Lexmark Listens to Channel with Major Overhaul of its Business Solutions Dealer Programme

April 23, 2025
Channel, Managed Print Services, Article, Trends

Lexmark announced a significant revamp of its Business Solutions Dealer (BSD) programme at its recent EMEA Channel Summit in Frankfurt. The revised programme reflects changing market conditions and responds directly to partner feedback by focusing on programme simplicity, contract longevity, and stronger price competition.

Lexmark’s BSD programme launched in 2017 to support solutions dealers in contractual sales. The package included specific hardware, maintenance kits, and a four-year parts warranty and offered cost certainty for the first four years of the deal.

Over time, the programme has grown increasingly complex and challenging to maintain across different territories. Multiple discount levels across devices in the range and varying targets and bonus scales were proving hard to communicate through dealers to customers.

Shifting market conditions, particularly in the past year, as organisations have approached major hardware refresh points, have also created opportunities. According to Lexmark’s dealer base, customers are seeking longer contract terms, something the recently expanded Lexmark 9-series, with its seven-year-plus design life, is well-placed to deliver. However, pricing must be competitive, clear, and reflected through warranties and options for partners to capitalise.

To adapt to the market and meet this demand, Lexmark has launched a simplified BSD programme offering A3 hardware, options, and extended warranty discounts for all BSD partners.

• Silver partners will be offered new benefits, including discounts on A4 and A3 hardware, options, and extended warranties.
• Gold partners will see benefits enhanced to include A3 hardware, options, and warranty discounts on top of existing bonuses linked to extended warranties and supplies.
• Diamond partners will see expanded benefits through increased discounts on A3 hardware and new discounts on options and warranties, alongside increased hardware bonuses and the existing discount on supplies, which is unique to Diamond partners.

The discounts offered will vary depending on partner level but will be standard within the partnership tiers and across geographical regions. The programme is moving away from special promotions, which have proved complicated to interpret and administer. This allows for greater transparency in deal-building and enables partners to create the most competitive tender responses.

Thomas Valjak, Vice President & General Manager for Lexmark EMEA, said: ‘We realised our programme had grown complex over the years. In spirit of partnership, we took a lot of feedback and input from partners across EMEA to standardise and simplify while enriching rewards for our partners across Silver, Gold, and Diamond levels. Feedback from our recent partner events confirms changes are appreciated by partners and I am looking forward to a successful 2025 with our new additions to the A3 portfolio – and growth beyond this year!’

Quocirca opinion

Lexmark has clearly listened to feedback from its channel partners and devised a programme that allows it to amplify the benefits of the product portfolio in terms of longevity and serviceability, while ensuring pricing is competitive and options can be supplied at a similarly competitive rate. The revamped programme demonstrates strong understanding of the channel and a deep commitment to partner success.

Quocirca research consistently shows that channel partners want more support in order to engage more confidently on sustainability-led sales. This programme, with the expanded 9-series at its heart, will help them do that.

There is understandably a degree of uncertainty during the Xerox acquisition pre-close period, but Lexmark is doing a good job of underscoring its partner commitment and maintaining business as usual in the interim. With Xerox stating the company’s commitment to combining the best of both companies, there is a lot to recommend Lexmark’s channel approach.

Quocirca has also covered Lexmark’s enhancements to its cloud services here.

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