Every time we flip on the TV or open a newspaper, there’s a report on plummeting stock markets or predictions on how long this economic downturn will last. What would be more useful than trying to understand the manic-depressive stock market or predict the unpredictable would be information on how to actually navigate through a recession – to make lemonade out of lemons, so to speak.
Enough of the doom and gloom – we need practical business tips and advice. Money, of course, doesn’t hurt either. D&H has a refreshing approach – the North American distributor has already extended credit to the channel over the years, and it’s doing it again. But it’s also providing a series of business seminars and “webisodes” to help solutions providers with everything from sales strategies to guidance on how to run their business in an economic downturn.
And D&H should know. It’s been around since 1918 and survived the Great Depression.
D&H plans to increase credit lines to 4,000 solution providers in the U.S. (with fewer than 100 employees) by US$38 million. Details about Canada are still in the works.Though Canada, in general, is faring much better than the U.S., credit is still a concern, and some solution providers are feeling the crunch from multiple lenders.
Business may slow down, but it doesn’t stop. And while there’s a need to keep credit flowing, there’s also a need for practical business tips and advice to make the best use of that credit. So, along with an infusion of cash, D&H is also rolling out two VAR programs to do just that.
It will run the aptly named Better Business seminars at its 2009 trade show events, aimed at helping solution providers run a better business. It will also provide educational tools such as D&H TV online “webisodes” to help customers navigate through a down economy, from tutorials on new technologies and vertical markets to the latest sales strategies. Always accessible, these can be found at dandh.com.It’s often said that challenging times are an opportunity to clear out the old and make way for the new, that unexpected opportunities can rise from the ashes. It may sound cliché, but there’s truth to that notion. After the 2001 recession, for example, industry layoffs resulted in small tech start-ups that helped bring innovation to the SMB market.
So what’s the next innovation? D&H is looking for opportunities that may arise from these economic conditions. And through its new programs, solution providers will get specific information about what categories to specialize in to turn the most profit or how to leverage their distribution partners’ strengths.
And that’s a heck of a lot more useful than the latest stock market report.
