Dell EMC's Tomlin courts partners as vendor looks to double UK business

Attendees of Tech Data Live partner event heard how the vendor is out to recruit as many new partners as possible

Dell EMC is out to double its business in the UK and Ireland and needs more partners to do so, its UK channel boss Rob Tomlin said during his keynote presentation at Tech Data Live.

The former Tech Data exec told the audience at the distie's annual partner event that more than half of the tech giant's $91bn (£73.7bn) revenue comes via the channel.

Tomlin (pictured) also expressed his surprise at how little partners understand the partnering structures in place and the benefits they can draw from their partnership.

"We've got a $2bn-plus channel business in the UK and that's been growing in double digits over the last three years - the UK last year grew 30 per cent in the U&I channel and we are seeing a similar growth pattern this year," he said.

"One of the things that strikes me is how many partners don't understand our programme and how to make rebates or profitability."

He went on to explain the vendor's Gold, Platinum and Titanium tiers to the audience, before talking about what Dell EMC values the most in a partnership: trust.

The vendor's parent company Dell Technologies famously started out selling direct before implementing an indirect model in 2007.

"Let me talk about the elephant in the room, which is trust," he said.

"The reality is, everything is built on trust and I think over the last 10 years - I know this from my old job at Tech Data - working with Dell, from being a non-channel business to being all-in with channel, has been a journey.

"Our deal registration programme is rock solid. Once we've accepted a deal reg from a partner, we absolutely will not move; to get us to change a deal reg can be frustrating at times because once we've said we're going to do something, we do it.

"I think the registration process is the best in the market and that should give you confidence as partners that to work with Dell once we've accepted a deal reg is absolutely a trusting thing to do.

"And trust goes both ways; we need to work with our partners to set very clear business plans and mapping together to go to market and win in the marketplace. Trust is at the core of our channel and something we are very proud of in our business."

The channel boss added that any success that Dell sees will be reflected on partners and that it is out to work with as many in the UK as it can in order to fulfil that ambition.

"As an organisation in the UK, we're very proud of the progress we made in the channel," he said.

"We have a great partnership with Tech Data and we have a great partnership with many of you in the room.

"There isn't a line of business where we don't have an opportunity to grow and our partners are winning with us on a daily basis.

"We have ambitions to double our channel business in the UK&I and that's in line with growing our overall business. We want to work with as many of you in the room as possible to grow incremental net new business."