Konica Minolta celebrates first year of its enhanced Partner Programme

Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) has completed a successful first year of its newly enhanced Partner Programme and Partner Portal. The company now also has 28 solo-branded ‘exclusive partners’ throughout the UK, all benefitting from being an extension of the Konica Minolta brand.

The program achieved multiple milestones, for example, it has seen unit sales (of A3 and A4 multifunctional devices) increase by 128 percent compared to pre-pandemic figures.

Encompassing office, professional and industrial print, along with IT products, Konica Minolta’s channel development program has seen 32 new resellers added through a process that avoids potential sales or geographical conflicts with existing partners (protecting the business interests of all parties). To support this ongoing growth Konica Minolta has expanded its partner support management team to offer personal one-to-one support for lead generation, customer bids (including pricing and after-sales support), along with additional marketing and PR support to ensure partners get all the visibility they need to compete in the market.

Cameron Mitchell, business leader for indirect channel at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) commented: ‘Over the last year we have continued to further develop our offering in line with our commitment to our partners. This includes building and developing a framework for Professional Print Accreditation, along with new partner onboarding. With the business IT and print market continuing to evolve rapidly, our Partner Programme is geared towards supporting our partners as they evolve with it. This includes selling our integrated Digital Transformation software solutions, which are fully backed by a dedicated specialist sales team and the technical expertise of Konica Minolta’s ProcessFlows team.’

The Konica Minolta Partner Programme also enables professional print providers to move into the lucrative realm of industrial print and labelling, as Mitchell added: ‘With many print businesses looking to diversify and deliver a broader range of services, there are huge opportunities for our partners to deliver Konica Minolta’s powerful but flexible and cost-effective AccurioLabel range of digital presses. These presses offer greater flexibility of set-up and use, with a cost-effective pay-per-click approach which enables Professional Print houses to offer more to their customers. With Konica Minolta’s broad expertise in print, our Partner Programme is designed to actively support and reward partners looking to diversify and embrace these opportunities.’

Konica Minolta’s enhanced Partner Programme includes the ‘exclusive partner’ scheme, which recognizes and rewards those that solely sell its hardware products and services, as well as recognition of those that specialize in specific/specialist areas (such as ITS or professional print) with specific and unique incentives and rewards. 

Mitchell stated: ‘We decided to take a different approach to our competitors by shining a light on these partners that stand out in a sometimes crowded “Me too” market. Undoubtedly providers need to differentiate themselves more, and by delivering Professional Print, Industrial Print, or solutions they can deliver the vital systems that customers need today.’

Mitchell emphasized that the company’s partners value added support in sales, marketing, and PR, as well as special pricing and attractive margins. Partner events, networking opportunities, and an exclusive community for Konica Minolta partners are also priorities. Konica Minolta’s accreditation demonstrates expertise, investment in training and support and commitment to delivering excellence for customers.

With further Partner Programme enhancements planned for the year ahead and beyond, including the use of a new customer engagement facility from Spring 2024, now is the perfect time for channel businesses to engage with Konica Minolta, the company said.