BUSINESS PROFILE
Channel push pays off S
ennheiser, which boasts 65 years in acoustics and audio technology, has embarked on a channel campaign spearheaded by Gaskin who says the push is now paying off. “The professional headset market is now a top priority for the company, because our research shows that there is huge incremental growth potential over the coming decade,” explained Gaskin. “So we are expanding our partner channel and have recruited a number of top professionals to provide business development and product support.
Sennheiser has solutions for both the conventional desk phone market and also for emerging UC solutions utilising soft clients. “We are ensuring that our professional headset products, like the DW wireless headphone series, offer integration with UC telephony solutions such as Microsoft Lync 2010, IBM Sametime and Cisco Communicator,” added Gaskin. “Sennheiser is an innovator so we have a development strategy for unified communication solutions.”
Charlotte Gaskin
Charlotte Gaskin, UK Channel Marketing Manager at Sennheiser, explains why the German maker of premium headsets and microphones has made a staunch commitment to the indirect channel.
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A key driver for potential market growth is the uplift in headset attach rates which has increased rapidly as users ditch the conventional desk phone for a soft client app on their terminal of choice (smartphone, notebook, tablet or other device). “We estimate that headset attach rates will rise from the current five per cent to 60 per cent for active softphone users in the coming years,” reckons Gaskin. “This will increasingly replace the traditional handset on the desktop for a number of reasons: Fewer people will have a permanent office desk with more remote teleworking. As teleworkers move around they will want access to their contact directory on their chosen terminal which is the device they feel more comfortable in using. Those that do work in an office will need privacy and clarity of voice communication, which is better provided by a headset than a handset.”
In its drive to secure increased sales in the expanding headset market the
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company has recruited new upper management personnel to support its channel partners. Nigel Holland, Michael Waterworth and Paul Turner recently joined the Sennheiser team. Holland is responsible for the marketing of professional products as Product Manager with particular focus on the growing areas of PC VoIP and UC within the professional telecoms markets.
Waterworth takes on the Sales North role and Turner the role of Business Development Manager. Both will be responsible for supporting Sennheiser’s channel partners. To achieve this they will liaise directly with end user customers within corporate businesses, contact centres and public sector organisations to educate them on the benefits of Sennheiser products. Subsequent orders will then be delivered to the appropriate channel partner for fulfilment. “We are determined to be proactive and drive sales to our channel partners rather than reacting to market demand,” stated Gaskin.
An area where the company has a particular strength is in the so- called ‘prosumer’ sector, where employees buy their own headset for business use. “Prosumers are a fragmented market and so harder to reach for the channel,” added Gaskin. “To support our channel partners with prosumer sales we can offer preferential purchase rates to channel partner’s corporate customers for headset users buying through the company. We have the added advantage that Sennheiser is a recognised quality consumer brand.”
Gaskin is clear on the path ahead for Sennheiser. She commented: “The professional headset market is now a huge growth opportunity for Sennheiser and we intend to reach that market through the channel. We can offer our channel partners a premium product with real margin opportunities to replace the loss in revenue from conventional handsets. We will actively drive sales to our partners and we’re in this for the long haul.”
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