PC distributor Dicker Data has embarked on an ambitious campaign to gain back ground lost to its competitors, launching a new website for its reseller partners and appointing a general manager to run the business.
Former Lan Systems staffer, Angela Coronica, has been appointed as Dicker Data’s new general manager. Coronica will manage the operations of the distributor, allowing directors, Fiona Dicker and David Dicker, to take a more strategic role in the company’s future.
David Dicker said that while Coronica would relieve Fiona Dicker of the day-to-day running of the company, Fiona would continue to be closely involved.
Fiona Dicker is currently on leave from the company.
Coronica has already made her presence felt - by opting to hire Dicker Data’s first male to work on the sales floor in a company that has traditionally made a point of only hiring females for such a role.
Dicker said he would reservedly agree.
“You can’t hire somebody to run a business, then tell them how to do it,” he joked.
The employment of a new general manager is one of several ways the distributor expects to significantly expand this year.
Dicker said the distributor was spending up to improve its operations substantially.
Dicker Data will this week soft launch a new website, which will give resellers a direct view into stock availability.
A few key customers would be the first to be given password access to the site before it was made available to all Dicker Data customers, Dicker said.
Past websites for the distributor were developed by contractors with little understanding of the business, Dicker said.
The new website has been developed in-house and in step with a new internal accounting system deployed in October.
Once its development is complete, it will also feature not only direct access to the distributor’s systems but also direct data feeds into vendor partner web sites.
“Companies such as Tech Pac and Ingram have to employ an army of guys to update their catalogues,” Dicker said. “HP alone has 12,000 to 20,000 product lines and they are updating price lists four times a day. Upgrading that volume of information is ridiculous.”
Dicker hopes that Coronica’s appointment, coupled with the new systems and several other “surprising” future announcements, will enable the company to move ahead of its competitors.
“In our first full year we sold more Compaq than Tech Pacific, but they have pulled ahead of us since,” Dicker said. “This year I expect we will take the lead.”
The company will have one less distraction this year – entertaining offers to be acquired by other distributors.
“I spent all of last year looking at various buy-out offers,” Dicker said. “It was a waste. Nothing like that will be entertained in the future.”
