BlackBerry has now announced a new BlackBerry smartphone sales initiative allowing business owners and IT administrators looking for a cost-effective way to purchase unlocked BlackBerry devices in volume to buy directly from BlackBerry's Smartphone Business Sales Team.
At BlackBerry, it's always been our goal to make mobility easier for businesses of all sizes. From our powerful BES12 platform to the recently-announced Good Secure EMM Suites, our entire product portfolio is designed around taking the headache out of mobile management and security. To that end, we're happy to announce a new BlackBerry Smartphone Sales initiative.
Starting today, business owners and IT administrators looking for a cost-effective way to purchase and deploy unlocked BlackBerry devices in volume can now buy direct from our Smartphone Business Sales Team. All the latest BlackBerry Smartphones and accessories are on offer, and a dedicated account manager will help you find the phones you need while ensuring you benefit from volume purchasing and payment offers. Each purchase comes with a one-year manufacturer's warranty, one year of complimentary support, free shipping, and a thirty-day money back guarantee.
For now, direct purchases are only available in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. If you're looking for further details, be sure to check out the direct sales website for the contact form and more information.
Reader comments
BlackBerry launches new direct device sales program for business owners and IT administrators
I like blackberry but I want new passport silver
I haven't money
A few years too late to that party BlackBerry... your customers sadly left in part because you suck at selling and marketing your products and they had no idea what you could do.
And thus the developers, they didn't come.
And the apps, they then didn't come.
And the decline, that arrived en masse.
Why always so late to the action??
Posted via CB10
Must be nice to try win the corporate world again, the sad news is everyone will choose android over the BlackBerry os10
Posted via CB10
Here is an article on Whatsapp and its future on BB10 OS purportedly on blackberry blog.It appeared on 'moneycontrol.com' a well known finance related website in India
http://t.in.com/6ZCR
Read more at: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/current-affairs/blackberry-exploring-al...
I plan on speaking with them next week sometime
on the road with my BlackBerry
For those wondering... after you apply this is basic response you get back from the BlackBerry Sales staff :
I hope this email finds you well. My name is Christine Lake, and I work for BlackBerry as a Smartphone Direct Sales Manager.
I see that you’ve recently completed our business volume purchasing form. As described on our web site, this program provides volume pricing and incentives on unlocked devices and accessories, including our new Android powered BlackBerry PRIV.
As your Smartphone Direct Sales Manager, I will be your contact for our direct device store. I’m here to answer any smartphone related questions you may have, deliver new product information, and can provide you with exclusive business volume pricing and incentives.
I’d like to set up a short call with you next week to go over the program and answer any questions you might have. Do you have a preferred date and time that I can schedule a call?
Looking forward to hearing from you David!
Take care,
on the road with my BlackBerry
Now if they could just send me a free Porsche 9'883.
Good for them!
Posted via CB10
Hope this include BB10 devices in the future, otherwise iam not enterested
Posted via CB10
I'm an IT management company in Taiwan and Japan. Am I excluded from this program?
Posted via CB10
Uh... why weren't there direct business sales before? It seems like they should have been doing this all along...
My thoughts exactly... maybe this was one of the depts that got cut during the big round of layoffs and they decided afterwards that there was an ROI in having a sales team.
Posted via CB10
No business want android
Posted via CB10
Can't imagine this will make the carriers happy. It will undercut their own sales, if they have any. Could lead to bad blood and a support issue down the road.
Z30
1. Carriers aren't doing much to push BBRY devices anyways.
2. Carriers are trying to get away from device sales (on some level) and are trying to focus in on the service side because that is where they make their money.
Posted via CB10
They reached out to me with this early in the new year . . . around January 3,
. I guess they are making it public now with this announcement
Posted via My BlackBerry PRIV cause I'm a Priviot
Too little!! too late!
This also allows them to market their EMM ablutions to smaller businesses more easily. I like the move. If they don't have to share so much revenue with carriers they can break even at lower device sales volumes.
Posted via CB10
Fire all marketing team...hire a new. This is what they should have done 5 years ago.
CA Gov'nor on BB Passport.
I am Enterprise. I love my Passport but I can't refresh our mixed fleet with today's device offerings and lack of enterprise apps. Don't want to mess around with android apps and hope they work right. Also tired of yearning for Work-Life...14 months now. If an updated zX with Android existed or was announced or even rumored, there would be hope. Still ok with BES12 but...
Posted via CB10
Yeah, even recently Mr chen was enquired about the unclear path of bb10. But in his official tweet 2 weeks back, he once again stated that the roadmap is clear and there are two new updates coming for BB10 to make it NIAP compliant. Still these guys keep on complaining and whining and what not!
Posted via CB10
Exactly.... how many times do people have to be told that BB10 isn't dead before it finally sinks into their thick skulls? And just because BBRY doesn't have a BB10 device in the works for 2016 at the current moment doesn't mean 1. Releasing one is totally off the table for the end of the year and 2. BB10 OS won't continue to be supported...
Posted via CB10
+1000, love the way you described it!
Posted via CB10
A while back we heard, attributed to Chen, that hardware could be discontinued in 2016. That does not compute with their selling bulk to business with multi-year support, or with dropping the OS10 devices. How does BlackBerry convince a business to buy devices under with this ambiguity and uncertainty.
Posted via CB10
Chen stated that he would only drop handsets if he couldn't make money on then (which seems like a no-brainer... ie business 101). BBRY is working hard to return their handset division to profitability and Chen seems pretty confident that he can...
Posted via CB10
Wow, really people... BlackBerry isn't ending BlackBerry 10, we have 10.3.3 and 10.4 yet to come. Holy smack, you gotta base it all on rumours and speculation, which is more or less NOT EVEN CONFIRMED at all. I call hogwash until then.
Typed using my BlackBerry Classic running 10.3.2.2876 on WINDmobile HSPA+
+1
Posted via CB10
+1000
Posted via CB10
It's like the Foo Fighters most recent YouTube response to the rumors they were breaking up. Check it out. Hilarious. Chen should do a spoof on all the people in the know that "BlackBerry is dead" here on the forums.
Z30 wickedness
I noticed that about 4 days ago.
Typed using my BlackBerry Classic running 10.3.2.2876 on WINDmobile HSPA+
Too little too late. I think even the Enterprise market will start to drop BlackBerry. It's not just the regular joes who are under the impression BlackBerry is dead, fading away in the handset market is causing everybody to think that. My own employer dropped BlackBerry a few years ago, not just phones but infrastructure as well.
Posted via CB10
Buy our soon to be EOL devices and OS at a discount!
Posted via CB10
They aren't going EOL. BlackBerry's shop and website lists them all as supported, if it really was EOL, none would be listed at all for sale, and an announcement would already be made long ago.
Typed using my BlackBerry Classic running 10.3.2.2876 on WINDmobile HSPA+
Troll much? Or just clueless?
Posted via CB10
No 'admission ' of EOL so they don't have to provide any discounts.
Posted via CB10
I signed up... regardless of whether or not they are clearing out inventory, I think it's a good idea (granted a late one) and can only help. Ultimately if more devices make it into the hands of users... visibility is increased as is word of mouth, both things that BlackBerry could use
on the road with my BlackBerry
And how do they plan on marketing this??? So that companies can be aware of????
My guess is that this will be another marketing fail, due to lack of any!! LOL
Posted via CB10
They are actually fairly aggressive I got some great Passport pricing from them. Businesses that use bb10 should consider this as a real option.
Posted via CB10
In related news, Chen working with Fuller Brush and Avon to implement door-to-door hardware sales.
Buy 2 Privs and one gets their choice of a 16GB Playbook, a liter of boar hair bristle conditioner, or a 12-pack of slightly-out-of-date lip care sticks.
Why are people praising Chen?
Posted via CB10
What's wrong with deliver worldwide.
Posted via CB10
This
Posted via CB10
Good initiative
Posted via CB10
They contacted me more than a week ago. At that time they were offering like $50 off certain devices. Ironically this was around the same time BlackBerry was offering the same discount on devices to consumers as well so I didn't see much benefit.
Posted via CB10
Like I twitter, first I would like to know if the priv will be support for next 3 maybe 4 years. We are talking about phone with a cost price of 720€.
It's not a detail when whatsapp stops with supporting BB, there a many company who use this stupid app for internal communication.
There a lots of banking apps who are not available for BlackBerry. So please Mr Chen make a decision, come with a couple extra android devices and use QNX only for smartphone for the Obama's of this world and cars.
As BlackBerry with a pasport (I love it:) would like to buy a Priv, only I will not pay 700+€ for phone without garanty of support.
Posted via CB10
You do realize the Priv runs Android and Whatscrapp has no plans to not support Android, right?
Posted via CB10
Are you ready for a change? Looking for a new job? No annual fees! This is very simple anyone can do it! You don't need any experience! Go Here:--->>> http://www.pay-buzz.com
So, just a video with a load of BlackBerry employees stood around at an empty stall, lol...
Q10 - 10.3.2.2876/SR .2836 < α∂∂ι¢т >
It's back to the future.
BlackBerry finally realizes who they are and where their market is. They can make a tidy little piece of change in the b2b world as they don't need to sell as many phones to be profitable.
Enterprises aren't as price conscious or as fickle as consumers. Besides with volume discounts and wrapped with software and services the premium prices for the Priv may even be something a purchase manager could justify.
Posted via CB10
Not timed with a new BB10 device perhaps, but it is (hopefully) timed with 10.3.3 -- welcome news if so.
I want my Vienna now!
Posted via CB10
See if you still want one when Blackberry confirm the existence of the "Vienna" and tell us what the official name is! I still don't get what they were thinking with "Priv".
Posted via CB10
Are they hiring??
I just hope they focus on sales in the United States..they need to wiggle in here a bit more.
Posted via CB10
I think they should have done this a long time ago. I buy direct from BlackBerry the only way to go
Posted via CB10
How many salesman does it take to sell a BlackBerry smartphone?
None! You can buy direct!
Posted via Z10
There's gotta be a joke in this somewhere.
Posted via Z10
Well, duh, ... finally...? ;-D
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
But, will they offer a CDMA Passport that would work on Verizon?
Posted via CB10
GSM sadly. CDMA is obscure as a network.
Typed using my BlackBerry Classic running 10.3.2.2876 on WINDmobile HSPA+
Looks to me like a 'FINAL SALE!', 'CLOSING BUSINESS CLEARENCE!'..
Posted via CB10
None at all.
Typed using my BlackBerry Classic running 10.3.2.2876 on WINDmobile HSPA+
Looks to me like you are either CLUELESS or a TROLL..
Posted via CB10
They are finally getting the marketing and sales aggressivness that is needed in this business. Someone running the ship.... finally
How can be "cost effective" purchase hardware with abandoned system (BB10).
Posted via CB10
It's not abandoned.
Typed using my BlackBerry Classic running 10.3.2.2876 on WINDmobile HSPA+
Abandoned? Is that why they are releasing OS 10.3.3 and OS 10.3.4?
Posted via CB10
Semantics
Posted via CB10
Semantics of what?
Posted via CB10
This better not being with the old shipping company, Digital, or whatever it was called. They were t e r r i b l e...
7-Digital. Lol. Another train wreck likely, if so.
Q10SQN100-2/10.3.2.2876
Or was that Digital River...
Q10SQN100-2/10.3.2.2876
Digital River.. 7 Digital was music heh.
Hope you weren't drinking downstream.... ;-P
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
Did you mean upstream? Because if someone is taking a wee you want to be upstream... :)
ฬฬฬ. cåř๓. ℴřg
Never mind, I read it as were and not weren't...
ฬฬฬ. cåř๓. ℴřg
Problem is no one will know about this cause they don't advertise. Lol kind of pointless if no one outside of this forum knows about it lol
Posted via CB10
They advertise to enterprises more or less.
Typed using my BlackBerry Classic running 10.3.2.2876 on WINDmobile HSPA+
Actually CrackBerry articles are shared all over. I was on the News Republic app under " smartphones" and the article about the Priv on Verizon was there.
Z30 wickedness
What kind of discounts are we talking? Anyone else thinkin group buy? :)
Group buys... best idea ever lol
Posted via PRIV by BlackBerry
Group hugs.
Posted via CB10
Where was this move all this time you wankers at Waterloo? You had to wait till our beloved BB10 was facing gloom?
John Chen shame on you..better negotiate with major app devs ...because I can't live without the beast....BlackBerry Passport
Shame on John Chen ? Shame on the previous people lol
Z30STA100-5/10.3.2.2876
Yes true, but it should have been his first move...
ฬฬฬ. cåř๓. ℴřg
If you're fighting the underdog battle, you gotta use guerrilla tactics, not your old "legacy" "that's how we always did it" cra*porate strategies... ;-D
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
First time in a long time they show an effort to sell their devices
Posted via CB10
Does anyone know what they are charging for 1-10 devices. I got mine for our business in November but I hope this is an ongoing plan and that it means there will be future releases that we can buy for our business down the road.
promo on Passport (minimum 5 devices):
Regular Price
Promo Price
Passport (Black or White)
$ 599 CAD
$ 520 CAD
Then receive with each unit purchased (min 5 units):
Regular Price
Promo Price
Black Leather Flip Case
$ 51.99 CAD
$ 0
Sync Pod
$ 39.99 CAD
$ 0
Screen Protector
$ 14.99 CAD
$ 0
Regular Price
Promo Price
Silver Edition Passport
$ 649 CAD
$ 550 CAD
Then receive with each unit purchased (min 5 units):
Regular Price
Promo Price
Black Leather Flex Shell
$ 49.99 CAD
$ 0
Sync Pod
$ 39.99 CAD
$ 0
Posted via BlackBerry Passport
Firesale
Posted via CB10
Vienna?
Posted via CB10
Sausage.
Posted via CB10
Wiener...?
(Wuerstchen?) ;-P
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
Oscar mayer
The power of the force and the passport.
I assumed Blackberry would have been doing this from the beginning! No ******* wonder the sales haven't been very good! Does this mean that stores are going to stock Blackberry Phones soon?
Posted via CB10
Ditto, BlackBerry depends on everyone else but themselves to sell their phones... newsflash BlackBerry, nobody put any effort to sell your phones!
Just us BlackBerry folk who did it for you free of charge.
From Me on my Z 30
LOL okay BlackBerry.
Posted via CB10
Excellent move which was long over due.
Posted via CB10
Wishful thinking.
Posted via CB10
I would think it is probably not the most genius idea that companies are just waiting for that opportunity to buy BBs directly via a website - it would require an army of sales people from Blackberry or their local partners to get in contact with respective companies, to explain the advantages of current BB devices, inform about the future device (and OS) roadmap and by that developing opportunities for Blackberry to sell larger tranches of devices. That is a process that could take some time but would require an actively driven and well coordinated sales process.
I'd accept that challenge to take the lead on that initiative :D
PASSPORT
This to me is a great sign for the hardware business. As an individual who loves BlackBerry, uses my passport on an hourly basis for work and personal life alike, and believes bb10 to be the best, most capable, versatile, fluid mobile os availiable today, this is wonderful news. This new probably would've been better and more widely received had it been in conjunction with a new phone release, but that's kind of to be expected BlackBerry; unfortunately. But still I'll take it as it is for what it's worth. In my humble, 'limited-expertise' opinion, I think BlackBerry would do well to put together one massive marketing release, targeting the very essence of what a smartphone is, what is expected of it, and people's perception of them. In other words they need to truly showcase what bb10 can offer people. I will be the first to agree that BlackBerry is more of a work and productivity device than it is social, such as say and iphone is MUCH more of a social device. But even that being said, bb10 has so much more natively built into its software than any other mobile os out there. The tragedy of this however is that no one knows it's out there and availiable. Even someone who loves and uses the BlackBerry CONSTANTLY, I still don't use or implement half of what the phone is capable of. So again, my two cents to BlackBerry would be you need to spend some money, even if there isn't much to be had, to put out a message with just enough info to take a shot at the idea of the modern smartphone Era, but yet keep the consumer curious enough to take the next step and get there interest peaked to where they begin to look for research and demand the new age of smartphone productivity, security (hello apple/FBI), utility, and whatever else our crazy world throws at us next. Okay I'll get off my soapbox podium now...
PASSPORT
Most people want apps and they aren't on bb10, thanks.
Posted via CB10
Well while that's true and I agree with you. But MOST apps out there on the other platforms are useless, duplicates or otherwise. Either way I agree with you, but with a few small exceptions, most of the main apps people want/use/expect, are available for use on BlackBerry. And even the ones that need help or need to be made available still, that wouldn't really take that much time. But it's driven by what the market demands. So if you got people interested again, bingo you're developers quickly catch the wind in their sale and boom you're off to the races (and in all seriousness, it would only take one halfway decent developer to make a difference, I mean common this is the 21st century for crying out loud, no or can't are in our vocab anymore). But on a whole other side note, it doesnt take a genius to figure out that it's better for Windows, BlackBerry, Apple, Android, any others you wanna throw on the list: it's soo much better to have several big players competing simply because you get the best of the best all the time because everyone is trying to stay competitive. If all be have in the next year or two is apple vs android....yikes things will become mediocre REALLY quickly, and in my opinion we're already starting to see that in some ways between these two...
PASSPORT
Unfortunately BlackBerry has moved on from bb10 the best OS out there to Android. It's good for BlackBerry to sell their products to companies. But why have not not done this all along? I sure hope they advertise this to there target audience.
ฬฬฬ. cåř๓. ℴřg
By the way I dropped my Z30 twice the other day on a brick walkway. :(
Still works good by I chipped the bottom left corner a wee bit and scratched the sides up pretty good.
Any rich person out there want to get me a Silver Passport or maybe a Priv? :)
ฬฬฬ. cåř๓. ℴřg
To many swiping up mistakes... :(
ฬฬฬ. cåř๓. ℴřg
Does this include unlocked CDMA BlackBerry phones to work on Verizon or is this new purchase model for GSM phones only?
Posted via CB10
Apparently so. I was showing the article to our office manager and he was already aware of it and had contacted BB. Our carrier is VZW.
Posted via CB10
I like your boss!
Posted via CB10
Or office manager rather..
Posted via CB10
Where can I send you my bank info^^
Posted via CB10
Email it to me and I will process you're order for you.
Posted via CB10
Your processing centre in Nigeria...? ;-)
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
All this negativity. This is a good move.
BBM Channel: C0001F285
I agree 100 percent although they are a little late to this. It should help them retain their current share and hopefully help them grow
Posted via My BlackBerry PRIV cause I'm a Priviot
I wonder what the minimum number of phones you have to buy is?
Edit- I see they have 1-10 listed so I guess I answered my own question...
Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android
1-10 devices is the minimum.
Posted via CB10 - Z10 /STL100-3/ 0S10.3.2.2474
So.... 1? :)
Z30
Sorry Shaking, the only Hope there is .... is Bob Hope and No Hope.
posted by either my Passport or S6 Edge, depending on my mood.
Well you managed to pop my bubble and make me laugh at the same time!
Hope for a Stevie Wonder...?
:-)
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
I interpret this as a positive sign regarding hardware as well. And the fact that there is a BB10 device in the photo gives me a bit of hope.
Posted via CB10
If this is what it takes to gather news about hardware then we're doomed.
Lool
Powered by BB10
My company would like this if there were more than two people hahaha, the economy hasn't been kind to small business the past 12 months
Posted from My very Classy Classic
Minimum is 1-10 devices. If they keep it that way it is brilliant. There are 2 of us at our business too. There are thousands and thousands of small businesses like ours. It is a huge untapped market. I got a Priv for my business phone but don't want it to be my last BlackBerry (!) so I hope this is just the beginning of an ongoing sales approach.
Posted with my Priv via the CrackBerry App for Android
This...
Sam BBoat here... :-)
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
Same...^
• There's a Crack in the Berry right now... •
Great!!!!!
Posted via BlackBerry Passport
Same here, there are 3 of us. All BB10, but not one of us wants the Priv. One had it then returned it. Stay BB10 for as long as possible then who knows maybe the iPhone.
Sent from my battered and bruised but still kicking (just barely) Z30.
Same here! Just me and my business partner so far!
Posted via BlackBerry Passport
I see confidence in the hardware division :)
Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android
I see them moving to a much smaller type of hardware division. One that sales of 2 million and fewer devices a year would be able to support.
Fewer markets, fewer sales channels, fewer cost....
I see no confidence. Just clearing stock with this deal.
Z30STA100-5/10.3.2.2876
That could very well be the reasoning.
My Canada My BlackBerry My Z30
Isn't the purpose of a sales team to "clear stock"? And if you mean "fire sale", then I think you are sorely mistaken.
Posted via CB10
Yes!
Posted via BlackBerry Passport
Ya this would've been more effective awhile ago. Regardless, I signed up lol. I love BlackBerry and ill buy direct now to help keep them going my small way
+1 way to go :)
Posted via CB10
Nice. Mind letting us know what kind of pricing is offered?
Perhaps we get the info on prices if we sign up(?) This is actually a brilliant move. Removing the middlemen you can sell at market value with a discount and make more money per unit. Also business people tend to network and if a product is good they spread the word.
Posted with my Priv via the CrackBerry App for Android
Amen!
Posted via BlackBerry Passport
Good to hear. Now we'll see way more bnib on Kijiji!
Posted using the best phone ever, the Z30!
Poor timing is the first thing I can say. Secondly, do this with the release of a new bb10 phone!
Posted via CB10
BlackBerry, still out of touch with reality.
Marketing is hard.
Bye-bye Waterloo. You gave us everything we wanted in a smartphone, and now it appears as though BlackBerry is letting go of the most important aspect of building a BlackBerry.
Posted via CB10
Direct Sales to the business market. That's what BlackBerry will be from now on. Consumer market appears to be done for BlackBerry unfortunately.
Posted via CB10
This is about time!
Now the business users can "purchase unlocked BlackBerry devices in volume"
The key word is 'volume'
What that means, BB will have opportunities to build sales in a diminishing market ...
Too many corporate users have drifted to iPhones and Samsung products
As far as new BB Android products, this is also good news.
Many former BB users had moved to Samsung because their key apps are not available in older BB Android compatible phones (except the PRIV.)
Did those users really drift away because they couldn't buy in bulk? Or was it because the either didn't trust the financial or technology stability of BlackBerry, or the devices just didn't do what they wanted.
This is a move to "shrink" the hardware division to a more manageable footprint to remain profitable with dwindling sales. They are moving to a BlackPhone type of sales arrangement. Fewer markets, fewer distribution channels... fewer employees and less overhead.
That's a fair assessment.
I would think that in due time competitors would be smart enough to follow, notwithstanding Apple for the time being.
Dunt, you have have worthy comments.
Regret, too many BB users have two phones at hand, personal iP/Samsung and a corporate BB.
When the corporation says they will offer a new Android BB PRIV phone, the iP/Samsung may be taken out of service.
Who the **** designs these ugly *** announcement graphics?
... well, they are attempting to save money....
Great design doesn't have to cost a lot of money... It's more like whoever approved the designs has poor taste.
Great Point. What's with the timing, and where is the BB10 Z10/Z30 replacement device powered by the best mobile OS in the world?