I’m told that the Chinese have two terms -- Wei and Ji (危机 or 危機) – which combined mean “dangerous opportunity” or “precarious moment.” (The debate rages over whether the combination of these concepts is really true – here and here , but still the metaphor works.) Times like these can either provide great opportunity or great danger. As my dad says, it also brings out people’s true colors. Applying this to channel vendors, we’re seeing a lot of
Every day VARs, SIs, and ISVs are working hard to generate sales. But today it is harder than ever. So how can you turn a “no” to a “yes?” And more importantly, how can a channel partner engage in the right kinds of sales conversations that yield sales and services engagements? Rich Felice, part of Dell’s global channel organization, talks to channel partners every day. So we had a chance to sit with him and talk about ways successful channel partners find sales opportunities
More and more, in these challenging markets, you hear of channel vendors pulling back on their channel programs. They say they want to concentrate on their “home markets.” But as a great man once said, “You can’t shrink your way to greatness.” So while some vendors are pulling back on their channel programs, Dell seems to be going the opposite way, or so says Steve Brown, partner at Rev2 Technologies (a member of Dell’s PartnerDirect program). Dell keeps building
For more than a year, Dell has been talking about the need to simplify IT, and has released a lot of solutions around this strategy (check out the latest on virtualization , storage, networking , mobility , servers , flexible computing , and power management as examples). But what does this mean to channel partners, and the even bigger question is will simplified technology help them stay profitable in challenging economic times. Let’s be frank here. Your customers don’t ask you to simplify
In challenging economic times, channel partners are looking for every source of revenue. One way is to grow sales --another is to look at reducing their own internal costs as well. We had a chance to speak with Paul Shaffer from Dell's Global Channel group to talk about the second point: internal cost management. He discusses ways channel partners can increase profitability -- even in a difficult economy -- by streamlining operations and simplifying their channel vendor relationships. Listen
The other day we posted a blog and podcast about Dell’s financing and leading options. One of the things mentioned was leasing as an option to financing. In the IDC report, titled “ Dell Financing to Assist with Channel Sales in Downturn Economy,” by Christina Richmond and Jennifer Koppy, the quote says it all: “Hats off to Dell for making a specific effort to educate its channel about the benefits of leasing and offering a competitive program to drive more sales. By offering