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MANAGING DIRECTOR, GERRY O’KEEFFE, GIVES US THE LOW DOWN ON MICRO P
Where:
Shorten Brook Way, Altham Business Park, Altham, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 5YJ. Tel: 01282 776776. And: 1 Lindenwood, Chineham Business Park, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 8QY. Tel: 01256 707070
What are the key areas your business concentrates on distributing?
We distribute across computing, print and scan, displays and monitors, networking and storage, components, consumer electronics and fixed line and mobile communications.
What is your company’s USP?
Micro P’s focus is its 130-strong sales force on proactive customer-focused activity, with over 5,500 outbound calls on a daily basis across its base. Each product area has dedicated sales expertise, ensuring we can provide the highest level of first touch expertise for our partners across all our product categories, including mobile communications.
What are the hottest smartphones out there for businesses, and why?
RIM’s BlackBerry is still the incumbent brand for business. However many companies are making significant strides into this space, with known brands such as HTC, Nokia, and Samsung progressing, and also recent new entrants including Acer starting to make an impact within this space.
Is the Apple iPhone really up to the job in business, as Apple claims, or is it more comfortable in the consumer sector, in your opinion?
You stock all the top brands plus many up and comings; which of the newer brands you stock are making good headway in the UK market right now, and why?
Where are you investing in or expanding your portfolio?
Do you think dealers should polish their acts in any particular area, to increase sales of your products?
I’m sure the dealers in the marketplace recognise their strengths, and more importantly realise they may have some weaknesses.
My only suggestion would be it’s important to identify those areas, and address them as quickly as possible. The marketplace continues to become more and more competitive, and it’s important they don’t give their competitors any opportunity to find a route into their customers.
The speed at which technology is moving, means that the sales process is becoming much more solution based, so dealers need to ensure they don’t treat mobile as an isolated sale into a customer, fully understand the customer’s requirements, and sell a much more integrated proposition.
What are the opportunities for dealers in mobile applications?
There are significant opportunities within the applications space, and again its important dealers are fully aware of what’s available in the market. This is where IT resellers may potentially have slightly more experience, as they are used to selling a device with software, where as traditional dealers will be used to selling the device tied into the contract.
The growth and development of applications will give dealers more opportunities for regular contact with the customers, and to build a more service orientated relationship, rather than the cyclical one that historically aligns itself to the contract.
How do you see the distribution market in the UK shaking up over the next two years?
The distribution market will definitely continue to adapt and change within the next two years. How that change affects the different businesses is difficult to gauge at this stage.
However, I’m confident that Micro P is ideally positioned to capitalise on these changes; we have superb customer relations, strong manufacturer and network partnerships, best in class logistical capabilities, dedicated focus and expertise within the team, and most importantly financial strength. We continue to see strong growth in our business, which puts us in a strong position to continue to invest in and develop new opportunities.