Resellers have to learn to keep it real

Channel players must live in the present to satisfy their customers, writes Sara Driscoll

Most channel executives would ike to think they have a reasonable understanding of the SME technology market, the UK business climate and how to solve IT headaches.

The reality, however, is shocking: most of us are clueless as to what end-users want and need, often simply selling kit on the basis of the customer might one day have a problem and it’s better to solve it early.

While we ramble on about the strategic business benefits of leveraging a new technology deployment and other pie-in-the-sky statements, most end-users are simply trying to get their PC to work properly.

The problem is that we live in tomorrow’s world. Resellers of today have become the Howard Stableford and Maggie Philbin of yesteryear. By living, breathing and digesting bits, bytes, feeds and speeds, we have started to be believe our own hype, when the reality is very different.

Think about all of the technology over the past 10 years; how much of it actually became a must-have? Take convergence – it’s been the ‘hot topic’ for four years or so now, and still has yet to become do-or-die technology.

Microsoft last week revealed that, according to You Gov research, a mere 18 per cent of SMEs sell their products or services online. This alters depending on different parts of the country; for example, in the Black Country an amazing half of all SMEs in the region do not even own a PC.

We take for granted how advanced technology has become and make assumptions that all businesses must be ready for it. Not so. Businesses in every part of the country have different business needs, from buying their first PC, to networking 10 PCs together, to file sharing. And it is up to resellers to deliver the most relevant offering, not bamboozle customers with tomorrow’s technology.