Gearing up for growth with ongoing education

Targeted partner education is the way forward, says Wayne Gratton

Gratton: Education, training and networking are now crucial

Channel players must get more creative if they are to achieve growth. It is not enough to merely match technologies with channel partners; going the extra mile is now par for the course.

Value-added distributors can help their partners out of the recession. This might include providing creative credit plans to facilitate key deals, or helping partners better understand the return on investment (RoI) expectations of chief financial officers.

Softer elements in the management mix, such as education, training and networking, are crucial.

It is important to combine traditional classroom-style training courses with networking events for strategic learning and hands-on training. Online and remote training is flexible and cost-effective. Webinars, for instance, can deliver content at low cost and minimal disruption for partners.

The right training helps close orders, with sales people learning how to speak confidently to the customer. Feedback from our partners suggests that confidence is one of the most valuable takeaways.

About 700 delegates attending our recent education events have learned about the latest products and services from many vendors, such as Aruba, CommVault, F5, Juniper, Microsoft, Motorola, Netcordia, SecurEnvoy, Tippingpoint and VMware.

They have discovered more about technologies such as unified communications (UC), networking and security, and been advised on vertical markets, such as financial services. Our IBM sales training ‘bootcamps’ attracted some 130 attendees.

While a webinar may work well for a lesson on licensing, a speed-dating-style event might work better when the objective is also about connecting people from different organisations.

Sector-specific events also prove popular, because like-minded business partners and vendors can discuss challenges and solutions in more detail than at generic events.

While training and networking are essential, partners must also bring technology to life for potential customers. If customers can view real-life applications and see resellers replicate a customer’s technology environment, they can gain confidence that a solution will work for them and go right from the start.

The trick is to connect business partners to more customers and solutions, helping them identify opportunities for growth. Training, communication and networking are vital to this process whatever the market conditions.

Wayne Gratton is director of technology at Avnet Technology Solutions