Manda Banda is Lynchpin Media ’ s Deputy Managing Editor and Editor of Intelligent CIO Middle East and Intelligent CIO Africa .

partners . The Coronavirus pandemic

has had adverse effects on the IT sector

in particular channel partners that are

involved in the reselling of IT products .

Aside from that , the other issue impacting

resellers in the channel today is the usual

cash flow , credit squeeze and the volatility

of currencies especially in emerging

economies in Africa . Another issue that

is a thorn in partners businesses is the

prolonged payment cycles which can have

adverse effects on cash flow management .

Given the current uncertainty in the

market , partners are being urged to adopt

new ways of interacting with their end user

customers as generic messages to clients

and prospective customers are losing their

effectiveness and no longer guarantee new

business wins or increased sales .

The art of selling is not by luck but needs

to be mastered by every channel partner

involved in the IT industry .

Understanding what exactly your client

wants and recommending the solution that

suits them best will not only win you new

business but ensure that your customer

views you as their trusted business advisor

and not just an IT solutions provider .

And given that sales in the PC sector

have dipped over the last several quarters ,

growing sales in a market which is volatile ,

IT spending is down and most importantly

customers are demanding more from

resellers for less money , it can be hard to

strike the balance . So how should partners

navigate this ?

I believe value-adding and not just

pitching a brand and its hardware products

is what is needed in the channel . Far too

often , resellers get into the comfort zone

and rely only on the vendor brands or

hardware product they sell .

Certainly from my perspective , I would

like to urge channel partners to be offering

value-added services , such as pre- and

post-sales services , scoping and designing

of solutions , consultancy , proof of concept

( PoC ) and offering professional services as in

when the client needs such .

That said , to be able to do this , resellers

need to invest in training or areas of their

business that will be enabled to competently

provide these much needed value-added

services in the market .

Channel partnering is nothing new in

the IT industry . To grow any business , one

needs skill sets to deliver comprehensive

technology offerings . What I have

discovered over the years of working

with channel organisations is that in this

business , the hardware business is a good

starting point to drive a recurring revenue

Staying abreast with what is happening in the market ensures that you are able to recommend the right technology or solution in the nick of time .

services business . Any partner that serves their customers competently and efficiently will be more likely considered or asked to offers services by the same customer because it becomes more practical from a relationship and account management standpoint . Also , partners need to be very active and get updated with the latest trends and technologies in the market . Staying abreast with what is happening in the market ensures that you are able to recommend the right technology or solution in the nick of time .

With the pace at which the regional channel and IT market is evolving , channel partners cannot afford to rely on their past successes . In this cutthroat market , savvy resellers are always looking for more

24