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Dell Enables Partners to Grow IT Business

“It is not a fair-weather partnership.”

This is how channel partners, which include distributors and resellers, describe the brand of partnership that must exist between them and the IT manufacturers they work with. Unlike the retail-store-model of business relationship, a channel partner cannot just order stocks from the manufacturer and deliver it to the customers — whether they may be corporate consumers or individual users.

In a constantly evolving IT industry and continuously developing market, IT manufacturers and its channel partners must work together to weather market challenges and remain resilient amidst various economic changes. While channel partners contribute to the business growth of the IT firms and vice-versa, their relationship must encompass financial growth.

Dell, for example, has managed to establish a healthy, dynamic and mutually-beneficial business relationship with its channel partners.

Improving business culture

“When Dell first came here to penetrate the Philippine market, we were the first ones who embraced them,” shared Accent Micro Technologies, Inc. (AMTI) President Allyxon Cua. Being the longest channel partner of Dell in the Philippines, AMTI eventually embraced and adapted the IT giant’s business culture. “We were even jokingly dubbed as Dell Philippines,” Cua said.

Accent Micro Technologies, Inc. (AMTI) President, Allyxon Cua
Cua shares that aside from technology transfer, there was also knowledge transfer on how to do their operations in a more systematic and efficient manner. “If you visit our office and see our people, they move like Dell. They are quick and dynamic; the speed of Dell. That is how our company grew.”

Cua was quick to admit that Dell helped them grow their business by teaching them how to have the right business culture, how to measure their success and how to grow the market.

With their continuous positive performance, AMTI is thinking of eventually venturing into the regional scene to further harness its strength and to continue delivering the value of business partnership to its customers. It is, after all, a win-win business mindset for AMTI and for Dell.

Expanding customer base

Amidst the tight competition among IT manufacturers worldwide, channel partners must always make sure that they sell most, if not all, of the products in their inventory. With Dell, channel partners expanded their market and gained a competitive advantage over other distributors or resellers in their areas.

“When we took on Dell, we pitched its products to a new set of customers. This sparked an expansion of the market for us, thus promoting our growth as a distributor,” testified Philippine-based Integrated Computer Systems, Inc. (ICS) Vice President Wilson Lim.

Starting their business partnership in 2001 “over lunch”, Lim shared that Dell’s cutting-edge and wide range of products from desktops, notebooks, storage and servers enabled them to cater to more new clients. “ICS was able to build a strong customer base, and it is continuously expanding,” he added. He noted that Dell has something new for the customer to further improve their businesses because they endeavor to know their customers’ business concerns.

Lim believes that Dell has worked very well in terms of driving business development and success among their channel partners. “I think what Dell is doing is on the right track,” he remarked.

Assuring customer satisfaction

The responsibility of channel partners does not end when they deliver the product to their customers. As mentioned earlier, the relationship transcends the retail-store model. And to offer the highest quality of service, the channel partner must work hand-in-hand with the IT manufacturer.

In the case of Dell, it has helped its channel partners in the Philippines to serve their consumers well. “Knowing the customer well: it is something that is built into the culture of Dell,” says Philippine-based corporate reseller Phil-Data Business Systems, Inc. President Rudolph Ng.

According to Ng, Dell has always been in the position to customize the needs of their consumers on a worldwide basis and this method has helped Phil-Data in providing the needs of their customers. In fact, Dell has introduced the concept of “configure-to-order” in the IT market. This system allows them to provide products that are factory-configured according to the specific needs of their customers.

In addition, Dell’s operational efficiency empowered the channel partners in terms of maintaining customer satisfaction. Units, parts and services are available whenever customers need it or request for assistance.

Transcending boundaries

Even in other parts of the region, Dell has shown and established the brand of relationship a channel partner must share with the IT manufacturer.

IT solutions and managed services provider Solsis CEO, Cheam Tat Inn, shares that Dell’s rapid response system has improved their customer care. “One of Dell’s key strengths is their manufacturing versatility. By partnering with Dell, we can deliver solutions to large enterprise organizations under tight timeframes,” Inn remarked.

Cheam Tat Inn (Solsis CEO) and Sallahudin Abdul Rahman (General Manager of Malaysian-based POIS).

In addition, Dell’s industry expertise aids channel partners in gaining competitive advantage over other sellers or distributors, thus inviting more customers to purchase products from them. According to the General Manager of Malaysian-based POIS, Sallahudin Abdul Rahman, their partnership with Dell has allowed them to offer more complete solutions to their customers.

Macro-economic benefits

In the macro setting, the resilience and strong market performance of these channel partners have not only improved their businesses, but also increased job availability and ultimately improved the local economy. “We help local SME’s become more competitive and be at par with the multinational players,” explained Allyxon Cua.

And everything happened because of the strategic relationship based on transparency, trust and generosity between Dell and its channel partners.