In an effort to promote more solution-based and less transaction-based selling, Avnet Technology Solutions, an operating group of Avnet, Inc., is now in the process of rebranding itself as a solutions-focused distributor.
Brian Aebig, the company’s vice-president and general manager of its Canadian operations, said as part of its rebranding and growth strategy, the company has expanded part of its SolutionPath methodology to Canada, with the availability of VirtualPath University and HealthPath University. The courses, which are each three-days long, have been around in the U.S. for a few years. The courses help Avnet partners develop a specialization around a specific solution area of their choice.
Noting that the Canadian market is different from the U.S., Aebig said the market information and tools in the courses have been “Canadian-ized” to be relevant and better meet the needs of Canadian VARs. In Canada, it made more sense to deliver this methodology using local and regional information and resources instead of using data collected from the U.S., he added.
Avnet hosted its first Canadian VirtualPath University class two months ago to help partners expand their existing virtualization practices. A month later, the first HealthPath University class was held. Each course costs $799, but Aebig said partners will see a quick return on investment through increases on future sales.
“We had about 30 participants in the HealthPath course and about 27 in VirtualPath, representing 18 companies in HealthPath and 16 in VirtualPath,” Aebig said. “Our hope is that the VAR will create a practice around that given area and will stop selling things as a transaction, and instead sell things more solution-based and strategically.”
With one class each already offered to its Canadian partners, Aebig said Avnet has already seen huge demand for more classes.
“We had people on the waiting list to get into these sessions,” he said. “I think beyond 25 (participants), it starts to get a bit big and it becomes less of a personalized (educational) session. I’d like to see more sessions available with fewer bodies and we’d run them geographically based on demand.”
Especially in a down economy, Aebig said there are less deals available and more competition amongst businesses. Also, because end-users are being more careful with their IT spend, he adds that partners need to offer enhanced levels of competencies and expertise in order to get the sale.
In the courses, Aebig said partners should come out with three key learnings. The first is that in order fulfill the needs of the manufacturer and end-user, partners will need to provide solutions and not products. Partners also need to change the way they approach and speak with customers to ensure a long-term relationship. Lastly, Aebig said if a partner recognizes it needs to take on a different sales approach and sales strategy, then at the end of the day, it should see more margin and a happy customer.
Moving forward, Aebig says he’ll spend the next three to six months focusing on educating Avnet’s VAR community to help them be more profitable. In the next two-years, he also said partners can expect Avnet’s GovPath University to also make its way to Canada.
“GovPath was lower on our priority scale when it came to introducing this to Canada,” Aebig says, “Because it has a U.S. Federal government look and feel, it wouldn’t translate as well into Canada. It does, however, have pieces in it like provincial, municipal, educational and policing that would have some applicability to Canada.”