Distribute your talents

Some people have argued that having too many awards programmes and ceremonies not only devalues the programmes themselves but the industries they are ostensibly set up to promote. However, while there are many vendor awards programmes in the IT sector, there have been none that specifically reward the absolutely crucial sales and marketing part of the equation.

Until now, that is. CRN’s upcoming Sales and Marketing Awards (the SMAs, if you will) ceremony is set to be a properly glitzy occasion that not only addresses this overlooked area of incentivisation but also delineates entrants by whether they work for a reseller, a distributor or a vendor.

Distribution at times can feel like something of a forgotten element. With a business model that sits in between that of a vendor or manufacturer and the reseller that deals with end users, distributors can be only too conscious of their apparent opacity to the customer - especially in a world where cloud computing and other non-traditional technology-related offerings are moving ever more to the fore.

Against the backdrop of myriad, diverse services offerings, consultation combinations, VAR bundles, and direct vendor-VAR partnerships, the role of the distributor can appear - rightly or wrongly - to simply blend in.

This is is why it is so important that the sales and marketing professionals and teams working at UK distributors get involved in the SMAs.

Entries are FREE and must be made online, and close on Friday 30 March 2012 at 5pm sharp. Winners will be announced at a slap-up ceremony on 21 June at the five-star Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, west London.

■ If you require more information, please contact Louise Forder at [email protected] or on 020 7004 7435.

DISTRIBUTOR CATEGORIES

Best Sales and Marketing Support Team

Staff Incentive Scheme of the Year

Best Channel Education of Training Team

Best Marketing Campaign

Sales Person of the Year

Marketer of the Year