To be authorized or not to be authorized?

Ok folks! This is coming from an “Old Gray Marketer.” If you aren’t already an Authorized Dealer for the core product you sell and service, my advice would be to get authorized before the “music stops.” In the late ninety’s, at Clearcom Networks, life was profitable and we answered to no master. The reality of the situation was that things do change and Clearcom Networks was in the same boat as many of the interconnects are today. Toshiba killed their Gray Market and like us, some of you might have been affected by that. Panasonic DBS pulled out of the market all together and Comdial went BK. Clearcom made a strategic decision to get Authorized Distribution. Difficult as it was at the time it was the right thing to do. The same story applies to you as an Interconnect. Technology is changing too fast; supply and support are paramount to successfully deploying today’s solutions. Even this year we have seen Nortel clamp down on the issuing of their Key Codes. Trust me Nortel resellers, you are on very shaky ground and if you wait until supply dry’s up, there will be very few seats left at the authorized dealer table. My advice is to go with one of the “Big Brands” (that are obtainable) Avaya, NEC, Toshiba, Samsung, Panasonic and stay away from the second tier products as it’s only a matter of time before they disappear or get swallowed by a VC company.

Feel free to contact me and I promise I’ll give you an un-biased opinion.

Good luck

This month’s quote: “Progress always involves risk. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first. - Anon