EDITORIAL - Of minks and manufacturers

There can't have been many people who didn't talk about the deliberate escape of 6,000 minks over a pint or two last week. Well, it's better than discussing the weather, isn't it? Last year, the nation was gripped by the progress of the pigs; this year we have the mink movement through the New Forest.

Now, the debate in the pub will not have been about how many owls and pigs have been killed by the minks, but whether they should have been let out or not. While one side will argue that the animals should have been liberated, the other will claim they had no right to freedom because they can't fend for themselves.

No matter which side of the argument you are on, this 'should they or shouldn't they' debate can also be applied to the tempestuous relationship that resellers enjoy - or surely the word here should be endure - with their manufacturers.

It would appear that some vendors, in particular IBM, are deploying bully boy tactics to get their own way.

When reading this week's feature on direct selling, which starts on page 14, it seems incredulous that in an industry which is supposed to have a professional image, vendors are managing to scare their resellers into accepting the fact they will try to usurp them over deals, in the vendors' desperation to go direct.

If someone could explain why the industry is paranoid about Dell, we would like to hear their views. Why do manufacturers feel they have to ape Dell and sell direct themselves? Sure, Dell has been successful in teaching the customer that you can buy PCs direct, but its service and support go nowhere near what resellers can and should offer.

Now is the time for resellers to band together and fight off manufacturers' scaremongering tactics. If everyone turned around to the vendors and said, 'enough is enough', maybe the vendors would think twice about selling direct and ruining people's businesses. Can you imagine what your account manager at vendor X would say if you decided to stop pushing its kit and instead sell manufacturer Y's because it supported the channel? His response would be unprintable in a family magazine.

So, make a stand and tell those manufacturers where to go. If they don't support your business, you don't need them. Beware of all those manufacturers that ask you to hand over your customer details. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for those minks.