Comments on: Has HP Betrayed Small Business VARs? http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/ What's Next In the IT Channel Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:07:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Just A Girl http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/comment-page-1/#comment-79844 Just A Girl Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:21:01 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/#comment-79844 It seems like Dell is quick to point fingers. Especially since they are just entering the "channel friendly" world. I think you hit it right on the head when you said "In recent months" CDW has been working on their channel relationships for years. Putting extra focus on small business is the only way to salvage that part of the market in these times. Dell loves to draw attention away from their own issues, and point fingers as quickly as possible. It seems like Dell is quick to point fingers. Especially since they are just entering the “channel friendly” world. I think you hit it right on the head when you said “In recent months” CDW has been working on their channel relationships for years. Putting extra focus on small business is the only way to salvage that part of the market in these times. Dell loves to draw attention away from their own issues, and point fingers as quickly as possible.

]]> By: The VAR Guy http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/comment-page-1/#comment-77954 The VAR Guy Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:20:59 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/#comment-77954 Follow-up story on CRN describing how HP will also support other small business VARs. <a href="http://www.crn.com/small-business/210002223?cid=ChannelWebBreakingNews" rel="nofollow">Details here</a>. Follow-up story on CRN describing how HP will also support other small business VARs. Details here.

]]> By: The VAR Guy http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/comment-page-1/#comment-77870 The VAR Guy Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:51:50 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/#comment-77870 Lane: The VAR Guy agrees - it's good business for HP to work closely with its resellers. But there's a difference between partnering and playing favorites. Your blog over on <a href="http://mspalliance.blogspot.com/2008/08/when-vendors-become-competition.html" rel="nofollow">MSPAlliance's site</a> hit the nail on the head, tho: Some vendors are increasingly competing with VARs and MSPs. Instead of complaining, VARs and MSPs should focus far more on their own sales lead efforts and stop begging vendors for leads. Lane: The VAR Guy agrees – it’s good business for HP to work closely with its resellers. But there’s a difference between partnering and playing favorites.

Your blog over on MSPAlliance’s site hit the nail on the head, tho: Some vendors are increasingly competing with VARs and MSPs. Instead of complaining, VARs and MSPs should focus far more on their own sales lead efforts and stop begging vendors for leads.

]]> By: Lane Smith http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/comment-page-1/#comment-77867 Lane Smith Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:45:24 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/#comment-77867 I think that you are missing something here, CDW is NOT a vendor, they are an HP VAR. I believe they are in fact their largest VAR. So what HP has done is created a tighter relationship with their largest VAR, one that has a lot of penetration in the SMB market and is known for it's excellent customer service. Sure HP is funding one VAR (not a vendor) but that is how MDF works, the more you sell the more you get. I am sure that HP continues to provide MDF to their other VARs as well, however in proportion to their volume of HP sales. I don't see this as favoring CDW, I just see it as good business. I think that you are missing something here, CDW is NOT a vendor, they are an HP VAR. I believe they are in fact their largest VAR. So what HP has done is created a tighter relationship with their largest VAR, one that has a lot of penetration in the SMB market and is known for it’s excellent customer service.

Sure HP is funding one VAR (not a vendor) but that is how MDF works, the more you sell the more you get. I am sure that HP continues to provide MDF to their other VARs as well, however in proportion to their volume of HP sales.

I don’t see this as favoring CDW, I just see it as good business.

]]> By: The VAR Guy http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/comment-page-1/#comment-77657 The VAR Guy Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:45:41 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/#comment-77657 The VAR Guy is about to shock some readers (surprise, surprise). On some levels, he doesn't care about the HP-CDW relationship. Any VAR that's competing purely on product price is doomed. Break-fix VARs and product resellers will surely lose business to HP-CDW. But more sophisticated folks -- especially those who have moved onto <a href="http://www.mspmentor.net" rel="nofollow">managed services</a>, SaaS and custom open source will be around for a long time to come. Still, it's always fun to stir up a little controversy. No doubt the folks at Everything Channel live for that. The VAR Guy is about to shock some readers (surprise, surprise). On some levels, he doesn’t care about the HP-CDW relationship. Any VAR that’s competing purely on product price is doomed.

Break-fix VARs and product resellers will surely lose business to HP-CDW. But more sophisticated folks — especially those who have moved onto managed services, SaaS and custom open source will be around for a long time to come.

Still, it’s always fun to stir up a little controversy. No doubt the folks at Everything Channel live for that.

]]> By: APaxtonatDell http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/comment-page-1/#comment-77656 APaxtonatDell Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:24:58 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/08/has-hp-betrayed-small-business-vars/#comment-77656 VAR Guy, HP just dug in deeper with its biggest vendor and is a perfect example of HP funding one partner over the other. At Dell, we work with our partners in offering them the size and scalability of Dell’s business model to offload costs and actually compete with businesses like CDW. We at least make it clear that channel partners and their customers are our priority, whereas with HP/CDW, you’re not too sure where you stand. Thank you, APaxtonatDell Channel Community Manager VAR Guy,

HP just dug in deeper with its biggest vendor and is a perfect example of HP funding one partner over the other. At Dell, we work with our partners in offering them the size and scalability of Dell’s business model to offload costs and actually compete with businesses like CDW. We at least make it clear that channel partners and their customers are our priority, whereas with HP/CDW, you’re not too sure where you stand.

Thank you,
APaxtonatDell
Channel Community Manager

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