SPONSORED: Q&A with HP's Neil Sawyer
The vendor's commercial channel director UK and Ireland explains what making the shortlist means to HP, and how important it is to recognise the hard work done by sales and marketing teams throughout the year
What does being shortlisted in the awards mean to HP?
It is a real privilege to be able to acknowledge the great work the whole team and our partners are doing in the field of channel sales and marketing.
Inevitably there is a strong feeling of energy and pride when someone is recognised for great work in the key projects driving our partner development.
Do you think the channel does a good enough job of shouting about its sales and marketing achievements? Why, why not?
There's certainly room for improvement here. One of the main things we can all do a better job of is to use any awards or industry recognition events to thank the people who have contributed to the success of key projects and investments.
Sometimes I think there is a caginess to share things that have worked well as it may give someone else a competitive edge.
What achievement is the HP sales and marketing team most proud of this year so far?
Every year we have our partner training event called the Partner First Roadshow. It is attended by literally hundreds of channel partners. Just looking at how diverse our partner base is now and the type of solutions/technologies we are selling together means that this event has taken on a renewed level of importance and focus.
Additionally, our prime message for workplace technology and services is that our Print and Personal Systems products are the most secure in the world. It has been amazing to see how all our partners are embracing this and using it as the key message in their training, sales floor days and marketing to end customers - especially at a time when there are heightened discussions around how to avoid a data breach or hack.
Finally, the sheer number of sales floor days we do across over 100 channel partner offices makes me proud. These event take a high level of collaboration across the HP team and have become a real strength for us.
Will HP be investing further in its sales and marketing teams this year? Can you elaborate?
We have loads going on at the moment. Our investment in the right people, lead generation for the channel, and cross-pollinating our existing customer base with Printing and/or Personal Systems technology are our main focus areas.
We are constantly coming up with new ideas focussed on generating more business for the channel.
What would winning a sales and marketing award mean for your team morale?
Every Monday morning we have a briefing for the whole business - and there is nothing more satisfying then when we have a good news story to share.
If I may say one thing, channel marketing teams are often not recognised as often as they should be. I know how hard my team work and they deserve all the credit they get.
What are you all most looking forward to on the night?
Aside from having the chance to say thanks to those people who deserve the credit for their hard work, it's always nice to catch up with industry colleagues and pals.