I often ask Channel Account Managers (working for vendors or distributors) why they think their partners buy products from them. And I’ll get a range of answers from “we have the best technology” to “great service” to “a strong relationship”. But at least one person will respond with the correct answer, namely, “to sell it … Continued
At the beginning of each year the channel trade press, IT industry consultants and pundits take a stab at what will or may happen in the coming year. While so much has happened in the IT industry in recent years, it seems that some things never change. With that in mind, this year we thought … Continued
If “Cloud” was the most overused word in 2016, then “Disruption” would be my pick for this year’s winner. It seems that the mantra for the new breed of workplace warriors is “disrupt, or be disrupted”, and anyone who isn’t turning their business on its head is surely going to end up in the dictionary … Continued
I’ve been in more than a few meetings with vendors where the question of trust has come up. Typically it sounds like this… “I’ve got an opportunity, and I want to give it to a partner, but I’m concerned they’ll make a mess of it or sell something else, so I’ll hold on to it … Continued
As the IT industry moves further towards an annuity, subscription based model, it is worth having a look at other industries where this business model is more mature as an insight to a possible future landscape for MSPs. One such industry is surprisingly the gym and fitness industry. There are many similarities between the two … Continued
Author: Grant Cleary MDF – it’s that 3 letter acronym many of us love to hear! Market development funds or MDF are used by vendors in the channel to enable service providers, resellers and distributors to market their products and solutions, and build brand awareness. MDF may be allocated to partners as a percentage of … Continued
We are currently working with a mid-market VAR/MSP on their business transformation process. In addition to looking at their sales team structure and size, we are also examining their overall profitability. Our first question was to determine how they set the price for their client offerings. Like many companies, they look at the cost of … Continued
It’s an expensive exercise to exhibit your company at a trade show. Yet so many companies exhibit themselves poorly, leaving these events with little more than sore feet. So what should you do to maximise the return on your investment? At my recent visit to CeBIT I saw lots of examples of this, reminding me … Continued
It’s funny how things come in waves. In the last month, I’ve had four conversations with four different vendors, concerned that their sales team is not engaging the channel because their reps believe partners add no value. And while I agree that there are certainly partners who add no value, we obviously wouldn’t be in … Continued
We recently did some work with the senior management team of a mid-market VAR/Service Provider on how they adapt their business model with the continuing growth of Cloud & XaaS. Our analysis identified several external forces acting upon their business, as well as internal pressures, and helped them create a set of priorities of what … Continued
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