Nice guys finish last

Sara Yirrell dances with the issue of nice companies

Sara Yirrell: Being a 'nice' company just will not cut the mustard in 2009

I have a confession to make.

I am an avid fan of Strictly Come Dancing and watch it religiously each week. If I am out, I will record it and watch it as soon as possible.

Last weekend was a travesty of justice in my opinion with a great dancer, Cherie Lungi, being kicked off, and political journalist John Sergeant, who let’s face it cannot dance for toffee, was
carried through to the next round on a wave of public support.

However last week he slightly ruined the tone of my column by dropping out three days before the next dance off. Fair play to him though ­ he had to go.

Believe it or not there is an analogy here for the channel.

This week two major channel players ­ Oracle and DNS Arrow ­ have pledged to plough resources into their top-performing partners. Those that can stay light on their feet and provide return on investment are the ones that win the votes.

Unfortunately, those firms that still have a slightly clunky and perhaps less coordinated business model, will be left to fend for themselves as the difficult times begin to bite. Being a ‘nice’ company just will not cut the mustard in 2009.

Analysts have said this is a trend all the main channel players will follow in the coming months.

Those firms that so far have been carried along on a wave of goodwill and luck will soon find themselves voted off the stage or forced to bow out.

Just like John Sergeant.

Sara Yirrell is editor of CRN ­ [email protected]