“We’re up to the challenge” – Ingram Canada CFO on flexibility in financing

Kelly Carter, chief financial executive for Ingram Micro Canada

While the ability to finance a variety of solutions and services in an increasingly flexible way has become very important over the last few years, the current COVID-19 pandemic has shone an even brighter light on the need for VARs and MSPs to be able to conserve cash, both for themselves and for their customers.

So in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast, we talk to Kelly Carter, chief financial officer for Ingram Micro Canada, about what she’s been hearing from solution providers, and about what the distributor is doing to help answer the challenges of solution providers and their customers.

We discuss:

  • the programs Ingram Micro has put in place to help VARs get more credit and extended terms;
  • the program the distributor has had in place for a while that can help solution providers as they transition to offering more managed services in their mix;
  • the distributor’s overall financing strategy, which has been growing rapidly over the last year, particularly here in Canada;
  • why solution providers should “lead” with financing and not just bring it in to finalize a deal;
  • the distributor’s role as a financial consultant in helping solution providers navigate an ever-growing array of vendor and third-party financing options; and
  • what the channel can expect from Carter and her team in terms of financing programs going forward.

All this and much more in this edition of the ChannelBuzz.ca Podcast.

   

Robert Dutt

Robert Dutt is the founder and head blogger at ChannelBuzz.ca. He has been covering the Canadian solution provider channel community for a variety of publications and Web sites since 1997.