'Good companies thrive in tough times' - Dell EMC's Sarah Shields
The European channel boss talks to CRN about triumphing in a challenging economic climate
The challenges facing businesses in the current economic climate should be embraced, stated Sarah Shields, Dell EMC's VP of enterprise channel for Europe.
Economic analysts have warned about an impending global recession based on the US-China trade war, the latter's own contracting economy, Germany's declining economy and the fallout from Brexit, deal or no deal.
These fears were further compounded by the recent publication of the government's Yellowhammer report, which outlined its plans to handle the UK's withdrawal from the EU without a deal, throwing into stark relief the challenges that businesses, particularly SMBs, would face in such a scenario.
However, Shields (pictured) said that trying times can be used by businesses to prove their abilities and their strength.
"Yes, the last five years have been brilliant," she told CRN, echoing Mike Norris' message to the channel at last week's European Channel Leadership Forum.
"But tough times are when good companies thrive. In a good way, it is boring when a market is on fire.
"Where true companies show their mettle is when times get tough - this is when you've really got to be the best at what you do.
"I love it when things get tough because it's when you really show your true strength. This is where you show true partnership in the channel; where you really engage from the boardroom right the way down to the sales floor in building robust relationships and really working together.
"This gives me a bit of fuel because you know somebody has to win. IT requirements are still going to be there, now you've just got to work harder to get them."
Analyst IDC recently reported the first contraction in global server revenue after nine quarters of "historic" growth. Dell shared the top spot with rival HPE for most market share, though both suffered a year-on-year decline in Q2 2019.
Despite this, Shields remains optimistic about Dell EMC's performance for the oncoming quarters.
"It's going to be tough going forward, I have no doubt," she stated.
"But what's critical is making sure that you are relevant and that you are absolutely understanding your customer needs and that you can target those needs directly.
"We've been really good at that. Our server revenues have continued to be up and all our orders are continuing to be up, so all's fine.
"For the remainder of this year, and certainly going into next year, it's all about looking for the customer sweet spots and building those transformational solutions rather than just shifting tin."