VARs pick vendors by word of mouth

Peer and supplier recommendations pivotal in determining which manufacturers resellers choose to add to their portfolio, finds poll

Peer recommendations and word of mouth play a vital role in determining which new vendors resellers choose to take on, according to research.

The poll quizzed 150 UK technology resellers, VARs and SIs about how often and for what reason they typically seek new partners and which communication platforms, content and messages they rely on to make decisions.

And it seems there is no easy way to take the channel by storm, with new entrants most likely to impress potential partners by first establishing a solid reputation among their peers and suppliers.

Here are the scores out of 10 when asked where vendors need to be seen or heard:

Peer recommendation 8.61
Word of mouth 8.05
Distributor recommendation 7.53
Industry events and trade shows 7.24
Industry analysts 6.75
Internet search 6.31
Trade press coverage 5.79
National press coverage 4.44
Social media 4.02

In terms of the messages vendors should use, the emphasis was on technology, rather than commercials, with specs and performance and the customer demand for that technology category seen as the two most desirable traits:

The technology's specs and performance 9.74
Customer demand for tech category 9.19
Vendor's company stability 8.92
Provision of support structure 8.46
Customer demand for specific brand 8.06
An attractive commission structure 7.42
Deal reg process and protection of leads from vendor's direct sales 7.32
The vendor's development road map 6.62
Local support resource 6.03
Strong training programme 5.67

"The channel tends to first look to current contacts when researching new vendors," said Will Gardiner, head of business technology at PR firm CCgroup, which carried out the research.

"This natural tendency simply emphasises the importance of building a strong, recognisable profile in order to reach not only channel decision makers, but also those that influence them."