TECHNOLOGY HARD SELL

Technology
selling should be vendor’s initiative...

When it comes to selling newer technology-based products and
solutions, major initiatives should come from the vendor’s side.
However, most of the time this does not happen. Vendors feel that
having come up with a technology, the responsibility to sell it can
be dumped on to partners.

Vendors
should be more proactive in demand generation. The channel can only
play its role when it comes to final selling. Unless and until
vendors do not create enough evangelization and spread necessary
awareness to create a substantial demand base, there is not much
partners can do.

Catch-22 situation...

Many times,
partners are unwillingly led into a Catch-22 situation. If we do not
show enough enthusiasm for selling these technologies, support
levels from vendors to our existing line of business goes down. So
to maintain a healthy relationship, we start dealing in these new
products/solutions even though it may not turn out to be in our
business interests. In other words, we are forced to opt for these
newer technologies in a pseudo manner.

Investments are
steep...

Every time a
vendor comes out with a new technology, he expects partners to
invest by way of training, certification, demo kits and so on. All
this is fine but for the exorbitant price-tag that is attached to
it. How can they expect partners to invest to the tune of lakhs of
rupees for a business line, which is yet to be tested and proven?
Also, we do not get a guarantee from vendors that we will get
certain part of investment back in case it does not yield results.

In
addition, there are vendors who have established separate
departments for the purpose of ‘education’. Unfortunately, these
‘education’ departments instead of getting funded from within
the company, are operated as separate profit centers. Thereby, these
departments unjustifiably charge us when it comes to training and
certification to ensure their profitability.

Vendors paint a rosy
picture...

Whenever a
new technology is about to be introduced in the market, vendors
paint a rosy picture for it. A case in point is wireless networking
technology. A year or so back, vendors were very gung-ho about it.
They went around showing data from market research companies and
promised partners that wireless is where the money is.

But look where we are
today. Business is hardly happening in that area. So vendors need to
do much more at their end in terms of market awareness, financial
support to partners and demand generation. Only then will partners
be convinced to take up technology selling as a truly profitable
business proposition.

We
believe in leveraging on partners’ strengths...

When it comes to technology selling, we strongly believe in
leveraging on partners’s strengths and skill sets. We do complete
justice to our responsibility by hand-holding partners right from
the starting point when the technology/product is introduced to the
time it is sold. But at the same time, we also expect partners to
utilize their proficiencies as they are more well-versed with client’s
needs.

As
far as demand generation is concerned we conduct regular activities
like end-user seminars, workshops, technology briefing sessions and
roadshows to create necessary awareness.

As a
vendor, we are not only concerned about the end-user demand but also
about convincing partners about the kind of product/technology
selling that would be beneficial for his business.

Matter of
survivability...

We never compel partners to go for a product/solution, which they
are not comfortable in dealing with. But at the same time, in these
rough market conditions, survivability becomes a key factor both for
vendors as well as partners.

So if
we see that a particular range of products may add value to the
business of a certain partner, we do try to make him understand the
underlying business proposition and viability. This would not affect
the existing relationship in any manner.

But
it is true, that if we are facing pressures because of difficult
times, some of these will percolate down to partners. After all, we
both need to survive and this scenario can never be completely
eliminated.

Investments are worth
the money...

Whenever a
new technology is introduced, it becomes important to equip partners
with necessary knowledge and expertise, so that they know what they
are dealing in. Investments that are expected of them is worth it,
as the training imparted is at par with international standards.

Also,
these technologies have already secured a large demand base globally
and realizing its potential in India, we expect partners to invest
in training and certification, as it is more for their own good. Let
us also not ignore the fact that there is a cost factor attached to
the education that we impart, which we cannot bear completely.

Demand has started to
catch up...

It would be wrong
to say that the figures and projections that we arrive at are far
away from reality. The demand for technologies like wireless,
security and IP telephony solutions have started to catch up. There
had been issues beyond our control coupled with the prevailing
recession that slowed down the market growth in these areas.