A judge in Vancouver threw out charges against a Cisco VAR adn refused to deport him to the U.S. for "unmitigated gall" of Cisco's inflated prosecution designed to punish a rebel.
Salesforce.com on Wednesday announced a VAR (value added reseller) program for its Force.com development platform, in a bid to spur wider adoption of the on-demand CRM (customer relationship management) vendor's homegrown technology.
Almost half (48 percent) of the respondents to a recent Pricewaterhouse Coopers survey stated their most challenging business issues over the next two years will be on increasing revenues and developing effective sales channel partnerships.
Maximizing every customer means getting the most out of them every time. It means suggesting more ideas or products before they check out. It means collecting as much data about your customers as possible. And it means getting your salespeople focused on saying and doing the right things every time. While this article is geared for retailers, there is some tried and true advice for VARs, and others selling in the channel.
While some industries like housing or the automotive industry were hit immediately and very hard, VARs in the IT industry have proven to be resilient. Seven high-profile VARs share some of their secrets to success and speculate on the economy.
Success during an economic downturn hinges just on VARs being VARs. Steve Ferman, President of Compunite, suggests that part of the role of a good VAR is to ease the panic and help customers through times of uncertainty. "The reality is people want someone to tell them what to do, and they look to MSPs or VARs for that guidance.
VARs don't like the old saw, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." There has historically been a lot of money in replacing or upgrading perfectly functional technology with something that adds a little "zing" to the equation. But today, that "zing" doesn't mean as much. Customers are still spending, but not on non-essential projects. R.W.
In addition to what they're buying, resellers are also paying more attention to who is buying. On the lowest end of the market in the SOHO segment, there is some unexpected growth, particularly as more people are thrown out of work and launch their own small businesses.
Even during the worst of times, companies still need to purchase and maintain computers. Electronic data is our currency, and without it, we are all lost. "People still need to operate their infrastructure," said Joe Brown, president of Accelera Solutions, a VAR focused on the virtualization space.
Economic upheaval is upon us, and regardless of rescue plans, bailouts and motivational speeches by politicians and political candidates, we are in for a long and deep recession. Companies are already implementing layoffs, while others are being bought out, going bankrupt, or going out of business completely.
Ramon Vela, the "StreetSmart VAR" made an interesting post in his blog today, making a modest but valuable suggestion to manufacturers on how to organize their marketing guidelines.
Todd Fitzwater, Principal of Demand Solutions Group, saw the handwriting on the wall when he started the company in 2005. Although Demand Solutions describes itself as an "on-demand" business solutions provider, Todd wasn't always a SaaS evangelist, and spent years prior running a successful, but traditional, CRM consultancy. His strategy is now being emulated by VARs wanting to achieve the same level of success.
Moving from selling on-premises solutions to SaaS is just one in a never-ending series of industry changes. It means resellers will have to change the way they do things, but it won't be the first time. To be sure, there are going to be lost revenues, but that's inevitable. VARs that want to stay in business will look at ways to replace those lost revenues, and when you look at the big picture, there are benefits from the SaaS sales model as well.
From a buyer's perspective, there is a good case to be made for SaaS. Up-front costs, as well as total cost of ownership, are lower, and there is less spending required for integration, deployment and ongoing maintenance. These however, are precisely the things from which the VAR derives profit. It would seem on the surface that the SaaS model is taking the "value-add" out of "value-added reseller".
We won't be re-playing "Death of a Salesman" to the tune of SaaS any time soon, but traditional VARs that refuse to accept the SaaS model are in for a hard time. This is a game-changer, and will alter the very nature of what it means to be a reseller. The "sweet spot" for VARs will be the small and midsize business market, although if it is marketed right, there could even be growth potential in the Small Office/Home Office market—especially with standard productivity applications from Google and Microsoft hitting the SaaS world.
A Channel Marker blog yesterday got attention with the headline, "R.I.P. V.A.R.?" But don't write that obituary just yet. Of course, the VAR isn't dead, despite the attention-getting lead directed at VARs, proclaiming, "You're dead." Of course, I'm a sucker for a sensationalistic headline, and I've generated one or two myself.
As the owner of a computer dealer business, you need to wear a lot of hats on any given day. This can include customer service, sales, troubleshooting, optimization, and even accounting. However none of the good stuff that allows you to grow your company can even begin to happen if you don’t have a solid marketing plan in place.
In this article, we’ll look at 5 simple marketing strategies that you can put in place to take your computer dealer business to the next level.