Why the distributor, or to Whom crisis is useful is necessary

Distribution is perceived by many as business, rather "inert" in comparison with other segments of IT market. It not absolutely so: certainly, the distributor can take a passive position, and then products will be on sale all the same, and vendors - to come. But there is no great success in such "intermediary" business model and will not be. If the task of the distributor consisted only in resale of shrink-wrapped software products - he would take the place of "an excess link" in a food chain between vendors and partners long ago. In "peace time" when the market grows, the distributor is able to afford to be limited to providing encouragement and preferential terms to the partners. However it is not a panacea: the distributor should be active, follow constantly the market and try to be ahead of him. The partner often has no opportunity to objectively estimate all market. The distributor has such opportunity, and in time to specify to the partner the new direction sometimes is vital both for the distributor, and for the partner.

Not so long ago, working together with Microsoft Rus on the next affiliate program, we understood that at partners less and less motivation to expand business by means of sales of products of corporation. The problem consisted, of course, not in products of Microsoft, an in that model of sales which was used by partners. Against the background of a general boom of legalization when the organizations purchased operating systems and the office suite of programs, most of Microsoft partners in Russia - especially in regions - constructed the business around sales of "boxed solutions". Further the situation developed extremely predictably: the market was quickly saturated, the offer became big, and demand - small. It became possible to compete, only reducing the price to minimum - hardly paying for itself. In completion of partner adversities burst crisis.

What is done in that case by the classical distributor? As a rule, provides solution to vendor. However the partner is the main value and the distributor, and vendor. If the partner has problems, they first of all will affect the distributor, and already then - on vendor. Proceeding from it, we began to look for the solution together with Microsoft. The answer to our questions lay far from traditional trainings, encouragement and bonuses which are most often used as motivational means, but the problem is not removed. Actually, we had to change business partners, having reoriented them on sale of solutions and services, but not boxes. Such approach demanded considerable labor costs, and it helped not only to save partners, but also to create strong, sure players of the market in which demand is rather high.

Problems of distribution, in general, come down not only and not just to resale of products or logistics. The distributor who wants to develop the business should think first of all of expansion of business of partners, and is obliged to find for this purpose new, nonconventional and useful to vendor and the partner methods. Otherwise why the distributor is necessary?