Tech Times July/August 2014

2 July/August 2014 www.techdata.ca

www.techdata.ca July/August 2014 3


7 Executive Address Change Ahead

13 Halifax LobsterFest Building Relationships on the East Coast

16 Tech Data Rocks Highlights from Tech Data’s Annual Sales Summit

17 Branching Out We sit down with Doug Thomas of our Vancouver office

18 Cisco Stampede 10th Annual Cisco and Tech Data Calgary Celebration

22 15th Annual IBM and Tech Data Reseller Adventure A Remarkable Experience!

24 Take the Lead How to Streamline Sales and Score More Deals

Comments, suggestions?Tell us what you think!

[email protected]

EditorJillian Cahill

Art Direction and DesignJulie MacAulay

Contributing Writers and EditorsIIrene Buchan, Jillian Cahill, Tracy Blalock

Project ManagerRalitsa Naydenova

Tech Times is published and distributed six times per year to channel resellers across Canada.

©2014 Tech Data Canada Corporation. Prices, promotions, offers & terms and conditions of sale subject to change without notice. Errors and omissions excepted. All manufacturers’ names are registered trademarks of their respective corporations.

This publication comes to you free from Tech Data Canada Corporation. We received your mailing address from your Tech Data customer account information. To make changes or to unsubscribe, please contact your Tech Data sales team at 800.668.5588 or notify us at [email protected].

www.techtimesmagazine.ca

6 January/February 2013 www.techdata.ca

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Dear Valued Business Partners,As Vice President of Business Operations and Technical Services at Tech Data Canada, it’s my pleasure to lead a team of dedicated professionals that work hard behind the scenes to enable a great customer experience and also provide services that enhance value to our partners. Also, during my 18 year career with Tech Data, I’ve worked on a number of exciting strategic initiatives. My latest assignment is to lead the development of Tech Data Canada’s Cloud Strategy and is perhaps one of my most interesting assignments so far. Cloud is by far the #1 topic of discussion amongst partners in the channel today. There is no doub the shift to Cloud computing will drive significant change in the Channel and like most changes, there will be both opportunity and risk. There are some key underlying factors that I believe will help the channel maximize the chances of successfully navigating this change and I wanted to share some of those thoughts.Willingness and Commitment: All successful changes start with a willingness and commitment (preferably at the top) to re-examine old paradigms and entertain new models. Cloud computing with its new models of consumption will require re-thinking about many parts of your businessTransformation: The shift to Cloud computing has been described as “a bone marrow transplant.” It will be hard and go right to the core of your business model. Success will require long term thinking, planning, commitment - sometimes at the expense of short term goals - and a resolve to stick with it. But the’ short term’ pays the bills and still has to be managed. It will be difficult. Transparency: It’s time to go beyond the “slideware” that promises the world. Time to be open and honest about the status of the Cloud transition. Revenue / profit models and expectations need to be clearly articulated to partners and aligned with true demand. Targets need to be realistic and achievable at all levels in the channel. Cash Flow and investment impacts need to be clearly understood so partners can prepare appropriately. Collaboration: We’re all in this together and need to work together to operationalize new programs and business models in a way that leverages Channel strengths and capabilities. Where new capabilities are required they need to be developed in a coordinated and efficient fashion to ensure smooth and efficient implementation.As new Cloud products, programs and business models are brought to market, all stakeholders in the channel need a keen focus on process efficiency and simplicity for the sake of profitability of all channel stakeholders and ultimately to deliver

the best experience for the customer.People: People still buy from people. Customers will look to their existing trusted partners to meet their Cloud needs but relationship will only go so far. Success will depend on how well partners acquire the new skills and knowledge that ensure they continue to provide high levels of technical expertise and support. Investment in training will be key. The good news is that there is an increasing amount of great training resources available in the Channel.Investment: The Cloud transition may feel a little like starting a new business all over again. As such it will require a willingness to invest either through re-investment of profits or to seek new financing. There likely will be some impact on short term profit, but in the long term a successful Cloud business will lead to more predictable cash flow and higher margins.Personally, I’ve never been more optimistic about the value proposition the Channel has to offer through the Cloud transition. Furthermore there are exciting new opportunities created as ‘Born in the Cloud’ vendors discover the opportunity to accelerate their growth through the Channel. Over the coming months we will be reaching out to you to understand your Cloud aspirations and plans and to learn how we can best support your transition. We believe that by having open, honest dialogue with all Channel partners, we can build new programs and capabilities that will help partners ensure that the best experience for customers in the new Cloud World will be through the Channel.If you have any questions, or suggestions for us, please email me directly at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Sukh RandhawaVice President, Business Operations and Technical Services

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10 July/August2014 www.techdata.ca

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10 July/August2014 www.techdata.ca

Over 100 solution providers from the East coast met at Murphy’s on the Water in Halifax in June for the annual Tech Data Halifax LobsterFest event. After attending two informative and educational seminar sessions by HP and Lenovo, attendees had the opportunity to meet with premier vendor partners and Tech Data executives to discuss opportunities and strategies to improve their business. Following the showcase, the attendees enjoyed a fabulous lobster feast where they continued to network and mingle with vendor partners.

Thank you to all of the solution providers who attended this year and helped make this year’s event our most successful one ever in this region.


Technology enabled business innovation“The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes.” ~ Marcel Proust

Hewlett Packard is focused on creating innovative business breakthroughs and helping people and organizations to explore and expand their business vision. This year HP is celebrating 75 years of innovation and inventing and helping businesses around the world with successful outcomes.

When we talk about innovation, our conversation starts with you.


It’s not about what HP has done or developed. It’s about what our innovations can do for you – your ability to win in the marketplace; improve service to your customers, constituents and colleagues; and thrive in the shift to a New Style of IT. In other words, not just technology. And not innovation for innovation’s sake. But rather, innovative ways technology can be delivered and consumed to help you reach your goals and stay a step ahead in this new, business-led, collaborative IT environment.Any transition towards a new vision has to take into account today’s context as well as the necessary steps that have to be taken tomorrow. This is achieved by ensuring that the transition is:

• based upon the client’s business requirements

• evolutionary and not revolutionary

• achieving timely business results

HP and Tech Data are proud partners in innovation! Tech Data Canada’s Advanced Technology Solutions Centre (ATSC) is a key component in helping Canadian solution providers effectively and efficiently demonstrate HP’s award winning technologies in a practical setting, allowing for business of all sizes to explore the many innovations introduced by HP.

Tech Data is proud of our team of dedicated HP product specialists who are here to help you with all your HP needs.

Roy Mahamad, ext. 26055 MASE Storage Solutions Architect HP Solution Architect

Roy Mahamad is a graduate of Centennial College and the University of Toronto. Since joining Tech Data Canada seven years ago, he has become one of Canada’s most accredited HP Storage technical resources. In total, he has earned 18 HP Storage certifications over the years complemented by various VMware and Microsoft certifications. Roy’s expertise is frequently on full display at our ATSC where solution providers and their end customers frequently participate in training sessions and in-depth discussions about HP solutions and their business value.

Chris Cafrine, ext. 53049 Product Sales Champion, HP EG

Chris Cafrine is the newest member of the Tech Data HP technical specialist team, having joined Tech Data Canada in the spring of 2014 after spending the last 13 years in similar roles at Tech Data UK. Chris is the first member of our HP team to be based in Vancouver, allowing us to provide greater breadth of coverage to our solution providers. Chris has recently completed one HP Enterprise Server Solutions and Services exam and is working on three equivalents focused on HP Storage and Networking.

Nigel Barnes, ext. 22605 Technical Support Specialist, HP EGNigel Barnes is Tech Data Canada’s Technical Support Specialist providing pre-sales support and expertise on HP’s line-up of server, storage and networking products. Nigel has been in the Canadian IT industry since 1987 and joined Tech Data in 2006. Nigel brings a wealth of knowledge and extensive storage experience to our Canadian community of solution providers.

Adam Ozturk, ext. 22436 Field Sales Specialist, HP EG

Adam Ozturk has 20 years experience in the IT industry. Prior to joining Tech Data Canada, Adam held a number of positions within IT distribution which is complemented by the experience and perspective he gained during his years spent working for a large Canadian IT solution provider and a software development company. Adam has a technical sales background and holds a number of sales certifications. He is currently working toward achieving three HP certifications.

Alfredo Debasa, ext. 22337 Technical Support Specialist

Alfredo started working in IT in his native Cuba in 1994, shortly after receiving his degree in Electrical Engineering from the Central University of Las Villas. For the next 12 years he worked as a System Engineer with both hardware and software from industry-leading vendors. In 2006 Alfredo moved to Canada and joined Tech Data in 2013. He currently holds a multitude of certifications including HP AIS Network Infrastructure, HP ATP FlexNetwork Solutions V1 and V2, HP ASE Network Infrastructure, and recently added HP MASE Network Infrastructure. Tech Data is the only distributer in Canada that holds this certification!


Tech Data Canada’s entire sales organization met downtown Toronto for their annual sales summit event. The team began the weekend with a technology showcase featuring more than 30 vendor partners where sales representatives had the opportunity to see several exciting products and new technologies to help meet their resellers’ demands.

Saturday morning began with the executive kick off, followed by premier vendor workshops including Cisco, HP, IBM and Lenovo. The workshops were designed to be educational sessions that offered the teams insight and knowledge to help them sell their products to their reseller partners. The afternoon was filled with excitement as the representatives worked in teams to create their very own music video.

The event closed off with the final dinner and awards gala.

Thanks for rocking with us everyone and thank you to our sponsoring vendor partners!


In this issue of Tech Times we sit down with Doug Thomas, Supervisor, Integration Operations, to hear more about his role and life in the Vancouver office.

Q; How long have you been with Tech Data?I have been with Tech Data for 25 years.

Q: What do you like most about Tech Data? As the slogan says, “We are the Difference in Distribution.” The people at Tech Data really do make the difference.

Q: Describe a typical day for you in our Vancouver office? The first thing I do each day is check my emails and voicemails, and prioritize any major issues or rush orders that need my attention. I run daily reports for non-rush configuration orders, receive products, and assist with IT issues as they occur. The branch opens at 5:00am and closes at 6:30pm. There are a number of issues that can develop so I try to remain flexible and manage my time accordingly.

Q: What do you like the most about your job? I like that the variety of work and the skill set required to solve many problems keeps me on my toes.

Q: What challenges you in your job?Technology itself challenges me. The industry is ever-changing. Keeping up with current solutions requires an open mind, and remembering several acronyms like SCSI, ESDI, MAC Address, MFM, RLL, CGA, EGA can be a challenge. Now a whole new set of acronyms have come about, like LOL, ROFL, TTYL, LMAO, which are used in every day conversation.

Q: What has been your most memorable moment since joining Tech Data? I remember walking in the doors of the office on Westminster Highway and someone yelling “MOOOOOOO!!!!!” over the intercom and thinking, this should be interesting.

There are many things to keep anyone busy in Vancouver outside of work. The people in the Tech Data Vancouver office live interesting lives. I have enjoyed getting to know many of my co-workers and getting out for some recreational activities. I have many hobbies like playing softball, skiing, golfing, fishing, and have watched several World Cups with some fellow Tech Data employees. Many people have come and gone, but I still keep in touch as many have become good friends.

branchingout

“Just as the slogan says, ‘we are the

Difference in Distribution.’ The people

at Tech Data really do make the difference”.


“These events bring closer ties between our organization and two of our most strategic and valued partners, Tech Data and Cisco. They also allow us all a chance to wow our mutual client base - the uniformity and connectedness they see builds confidence in their ongoing decision to utilize Graycon as their partner because we’re not just great at what we do, we are backed by a strong committed partner ecosystem. This is invaluable to us.” Chris Black, Director, Graycon Group Ltd.


This year’s event was another great success. Cisco and Tech Data representatives had the chance to kick back and enjoy a day on the links with 21 local solution providers while enjoying all of the annual festivities, that the Calgary Stampede has to offer.

Attendees enjoyed a golf and dinner event at the Lynx Ridge Golf Club followed by the annual Stampede breakfast event. The event gave solution providers the opportunity to interact with key Cisco and Tech Data representatives involved in their core business.

Solution providers were able to provide their support to Cisco’s Connected North initiative as well. The group participated in a raffle on the golf course while earning the chance to win some great prizes! In total, $2,650 was raised bringing the total amount raised by Tech Data anf it’s partners to date to more than $83,000! Connected North is a ground-breaking program using Cisco’s TelePresence technology to bring innovations in the field of learning to schools across Canada’s North.

In partnership with Cisco, the Tech Data TechSelect community has adopted the Deh Gah School in Fort Providence, Northwest Territories, in support of Connected North, making the commitment to assist its students by opening up learning opportunities that would not have existed for them otherwise.

We look forward to saddling up again in 2015 for our 11th annual event. We hope you will be there to celebrate with us!

“On behalf of the Cisco Canada leadership team, thank you for joining Tech Data and Cisco in celebrating the 10th Anniversary of our Calgary Stampede Customer/Partner Hosting Events! Starting with the Cisco / Tech Data Partner Golf Tournament on July 10, on a beautiful Calgary day spent with our great Western Canadian partner community, and ending with the traditional standout - the Stampede Customer Breakfast on July 11 - we truly hope we you enjoyed your experience.” Dean La Riviere, Manager of Partner Operations, Cisco Systems Canada


Q: Tell us a little about your organization:Simplifying how our customers can use communication solutions has been our focus for the past 17 years. With technology changing on a regular ba-sis, ensuring that we provide the most current, up to date and innovative solu-tions to customers of all sizes is what we strive to do. With industry leading business partners such as Avaya, Cis-co, Mitel, Polycom and others, Telanet provides Unified Communication and Collaboration solutions encompassing solid traditional voice options, voice-mail, video conferencing, computer telephony integration, data cabling, VOIP, SIP trunking, and local and long distance business line solutions. We also provide network solutions from WatchGuard, Meraki and Cisco. Telanet’s strength is its TEAM whom excel in customer service and are committed to fulfill the needs of each and every client on an individual basis. From the first phone call you make to the final installation, our friendly and helpful staff will make sure your needs are handled quickly and efficiently.Telanet has been providing com-munication solutions to Fortune 1000 companies across North America for over 17 years. Our commitment is to provide our clients with effective and scalable solutions meeting their needs without overlooking the importance of future growth. Q: What are your thoughts on the industry in general? Communication has come a long way over the years and is constantly changing. No longer do we have a conversation about voice but it is about how customers reach you and your reach to customers.

Q: What challenges are you facing and how do you overcome them?The challenges that we are facing include discussing with clients the benefits of replacing their aged/aging system with a new/reliable system as well as breaking into the “Medium” sized businesses. Our expertise and relationships are how we are taking on these challenges head first. Our goal is to constantly show customers that we are fully knowledgeable on the best solution to help mid-size customers with enterprise levels of communica-tion.

Q: What would you like to see from vendor partners? We work with partners like Tech Data to help us build the right road maps on both product selection and delivery.

Q: What are your organization’s goals for the next five years? Our goals for the next five years include growing our business, grow-ing our organization and constantly striving to achieve more. There are always courses to attend, sem-

inars to take part in and clients to reach. Within the communications in-dustry, you always see yourself learn-ing and teaching others what you have learned. It would be great to reach out to more clients with our knowledge and have them embrace the wonderful changes in technology like we have.

Q: How has the TechSelect program helped you? Or helped you meet your organization’s goals?TechSelect has allowed us to feel more like a partner rather than a customer. The relationships that we have built, not only with the Tech Data team but other TechSelect members has allowed us to showcase our strengths and leverage the strengths of others within the program.

Q: What is your outlook for the rest 2014?Our outlook for 2014 is extremely posi-tive. We started our year out strong and are constantly growing and striving to achieve more. We hope that 2014 continues the way that it began and that we can end the year with great success.

TechSelect Member Profile In this issue of Tech Times, we catch up with Telanet to hear how TechSelect membership has helped them grow their business.

Daniel Silverman, President


TechSelect Connected North Networking Dinner & Charity Games NightKelowna, BC – Tuesday, May 27

During this year’s annual TechSelect Spring Partner Conference in Kelowna, BC, the attending TechSelect members once again embraced the commitment to get involved in the Connected North initiative. The support of all of the other participating TechSelect program vendor partners was a welcome addition.The Networking Dinner and Charity Games Night was a huge success, raising a total of $15,000 with all proceeds donated directly to The Deh Gah School for the Connected North initiative in partnership with Cisco.The night included games and silent auctions for great prizes and made it a fun abd informative Connected North night for all in attendance!

TechSelect Connected North Networking Dinner & Charity Games NightKelowna, BC – Tuesday, May 27

During this year’s annual TechSelect Spring Partner Conference in Kelowna, BC, the attending TechSelect members once again embraced the commitment to get involved in the Connected North initiative. The support of all of the other participating TechSelect program vendor partners was a welcome addition.The Networking Dinner and Charity Games Night was a huge success, raising a total of $15,000 with all proceeds donated directly to The Deh Gah School for the Connected North initiative in partnership with Cisco.The night included games and silent auctions for great prizes and made it a fun and informative Connected North night for all in attendance!

Connected North GTA Family & Friends Movie Night Wednesday May 7

Our first official TechSelect Connected North fundraising kicked off on May 7 in the Greater Toronto Region featuring a private viewing of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. What a way to start!The theatre was almost full with 185 attendees from our Partner Community, Cisco and Tech Data!A successful night raising a total of $7,000 brought out Partners, Cisco and Tech Data with their family and friends to find out exactly what Connected North is and why our community has chosen to sponsor this great cause!Attendees came away with an appreciation for what our communities here in southern Canada have, why it’s so important for us to pull together to help our communities in the North and more importantly wanting to join in the commitment to assist these kids to open up learning and health care opportunities that never would have existed for them otherwise!It’s great to be Spider-Man. For him there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers and embracing being the hero. For us, it’s great to be part of the Connected North initiative as there’s no feeling quite like making a difference for children in our northern communities.


The 15th Annual Reseller Adventure took this year’s winners to Santa Fe, New Mexico for a colourful adventure of a lifetime! Our guests were welcomed with clear blue skies and breathtaking sunsets.

Tech Data and IBM executives, along with 16 winning reseller partners and their guests spent four days at the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantando. The event gave them the opportunity to strengthen business relationships and discuss opportunities with IBM and Tech Data executives.

Everyone worked hard this year during our business sessions and played even harder during adventure-filled leisure activities, including a downhill bike tour and a hike along the soft rock cliff dwellings.

Thank you to our partners for your continued support and for making our 15th Reseller Adventure a truly remarkable experience!



It’s a typical Monday, and you need more leads—or at least you think you do. You’re again fighting the constant conundrum: You’ve found some solid leads, yet you’ve still got a low close ratio. You need more quality leads fast, if only to turn dreadful Mondays into something a little more positive.

The harsh reality is 55 percent of companies don’t ever respond to new sales leads, Tammy Weintrab reports for insidesales.com in her article, “5 Lead Management Tips for Small Business.” In fact, 80 percent of leads passed to sales are lost or wasted—and around 70 percent of potential buyers go on to buy from competitors, lead generation expert Brian Carroll estimates in his e-book, “Start with a Lead.”

Designing an effective lead management system is a dynamic process that evolves over time, but there are a few things you can easily implement to create a rock-solid lead foundation.

Quality Over QuantityA Center for Exhibition Industry Research study found that an average face-to-face B2B sales call across all industries costs around $596. Think about how many sales calls your company makes a day and the average calls it takes to close a deal. You can’t afford to waste time on tire-kickers—the key is to find hot leads. To do that, you need a few things first.

Understand your ideal customer. Develop a customer profile that includes details like annual revenue, business drivers and where customers go for information, Susie Brown, business author and blogger, recommends in her leadspace.com article, “Small Business Advice: Lead Management and Your B2B’s Success.” Identify common characteristics of your most profitable customers.

Clearly define what constitutes a sales-ready lead. Leverage your customer profile, formulate strategic questions that relate to your target requirements and facilitate qualification.

Create a flowchart of your customers’ buy cycles. Outline the process to identify critical touch points.

All Leads Aren’t Created EqualAn effective lead scoring system keeps sales focused on hot leads first. According to salesforce.com article “5 Tips for Lead Management Success,” a grading system is a useful way to prioritize leads. Based on this system, leads are scored as hot, warm or cold.

The article recommends evaluating customer touch points and determining which actions signal intent versus interest. For example, prospects who attend webinars, click on email links and read blog posts are showing interest—earning a lower score. Contrast that with prospects who view pricing pages, specific solution pages or request product demonstrations. These actions show intent to buy and indicate hot leads. By evaluating prospects’ activity, you have considerable insight into which leads have the most potential and where you should start.

From Leads to Relationships But determining the quality of your leads and rating them on buying potential is only half the battle—as any good sales force knows, building a customer relationship is critical step. That’s where collaboration

80 percent of leads passed to sales are lost or wasted—and around 70 percent of these go on to buy from competitors,

says lead generation expert Brian Carroll.


comes. Weintraub suggests using a shared spreadsheet on Google Drive or similar program to gather and share as much information about leads as possible. By using a system everyone on your team can access, you ensure each employee knows and understands the potential customer as best as possible. You can analyze won and lost deals, engagement strategies used and how many interactions it took to close a deal to help you gain more successful leads in the future.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re trying to do everything at once. Follow these tips to turn anxiety into efficiency—and Monday morning meetings into an opportunity to reward your team with the highest close ratios. That should brighten up your Monday.

Three Reasons You Need a Lead Management System*

Up to 50 percent buy from the business that responds the fastest. Considering that after the first hour, you’re 10 times less likely to reach a new lead, every second you wait works against you.

Nearly 75 percent of new leads never hear back. Scribbling contact information on Post-it notes doesn’t qualify as a system. You need a consistent, repeatable process that ensures follow-up.

Half of new leads aren’t ready to buy. Don’t scrap the lead. Design a lead nurturing system so you’re positioned front and center when it’s decision time.

* “5 Lead Management Tips for Small Business,” Tammy Weintrab, InsideSales.com

Think about how many sales calls your company makes a day and the average calls it takes to close a deal. You can’t afford to waste time on tire-kickers.


On May 22, Lenovo,Intel and Microsoft hosted a full day Server Build Workshop at Tech Data’s Mississauga Office with 14 reseller partners, of which the majority came from the GTA and one flew in for the event from Thunder Bay. The event was a hands-on session that gave reseller partners the opportunity to work alongside a Lenovo Server Technical Engineer and Intel and Microsoft specialists. Each vendor partner educated the group on how to utilize the various vendor tools, including Lenovo’s ThinkServer Management Tool and other industry best practices for effective server implementation. The day also included a tour of Tech Data’s industry leading facilities, the ATSC and Configuration centre.

It was a great event for all attendees. They received insightful messages from Lenovo, Intel and Microsoft and left with a fully configured server that they built in the workshop.

Stay tuned for Tech Data’s next Server Build event!


Documents

Tech Times July/August 2014