__p Every New Year ushers in a whole lot of speculation and anticipation. We hope the bad experiences of the last year do not get repeated while, at the same time, we wish that the good incidents find a way to occur once again. As part of the distribution chain, we hope that the credit restrictions and the declining margins do not worsen in 2005.
p____p On the other hand, we want to see the burgeoning demand for IT products, both from the home and corporate buyer, take off even faster and with more momentum this year. Every partner has a wish-list. While some want more products to sell, others want to better their skills in the game. But they have one thing in common – they all want more money.
p____p And money will come this year. It will come from the corporate buyer, who is once again looking at IT as a means to profitability. It will come from the home buyer, who wants to explore the offerings of digital technologies. It
will come from the owners of small business houses, who are slowly gaining more confidence in IT solutions. And it will come from verticals like the government and education sectors, who will continue to deploy funds into IT
infrastructure and solutions.
p____p No matter where you are situated, the waves of prosperity will touch your business this year. For metro resellers, growth will come from the retail sales, while for hinterland partners, it will come from the SME and home segment. Unlike the past years, where the emphasis was on survival and finding new markets for growth, this year the focus will be on managing the growth effectively.
p____p Year 2005 will provide competition of a different kind. It won’t be one of margins, but instead will be a qualitative competition in the channel, where the partner with the best skills will emerge the winner. I hope you have prepared yourself for this New Age battlefield.p__