Is It Time To Cut Ties?

These days, when solution providers "specialize," it's usually along the lines of some industry vertical that aligns much more tightly with their customerthat's where their true allegiance must lie. Or they may shine in an emerging technology, such as tablet PCs or WAN optimization, and focus energy and technical investments on becoming an expert in that field across several different players. Sometimes, the two interests mergesuch as a health-care VAR that happens to be an expert in wireless mobility applications.

By specializing, you not only make a conscious decision about what to embrace, you signal to the world what you are willing to leave behind.

I was at a conference last week held by the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals where it was suggested more than once that there will be a dramatic reduction over the next 18 months in the number of partners some high-tech vendors will actively support. Certainly, you've already seen companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Autodesk take steps to discourage certain partners and prop up others that invest more in the relationship. The good news is that at least these and other vendors are willing to acknowledge they haven't done a good job of mining the gold that was already theremaybe a smaller partner that didn't look so hot on the spreadsheets until someone realized he or she was loyal to the vendor's products close to 70 percent of the time. Or the VAR that, quite simply, had never been "activated."

The coming months will bring interesting introspection on the part of both vendors and solution providers. Here's hoping the channel is as diligent about studying the true value of each vendor relationship and cutting ties proactively where appropriatefreeing up their resources to align more with the companies whose interests more closely dovetail their ownand those of their customers. At the conference last week, Buck Jones, an executive with CRN Fast Growth 100 solution provider Mobius Partners, put it best: "Don't pretend to be something you are not." Amen to that.

Are you taking steps to reduce unhealthy relationships? HEATHER CLANCY, Editor at CRN, appreciates feedback at [email protected].