A User Guide To Our 2008 State of the Market Database
We spoke to nearly 800 small, medium and large solution providers about their business operations, technology choices, and plans for 2008. In our 2008 State of the Market research database, you can see how they answered 85 critical questions.
Use these questions and answers to benchmark your operations, get a 'second opinion' on your business plans, and peer into your colleagues and competitors corner offices.
Review our results question-by-question, or use the topic links below to pinpoint the specific questions and answers of most interest to you.
Solution Providers On:
- Their Business Operations
(7 questions) - Their Customers
(9 questions) - Growth Opportunities
(12 questions) - Sales Initiatives For 2008
(13 questions) - Software as a Services Risks and Opportunities
(9 questions) - Solution Provider Technology Choices
(9 questions) - Adding Vendors
(12 questions) - Dropping Vendors
(4 questions) - Solution Provider Revenue and Profit Details
(6 questions) - Hiring Issues
(4 questions)
Solution Providers On Their Business Operations:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
• Choose the best definition of your current business model:
• How long has your company been in business under your current business name?
• How will the scope of your business change in the coming year?
• What are your current concerns regarding the US economy?
• Do you expect your company to become involved in an acquisition or merger during the next 12 - 18 months?
• What are the reasons that your company may be involved in a merger or acquisition?
• Have you experienced any of the following regarding the existing services your company offers?
Solution Providers On Their Customers:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
• What percentage of your company's total revenue comes from new vs. existing customers?
• To which size of B2B customer do you currently sell to, or plan to sell to?
• Which customer types have the greatest growth potential for your business during the next 12 months?
• Do you plan to increase your sales focus on any on these business segments in the coming year?
• Has your average number of active end customers increased, stayed the same, or decreased during the past 12 months?
• What are the top 3 reasons your end customers do business with you?
• Which industry verticals accounted for at least 25% of your 2007 total revenues?
• Why do you sell to vertical markets?
• What actions did you take, based on vertical market opportunities you have observed?
Solution Providers On Growth Opportunities:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
How much (if money were no object) would solution providers choose to invest in the following business models, in order to diversify their organizations?
- Software Development/ISV
- Business Consultant
- Open Systems/Linux VAR
- Hardware Specialist (Servers, PCs, Notebooks)
- Vertical Market Specialist
- Web-Based Services Provider
- Voice/Telecommunications Provider
- Pure Play Technology Services Provider
- Storage Specialist
- Security Specialist
- Business Process Consultant
- Public Sector VAR
Solution Providers On Sales Initiatives For 2008:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
• What is the single greatest area of investment you will make in 2008?
Which of the following sales initiatives are solution providers planning on in 2008?
- Hire More Sales People
- Hire More Technical People (Break Fix)
- Hire More Consulting People (Professional)
- Hire More Marketing People
- Establish And Manage Goals Via A Formalized Sales Plan
- Focus on SPIFFS
- Put Greater Management Focus On New Opportunities
- Increase Advertising
- Increase Trade Show/Conference Participation (Virtual or Face To Face)
- Invest In Market Research
- Partner With Other Solution Providers Or Join A Network
- Focus On Upselling Or Cross-Selling To Existing Customers
Solution Providers On Software as a Services Risks and Opportunities:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
• Do you see customer interest in Software-as-a-Service offerings increasing, decreasing, or staying the same?
• With which vendors do you work with on SaaS offerings?
• How is your software business changing?
• Have you changed your compensation structure to address how software is being sold today?
• How have you changed your compensation structure?
• Are you adjusting your business model to cope with the transition to Software as a Service?
• How are you adjusting your business model to cope with the transition to Software as a Service?
• When it comes to increasing your SaaS business, what should vendors do?
• Microsoft intends to directly host more of its own software applications. How do you expect this to impact your business?
Solution Provider Technology Choices:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
• Which hardware technologies do you currently resell or recommend?
• Which software technologies do you currently resell or recommend?
• Which infrastructure technologies do you currently resell or recommend?
• For which hardware products and technologies do you plan to expand your existing offerings?
• For which software products and technologies do you plan to expand your existing offerings?
• For which infrastructure products and technologies do you plan to expand your existing offerings?
• Which hardware products and technologies are highest on your list to add to your current offerings?
• Which software products and technologies are highest on your list to add to your current offerings?
Solution Providers On Adding Vendors:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
• For which hardware products and technologies do you plan to add new vendor relationships?
• For which software products and technologies do you plan to add new vendor relationships?
• For which infrastructure products and technologies do you plan to add new vendor relationships?
How important are the following, when adding new vendors or product lines?
- The Existing Product Set (Breadth Of Product Line)?
- Higher Services Component?
- New/Better Technology?
- Ability To Upsell?
- Client Needs or Requests?
- Vendor Business Support/Investment?
- New Product Launches?
- Desire To Increase Profitability?
- Desire To Address A New Business Segment?
Solution Providers On Dropping Vendors:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
• For what reasons have you dropped, or de-emphasized selling, specific vendors or product lines?
• How frequently do you drop vendors or product lines?
• Do you notify your vendor when you drop them?
• Do you have a formal process for adding new vendors or line extensions?
Solution Provider Revenue and Profit Details:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
• What percent of your company's hardware revenue is generated by these types of hardware?
• What percent of your company's software revenue is generated by these types of software?
• What percent of your company's services revenue is generated by these types of services?
• How do you expect your company's gross sales to change, during the next 12 months?
• How do you expect your company's 2008 net profit to change, compared to 2007?
Solution Providers On Hiring Issues:
Click a question to see the answers provided by nearly 800 solutions providers from small, medium, and large-size companies.
• Did you hire new employees during the past 12 months?
• In terms of adding personnel, which positions have been the hardest to fill?
• Which sources helped you fill your company's open positions during the past 12 months?
• Have you been recruiting workers from the millennial generation--born 1980 or later--to work with customers?