Hearing about Tech Data’s updates tool for VARs to help them track renewals for license and warranties, it struck me what a mature attitude the distributor has adopted.

Instead of being precious about its tools and services, the distributor is opening up its MyOpportunity Tracker tool up so that VARs can make note of any renewals, even if they didn’t originally buy the software or hardware through Tech Data. This makes it a real tool for resellers, and not just something the distributor can tick off its list of “Things we must look like we’re doing to help VARs.”

By opening this tool up for all of a VARs renewals, this provides an excellent reminder services for VARs–a service which while may seem basic, but in fact can help drive revenue. Indeed the distributor told me that renewal rates go up by double (if the VAR is currently under 50 per cent renewal rate) and that is not a figure to be sneezed at.

It feels as though Tech Data has taken a look at what its VARs needed–that is, one source from which to track ALL renewals (rather than having one tool with one distributor, another tool from another vendor, and spending all day logging in and out of the various online tools from all their distributors). This not only saves VARs time, but it helps them make money.

While of course Tech Data is not doing this out of the goodness of its heart–the firm hopes of course that any renewals or warranties that it reminds VARs about will be purchased from it–the fact that it has grown up enough to open this service up in such a way smacks of a very healthy attitude toward the channel.

Rivals, take note.

Distribution Grows Up

Sara Driscoll

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