D&H Distributing has expanded its relationship with PC vendor Lenovo to include the ThinkPad Express line of notebooks.
D&H, Harrisburg, Pa., has carried the Lenovo 3000 line of desktops and notebooks for a year, but the distributor added the ThinkPad line because its solution providers had been asking for it, said Michael Schwab, D&H vice president of purchasing.
As with the 3000 series, Schwab said D&H is selling the Express line of ThinkPads because those machines offer competitive, consistent "everyday low pricing." While higher-end machines often require bidding for better pricing, the ThinkPad Express and 3000 carry price tags targeted specific at the small and midsize business clientele served by D&H's VARs.
"We're working with Lenovo strategically so this made the most sense as we evolve our relationship from the 3000 series," Schwab said.
Schwab has high hopes for ThinkPad sales prospects. He believes that while the Lenovo brand has not become as well known in the channel as might have been expected, that will eventually change and D&H will play an important role in it, he said.
"Lenovo's dollars are being spent to create awareness at the end-user level," Schwab said. "They're relying on organizations like D&H to bring them channel awareness."
In recent months, D&H has been moving more than a $1 million worth of Lenovo product to new customers, the distributor said in a statement, beating the expectations of both D&H and Lenovo. As a result, more than 1,000 VARs were introduced to Lenovo PCs, the distributor said.
One of those VARs is Matott Enterprises Inc., Potsdam, NY., which is considering selling Lenovo notebooks exclusively because of what company president Lee Matott called "accessible price points."
Stephen Mungall, vice president of Americas channels for Lenovo, said the vendor's relationship with D&H has given it better access to the small and midsize business market, a space that Lenovo is aggressively pursuing.
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