ENTER New MARKETS
CREATE ADDED VALUE FOR CUSTOMERS
ACCELERATE JOINT PROJECTS
BENEFIT FROM SYNERGIES
How the partnership began
Bechtle direct is part of the Bechtle Group, an international holding company whose subsidiaries manage strategic business planning and functions such as finance, IT, and human resources.
Located in Austria, Bechtle direct offers customers an extensive portfolio of more than 70,000 hardware and software products sold over the phone, online, or through custom e-procurement platforms. The company employs 70 people at two separate locations: Wiener Neudorf and Traun. Their partnership with Corel®, which began in 2010, currently includes the collaboration and productivity software MindManager®.
Key partnership benefits
Bechtle direct has experienced many benefits of using MindManager, including the ability to:
- Enter new markets. With the broad target group of MindManager, there are numerous options for Bechtle direct to tap into additional markets.
- Create added value for customers. MindManager provides Bechtle direct with additional opportunities to successfully capture new customers.
- Accelerate joint projects. MindManager campaigns and promotions are developed, implemented, and evaluated through Bechtle direct's close partnership with Corel.
- Benefit from synergies. Bechtle direct can align itself with MindManager, and in return, MindManager is able to better penetrate the Austrian market.
How Bechtle direct leverages the versatility of MindManager
MindManager offers Bechtle direct additional opportunities for discussions with existing customers and supports the company in entering new markets.
"In collaboration with MindManager, we will gradually approach various industries," explains Lukas Weilinger, vendor manager at Bechtle direct. "First, we focus on public service. We already have a wealth of experience in this area in Germany, which we can use for our communication activities in the Austrian market."
Bechtle direct leverages various assets to promote MindManager, including user reports from the public sector in Germany, specific case examples from Austrian customers, and webinar recordings that feature best practices for using the tool.
While Weilinger considers MindManager an add-on solution in the Bechtle portfolio, he sees enormous potential in the partnership.
"With MindManager, we can position ourselves as an innovative IT provider in the Austrian market," he says. "It's nice to have a partner who offers something special outside of our core business."
Weilinger recently implemented a cold call campaign that consisted of over 1,000 calls in which sales reps proactively offered MindManager to different companies. This campaign taught the sales team that MindManager’s versatility lends itself to almost any task.
Ironically, this versality can present somewhat of a challenge: Because MindManager can be used for almost anything, the sales team must focus on what will appeal most to the customer.
"Sales must consider what specific scenario would be most interesting for the potential customer beforehand," explains Weilinger.
To raise enthusiasm among the sales team about MindManager, Weilinger knows that account managers who engage intensively with the solution will love it and rave about the benefits to their colleagues.
Austria, however, is a country whose business landscape is characterized by many medium sized and family-owned businesses, which means it may take time for MindManager to become a more established brand.
"We are still in the early stages, and first we must ensure that the degree of brand awareness increases," says Weilinger.
To increase MindManager's brand awareness, Weilinger maintains close interactions with MindManager's specialists located in Germany. Together, they develop campaigns to increase the awareness of MindManager. For example, Bechtle direct would like to create and promote content about the benefits of mind mapping.
A partnership built for future success
Bechtel direct's future promotion plans include showcasing the benefits of MindManager in short videos, which will be shown to the company's contacts in the public sector, including universities, associations, and so on to gain their support of MindManager.
"You have to see and experience this software—then, the added value is immediately perceptible, both for our sales department and potential customers," explains Weilinger.
He's looking forward to further strengthening the partnership between Corel and Bechtel direct and expanding the organization's activities in the public sector.
"Our collaboration is characterized by respect, creativity, reliability and common goals. We have an excellent communication basis and great mutual trust. These are all optimal conditions for joint successes," says Weilinger.
"We are pleased that this partnership exists, and we are sure that together we will implement interesting flagship projects, increasing the awareness of the software."
Learn more about the benefits of becoming a MindManager partner today.