Some Goals And Advice For Readers To Think About For The New Year

Most people and companies have set some specific goals for the 12 months to come and put in place some form of measurement to assess their progress.

Solution providers are no different, and hopefully every one of you has set some new business and professional objectives for the coming year. If not, here are a few you ought to think about.

First and foremost, don't become complacent about your suppliers, be they distributors or vendors. Just because you have done business with them in the past doesn't mean you should continue doing business with them in the future.

Vendors, in particular, continuously evaluate their channel partners. You should do the same with your vendors, giving them feedback as to where they can improve. Plus, it never hurts to do some business with a vendor's competitor so you can shift business to whichever company you believe is a better partner for the long term.

As for distribution suppliers, the differences among them are becoming more pronounced. Just three years ago, it was difficult to discern the differences between the large broadline distributors. There just weren't that many points of differentiation, and those that existed were compensated for quickly. That is no longer the case, and I can guarantee you that the differences will become even more pronounced in the future.

You should commit to driving into at least one new business area,preferably more,this year without overextending yourself. You could explore a new vertical market or a new technical arena. In any case, no business will survive over the long haul merely by doing what it has done in the past.

I'm a big believer in the wireless market because I believe it will enable solution providers to sell new capabilities to large and small businesses that will help them become more efficient. The wireless infrastructure needs to be in place first, but that is surely happening. Solution providers can't go wrong by watching this segment closely and participating early.

You should also be involved with Linux if you aren't already. The market for Linux is clearly growing, and I believe it will offer a great deal of opportunity in the future.

It's also a good idea to dedicate at least one day a month to improving your own personal skills. You can never have too many certifications or be too knowledgeable about an emerging technology. Customers turn to solution providers as much for what they know as for what they do. Most midsize and large corporations have cut their IT staffs to the bone, and as they begin to spend more on new projects, they will seek both technical knowledge and implementation capabilities.

You should also commit to spending more time learning about other solution providers' business models with an eye toward fine-tuning your own. To do so, you need to get out and attend solution provider gatherings. CMP events like our XChange conferences (CMP is the parent company of CRN), as well as events held by vendors and distributors, are all worthwhile for different reasons. The one thing they all have in common, however, is that they offer you an opportunity to talk to other business owners that face the same problems you do. When we survey attendees of our XChange conferences, for example, the feedback on the value of interacting with other solution providers is always very positive.

So there you have it. I hope I've given you a few ideas to help 2003 be a more profitable and enriching year.

Make something happen. I can be reached at (516) 562-7812 or via e-mail at [email protected].