At a meeting Thursday of The International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners (IAMCP) led by Howard Cohen, NYC IAMCP chapter president and U.S. IAMCP communications chair, marketing experts discussed effective methods that VARs can use to reach, penetrate and win business in the channel.

1. Touch

Yes, you can touch this. "Touch" is the point of connection you can make with prospective clients, and according to Eric Rabinowitz, co-founder, Nurture Institute, is a valuable marketing tool.

"Touch gives you an opportunity to really reach your client, whether it's through direct mail, events or other means. But you need to look at your marketplace and find the most appropriate 'touch' to reach customers."

That means that if you're trying to win over a client in a specific vertical, tailor your touch to that sector.

"You have to understand the industry and what it is the people are looking for," said Microsoft Certified Gold Partner Joshua Lande, an account manager at Maureen Data Systems in New York. "You have to prove what you've done and show its business relevance."

2. Don't Confuse Your Sales And Marketing Strategies

Too many messages will only confuse clients, the panel argued, and often means losing a sale. Each side -- marketing and sales -- needs to know what the other is doing so that the efforts can be complementary. Does your marketing team know what to do to help your sales team? Is your sales team up to date on all of your marketing efforts?

"You need to integrate both sides," said Karl Joseph Ufert, co-founder, president and principal partner of Mitra Creative, a New York-based marketing communications firm. "Often, one doesn't know what the other is doing. You need to have one central message before launching a sales program."

3. Use Web 2.0/Social Networking

What can you do if your marketing budget is little to none? Take advantage of what's free. Blogs are one way to call attention to your business. Social networking sites are also free and attract a lot of people.

Two good sites are LinkedIn, a networking site aimed at professionals, and Facebook, which is more social. At both sites, members can post profiles of themselves, list areas of expertise, accomplishments, recommendations and contact information. Additionally, on both sites you'll find groups of people with similar interests or backgrounds.

On LinkedIn, for example, there is a group named VAR Talk, which has 761 members. In this group, members are encouraged to share best practices, trends, advice for closing deals, manufacturer feedback and anything that helps VARs, resellers and distributors survive in today's challenging environment.

And unlike a business homepage, user pages don't stay static because information is constantly added and updated.

4. No More Hard Sells

Forget the hard sell. It's old school and is a real turn-off anyway. Those types of tactics won't fly in this type of economy where people are not so willing to open their wallets and are resistant to pressure.

Instead, let clients and prospects know why you're the perfect candidate to help their business. Don't tell them, show them. For example, offer them valuable information by giving them free white papers or briefings. Especially today, it feels good to get something for nothing. It also will help them associate the information with you in the role of a trusted adviser, and in any economy, trust matters.

Chad Berndtson contributed to this article.