By Scott Campbell, ChannelWeb
From the September 29, 2008 issue of VARBusiness

If your business isn't booming right now, don't blame the economy.

There's plenty of opportunity out there, say solution providers that are thriving in today's business climate. In fact, some VARs say a sagging economic climate can actually spur IT sales, especially if you can prove a quick return on investment or increase operational efficiencies for customers.

The IT industry is relatively sheltered from larger economic troubles because technology can still help businesses operate more efficiently and drive their value proposition out to the marketplace, said Greg Paetow, director of Mid-Atlantic business development at Melillo Consulting Inc., Somerset, N.J.

Moving away from a products-based model, increasing your focus on managed services, diversifying your portfolio and customer base, and offering the latest technology are great ways to keep your revenue pipeline flowing through turbulent times, solution providers said.

Added Paetow, if your customers aren't buying now, it's up to you to show them how IT can help them be more productive, more efficient and ahead of their competition.

Several Melillo Consulting clients are now in "a holding pattern," said Paetow, yet he said he is still working with them regularly to build the relationship. "It is still very important to at least stay in front of customers in these tough times," he said.

Melillo Consulting offers assessments and other road-mapping tools to get customers to think of the big picture, Melillo said. To help in the new and emerging technology educational process, Melillo Consulting does 40-minute Webinars for customers or invites them into its New Jersey data center to test-drive the latest products.

The live demos have proven "very beneficial" in drumming up new business, Paetow said, and the close rate on the Webinars is about 70 percent.

That kind of proactive approach for Melillo Consulting, and other other solution providers, is the difference between surviving and thriving when a down economy hits customers hard.

Click Here to Read More...