Category: News

We often get asked to audit channel programs and incentives, in order to diagnose why channel facing staff or partners are behaving in a certain manner. In many cases, the answer comes down to the way the reward system has been structured. Partners (like staff) will always look for the easiest way to achieve target, … Continued

Vendors often measure, profile and segment their partners and distributors based on revenue performance, but rarely do they dig deeper to look beyond the numbers to the driving forces behind the strategy. This article looks at tips to ensure your business is aligned to the right match of distribution partners, and therefore the right reseller … Continued

Here is my own real example of not asking the right customer questions, or worse, thinking I had asked the right questions, but still ending up with a project situation that took longer and cost more than anticipated. This is a reminder that if we want to be profitable and have great customer satisfaction, projects … Continued

You probably never thought that eating a salad could help you grow your business! In this article that appeared in CRN, Moheb Moses talks about the dangers of assuming how much your customers actually know about your business, and gives some valuable advice on how you can build stronger relationships with customers. http://www.crn.com.au/News/168877,opinion-what-else-is-on-the-menu.aspx

As channel consultants we are often asked to research and review the performance of a channel program, or group of partners, to help a vendor get greater insight into what is happening. What we often find is that the vendor’s perception of what is going on in the channel (versus the partner’s perception) are poles … Continued

I know it sounds absurd in today’s environment, but I used to work for a distributor selling a word processor, and we used to make 30% margin (before you start thinking I was being greedy, I’ll say that our resellers also made that kind of margin). The year was 1988 and the product was WordPerfect. … Continued

Author: Kit Craig It’s no news that we live in an economic environment that is tough for business. Cash is tight and the economy uncertain; no matter how many ‘green shoots’ we hear about, we’re not out of the bleak times yet. In July the Shanghai Exchange recorded its biggest drop in 8 months, and … Continued

In a previous article about Partner Recruitment, we talked about partner profitability, and the need to provide a compelling value proposition for partners to want to sell your product. In today’s economic climate this has never been more valid. Partners are driven by profit. Not revenue, not discount percentage, not market share; … Profit. And … Continued

Author: Dean Vaughan Choosing the right distributor can add tremendous strategic value to your organisation, yet so many integrators often fail to recognise this. The choice, when left to sales, is often based on relationships, and when left to buying, is based on price. Yet far more value is attained from your distribution relationship with … Continued

Author: Colleen Francis Despite your best attempts to sell value and remain firm on your price, some clients will press ahead with their request for a discount. After a solid attempt from you to reassure them that your price is fair, if your prospect is still pushing for a discount, you have a choice. Walk … Continued