Dell Unveils New Partner Tool to Increase Market Share

Dell has announced a new tool to further enhance its online solutions configurator known as PartnerDirect, which will give partners the resources to close deals more easily and quickly than in the past by allowing them to price complex enterprise solutions.

The Online Solutions Configurator is currently being trailed in the UK and Ireland, and will be rolled out to the rest of the Europe, Middle-East and Africa (EMEA) region in the coming months.

Speaking on the partner tool, Ahmed Mouldaia, EMEA Enterprise Sales Executive director, Dell said, “This will be the year of the Dell Online Solutions Configurator further easing business with Dell,”

He added that, “This online configurator will help our partners win in the datacentre, empowering them to become autonomous by easily configuring end-to-end Dell enterprise solutions, guided by validation rules, and accessed directly through the PartnerDirect portal. The new tool is another example of Dell responding to requests to further enable our partners. The Dell Online Solutions Configurator means our partners can collaborate online with colleagues and Dell channel sales representatives facilitating a greater level of accuracy and reducing quoting lead-time.”

Dell also appointed Laurent Binetti as General Manager EMEA Channel Sales. Most recently he served as General Manager for the Dell Commercial Business in the Southern Europe Region.

Binetti joined Dell in 1996 and has since held senior roles in Eastern Europe and the emerging markets.

In these positions he set up regional offices across Eastern Europe, created a new management division for 26 countries including Russia, Turkey and Israel and developed an entirely channel-focused go-to-market strategy.

“Our consistent focus in driving transformational strategy and building our solutions portfolio means we start 2013 with the most compelling and powerful offering that we have ever been able to provide to our partners,” commented Binetti, General Manager EMEA Channel Sales, Dell.

“To support our growth strategy, we will continue to make consistent investment in both our PartnerDirect program and our innovative technology and solutions. Working closely with our partners, we have built the strongest capabilities to date, and we look forward to continuing this close collaboration in future.”

Binetti replaces Emmanuel Mouquet who will become General Manager of Dell France from February 1.

Mouquet has overseen sales in the PartnerDirect program since its creation and helped it grow to the point where channel now accounts for 50% of sales in EMEA. 

“I’m extremely thankful and proud of the fantastic work that our partners have accomplished over the last 5 years,” commented Emmanuel Mouquet, General Manager, Dell France. “With their support, we have built a very strong and fast growing business, and have totally redefined the EMEA channel landscape. Laurent Binetti is the right leader to take our channel business to the next level, and Dell’s partners can look forward to a great future.”

Dell will celebrate the fifth anniversary of PartnerDirect in EMEA in February 2013. In the lead up to this milestone, partners have had the opportunity to benefit from a $10 million fund to support an additional 5% discount on enterprise* deals, which was introduced as a further way for Dell to recognise and reward those partners who have invested in the program.

The discount has proved extremely popular with partners since it was introduced in November.