Expert Speak

Resellers Need to Have Good Product Awareness

Product Awareness

In today’s Indian IT products business arena, we’re seeing the arrival of several multinational brands. On one hand, the monopolies of certain brands on particular product lines are dissolving, and on the other; we’re witnessing new flourishing entrants. Convergence of IT, Telecom, and Electronics has opened up yet another gate of huge opportunities for the resellers, and it’s broadening further.

Thus, the prospect growth for the resellers is escalating in multiple directions. However, the question is to what extent our reseller community is geared up to capitalize on these emerging opportunities?

“It’s the time for Indian IT resellers to revamp their modus-operandi,” opined Anil Sharma, regional manager of Tirupati Enterprises, an IT products distributor supplying products of EVGA, MSI, Zotac, and many other vendors. Sharma said, “Resellers have to gear up for new products — based on surveys. They have to come out of the traditional idea Only visibility sells (Jo dekhta hai, wohi bikta hai).” He also categorically stressed on the need to have product awareness among the resellers.

While focusing on the service-related issues, Sharma made a point saying, “If any reseller buys products with proper bills, and resells them with necessary documents, then it’s the responsibility of manufacturer or vendor to offer service for the same to the customer. Often, the tax evasion tendency causes problem in the process.”

However, he agreed that service centers of many companies are not centrally-located, even in big cities. This causes problems and often drives customers away from the resellers. Field-staff of the vendors should focus on this issue.

He also advocated for brand loyalty among the resellers. “If the resellers don’t show loyalty to the brands that they’re dealing with, then how’ll the customers be loyal?” asked Sharma.

While commenting on how the practice of selling IT goods through retailing segment will affect the Indian IT channel partners, Sharma said, “Not much. Because selling a desktop or laptop is not all that the Indian IT channel distribute to the whole country. These retailing malls are just selling a fraction of the entire range of IT products handled by the IT channel. Secondly, (although not all) many malls are again sourcing their products from resellers.” He also indicated that all IT buyers don’t go to malls for buying their IT products.

Thus, in this rapidly changing scenario of the IT market, it’s very important for the resellers to keep track of the new entrants in the market. Besides, they need to have thorough knowledge of the construction, function, and application of the products that they sell along with the other competing products in the market. As many customers are tech-savvy these days, unless the resellers keep thorough updates of the products, it’ll be very difficult to close the sell.

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