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VARs need to learn from the success of Dell, and get tough with their partners

Thirteen consecutive quarters of beating expectations, sales up by 21 per cent and profit up by 22 per cent on last year, and seven consecutive quarters of product shipment and profit growth of more than 20 per cent.

It's pretty impressive stuff from Dell, isn't it? The direct vendor also has strategic alliances with some major players, including EMC, Oracle and SAP, and has both services and financial arms to help customers through the entire sales process.

But instead of looking at these facts as threatening and wondering what resellers should be adding to their arsenal to fight Dell, VARs need to look and learn from the direct vendor.

Partnering with many, not few, is where Dell excels. It has its fingers in most technology pies, but most important, it pushes those partners to supply exactly what it wants.

There may be a plethora of vendors developing 'channel-friendly' policies and claiming they are ready, willing and able to help their channel partners.

But resellers need to examine carefully how many are proactive in helping their VARs before they consider a partnership. It is fine being able to talk the talk about a shiny new channel programme, but what resellers really need is action.

But conversely, how many channel partners are actively pushing these vendors to help them? Dell impels its partners until it has exactly what its business needs, and this is what resellers need to learn.

VARs should be pushing vendors to come out on deals with them to help secure business. They should be implementing training days for VAR sales staff, securing marketing funds to help with promotions and having regular catch-up meetings. And with many vendors running scared from Dell, they should be willing to help.

Resellers need to ask their distributors for action too. Seeing a deal through from its inception, design and implementation, and helping with customers' full requirements, such as services and after-care, is where distributors can help resellers beat Dell.

Resellers need to get tough with their partners if they stand any chance of ever becoming weapons of mass Dell-struction.