NEW ON CHANNELWEB
FEATURED VIDEO
Sponsored By:
SLIDE SHOWS
Our list of the most innovative executives of the year spotlights the people that are pushing the envelope with new products and channel programs to bring solution providers to new heights.
Find out which executives made the grade and held their own, despite the great IT downturn of 2009.
Most everyone loves Thanksgiving turkeys. But IT industry turkeys? Not so much. We look at 10 examples of 'turkeys' that have disappointed the tech industry this year.
INSIDE CHANNELWEB
<< Previous Chief | Back To 2008 Channel Chiefs | Next Chief >>Steven Smidler, Eaton | Powerware
| Channel Chief Name | Steven Smidler |
| Channel Chief Title | VP Sales - Americas |
| Company and Division | Eaton | Powerware |
| Markets Served: |
Networking |
| Company's overall 2007 revenue: | $13.5 billion |
| Percentage of revenue from solution providers: | 20% |
| Number of years with the company: | 3 |
| Number of years involved with indirect sales: | 25 |
| Number of employees in channel organization: | 85 |
| To whom do you report in your organization? | Tom Gross - President - Eaton Power Quality and Controls Operations |
| Does that individual report to your CEO/president? | One level down |
| Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year: | Establishment of a Field based systems engineering team to assist Resellers and IT Channel partners configure and sell Power back up (UPS) and Power Distribution systems. |
| List up to 10 of your top products sold through the channel: | 1. UPS - Power Back up 2. Rack based power strips, we call them ePDU's. 3. Software for monitoring and controlling your power systems. 4. Services - PM/Service contracts |
| Describe how your partner community has grown over the past year: | We have worked with our partners to expand solutions to their customers, we have made pricing and configurations of Power backup systems easier to deploy. |
| Name the one individual who has had the most profound impact on your life: | My grandfather, and his work ethic. He started a business at 40 and worked this business until he died at 75. His commitment to customer satisfaction and the need to live up to your commitments. |
| Please name the single most innovative initiative for which you were responsible for the past year? | Implementation of a web based database for sales lead distribution, follow up and tracking. We can now measure the ROI of many marketing campaigns and measure our value with our partners by reporting back on new opportunities we brought to their business. |
| What were the key channel partner investments you made in the past year? | Sales lead tracking and database system listed above. Online warranty and product registration, allowing VAR's and Partners to attach an end user contact to their profile. |
| How are you attracting the next generation of solution providers? | Local training and recruitment events. We hired systems engineers that provide local technical assistance to help reduce the amount of time and complexity associated with Power back up configuration. |
| What is the greatest challenge you overcame in the past year? | Lead commodity price increases that drove excessive increases in battery pricing across the global market. |
ADVERTISEMENT
CHANNEL SERVICES >>
