Readers' lives: River dance

The best junket Tim Warner ever went on also included some uncomfortable moments

Warner: Enjoyed South Africa, Mauritius, and even Israel...

What was your first job, and how did you get into IT?
My first job was working the Friday night and all-day Saturday shelf-stacking and check-out shifts at Sainsbury’s. In 1980 I worked for a jet ski hire company and my then girlfriend didn’t want to go back next season, so I had to look for a different job. I applied for sales roles and started with Frontline Distribution.

Planes, trains or automobiles?
None of the above; I associate them all with work. Boats – they’re leisure-oriented.

What sport should be in the Olympics but isn’t?
Rugby. My eight-year old plays rugby and I am a rugby coach, so it would be fantastic for young people, including my son, to be able to become Olympians.

What could prompt you to give it all up and join the revolution?
If I won the lottery, I would pursue one of my passions, such as saving wildlife.

“In my dreams …”
…I’d own a yacht, sail around the Caribbean with my family and invite different sets of friends to join me every week.

What was your best business trip ever?
In 2007 we were flown to Israel for 2-3 days of sales and product training followed by a day of great team activity building rafts on the river Jordan. The final day, attendees had to pitch to different management teams and what was initially attributed to nervousness turned out to be ‘the runs’ with presenters barely able to finish their presentations before dashing to the loo.

What was the best holiday you ever went on?
An eight-day trip to South Africa followed by 10 days in Mauritius. It was my honeymoon and the only time a person in my line of job can afford being off for three weeks.

If you had a week to live, how would you fill it?
I’d spend my time with my wife and two children, and meet relatives and friends.

“I never…”
... switch off from work. If there was one thing that I could de-invent it would be the mobile phone or Blackberry. I recall when holidays were truly work-free. Bliss.

“I always…”
… try to apply logic when solving problems -- being able to make informed decisions is important to me.

Will we see businesses take green ICT more seriously this year?
Businesses will take the green approach if this helps them save costs, but the moment going green costs more money, it loses its appeal. Not many businesses can afford going green if there are no savings to the bottom line.

What does the channel most need to learn to succeed and grow this year?
The channel needs to learn how to sell in a recession and to understand how business drivers have changed. They need to identify business solutions for customers – for example, consolidating multiple functionalities into one solution, resulting in cost savings. This requires in-depth expertise to ensure customers get the best results. Many channel sales people don’t have time to properly understand all their vendors’ products. Training therefore becomes more important, and we all often end up working harder for less.

Do vendors do enough to help their channel?
Probably not. Many take the view that once a customer has chosen the solution the channel partner’s role is only to fulfil. Big mistake! A good channel partner can be vital in closing business and nurturing customer relationships.

Tim Warner is vice president for UK sales at M86 Security