Looking to jump-start buyer demand as the economy slowly awakens, Cisco this
week rolled out an aggressive financing program for its partners to dangle in
front of customers.
The new program, outlined by Cisco Capital, offers three-year, zero percent
financing for SMBs in the United States.
The terms apply to the entire Cisco commercial product portfolio—hardware,
software and services—unlike prior financing programs that covered specific
product bundles only, said Maryann Von Seggern, director of Cisco Capital. The
new program covers purchases from $1,000 up to $250,000.
“We really think this is going to help our partners convince customers that put
off purchases during the recession last year to buy again,” said Edison Peres,
senior vice president of channels at Cisco, during an interview with Channel
Insider.
Peres said that Cisco is viewing 2010 as a year in which partners’ own
businesses will begin to stabilize and grow and that sales will rebound among
customers that put the brakes on major IT projects last year. The new financing
program is just one initiative the company plans to implement to drive demand
and help partners capitalize on new opportunities, he said.
The three-year, zero percent program will be available to customers until July
31, exclusively through Cisco Certified partners.