Caution urged for VARs making enterprise move

Nimans and Avaya advise SME resellers to take a softly-softly approach to bagging higher end sales

Nimans hosted the one-day course at its Manchester headquarters

Comms distributor Nimans and vendor partner Avaya have been educating SME resellers about the risks involved in branching into the enterprise space.

The Mancunian distributor has had access to the full Avaya portfolio, including high-end enterprise wares, for the last six months. Since then Nimans has invested in training schemes to bring historically SME-focused VARs up to speed on the technology.

Avaya and Nimans recently held a one-day course in Manchester encouraging resellers to take a cautious approach to the enterprise market. Avaya's distribution director Rob Wiles counselled partners against overreaching in their early forays into the market.

"Do not go after the biggest opportunities you can find, put your heart and soul into it and then risk falling flat on your face," he said. "Be selective and pick the opportunities you are likely to win. These deals can take a lot of time and are completely different to SME customers.”

Sarah Linnett, Nimans' Avaya business manager, added: "These type of training exercises play a fundamental role in equipping customers with the confidence and knowledge to move forward. More dates are planned for the near future, following on from successful events at Manchester and also Guildford.”