The slowdown notwithstanding, most vendors are having a field day telling partners to start selling their products because these will help customers cut costs. Needless to say, most partners are not willing to bite this bullet. They would rather wait to see someone else sell it and see how he has fared before they step into the arena.

While this prudence is needed in tough times, it might not be a bad idea to take a closer look at what the vendors are selling. Sure enough, customers are unwilling to spend on IT infrastructure right now.

But have you sat down with them and rather than approach them for business, asked them about their pain areas? And instead of offering them the right technology or product, have you considered offering them solutions built around that technology?

This is what some forward thinking solution providers have already started doing in the market. They are finding ways to engage with those customers who are still sitting on the fence when it comes to investing in IT and then trying to find means to increase their productivity without necessarily putting a strain on their financial resources. And customers are apparently willing to listen, if these partners are to be believed.

So don't wait for customers to call you for various projects. Be proactive and see how you can ease your client's IT infrastructure-related pain areas and work out a solution for him. Show him how his business processes can improve and how he will save costs if he opts for the projects and give him specific time lines on when he can expect the return on investment. This is half the battle won for gaining customer confidence.

In short, this is not the time to sell technologies. It's the time to sell solutions around technology instead.

On a different note, in our interactions with people across the board in recent time, we learnt that a lot of them were looking for ways and means to deal with the much hated word-slowdown. There are a lot of theories and suggestions floating all around, but very few with which the solution providing community can relate to.

This is why starting this issue, DQ Channels will have a series of articles on how various players in the industry-vendors and partners alike, are dealing with slowdown. We will focus on the strategies they have employed to stay afloat in this economic tsunami, in the hope that it triggers some similar ideas in our other readers and helps them in their business plans as well.

We will look at reasons why the said companies have changed tracks or embarked on new initiatives and how it will help them deal with the slowdown. If you have employed such strategies in your organization and would like to share it with the channel community, then do let me know.

Another feedback we have been repeatedly receiving is about getting a better understanding of the green concept. This is why we have created a Green Corner column where DQ Channels will explore the various green solutions available in the market, talk to the vendors propagating green on why should solution providers recommend the same to their customers and showcase case studies of green projects.

We are sure these columns will give you more food for thought on what you need to do best for your business in these tough times. And as always, if you have any thoughts to share with us, then we are always willing to lend a listening ear.

Vinita Bhatia
vinitavs@cybermedia.co.in

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