacturers have reduced their support to their dealer partners, Sofield stressed that Brother’s support remains as strong as ever. “We truly partner with our dealers and resellers to ensure we’re there for them for whatever reason. We collaborate, and we utilize a team-selling model. That’s one of the reasons that we’ve been so successful.”
That sounds great, but Brother’s forte is A4 devices and printers, so why do Brother’s channel partners need help with products that shouldn’t be all that difficult to sell?
“One reason is that the channel has transitioned to more solution selling,” responded Sofield. “Our solutions team assists in customizing solutions for our dealers. If a dealer offers XYZ solution for their A3 and wants to ensure it fits with the Brother product, that sometimes requires a bit of tweaking. Our team ensures that this is a smooth transition not only for our channel partners but also for the end-user customers. The dealers know their products very well, but they don’t know our products as intimately as they do their own. That’s why it works well. We cut our teeth in the retail market, taken that simple end-user approach, and modeled our Workhorse series after that—they are very easy to use and set up.”
Leveraging Hybrid Work Opportunities
As hybrid work remains a legitimate option with many organizations, Brother devices are an excellent fit for hybrid work environments. “We try to mirror what the dealer offers in the corporate area into the hybrid area, ensuring that there’s security,” said Sofield. “What we most hear is it has to be as secure for the end user at home in a hybrid environment as in a corporate environment.”
The company’s message to its dealers is that they shouldn’t be shy about leveraging Brother to capture hybrid opportunities. “Sometimes an end user wants to know who’s backing that dealership,” said Sofield. “We can go in one of two ways. We can throw on the shirt of the dealer partner and go in as part of the dealership. But sometimes, more importantly, it’s showing that you have Brother behind you and that we’re going to support our dealers if anything comes up.”
What’s Next for Brother?
It’s too early for Sofield to discuss specifics about upcoming new products and programs, although she acknowledged that enhancements to its programs are in the works. The current generation of products was only refreshed a little over a year ago, so there aren’t any plans for a significant refresh yet. However, Sofield hinted that a couple of key products may be launched before the spring of 2025.
In the meantime, the mission of Sofield’s group is to maintain its momentum in the dealer channel. “Our marching orders are still to grow in this channel, and our team is poised and ready to do that,” she concluded.
