The Ant and the Small VAR/Integrator

Why is it that certain client organizations will only work with large VAR/Integrators? What is it they expect to gain over the smaller guys - better pricing, better customer service, or better technical support?

I’ve worked in sales for more small than large IT solution providers, and I’ve at no point ever been kicked out of a client company because we simply weren’t large enough. Oh I’ve been denied entry to larger companies plenty of times when with the smaller integrator, but that’s when I shake my head in disbelief. Don’t those larger companies understand how much a smaller VAR/Integrator is like an ant?

Sure! We “ants” are working ridiculously hard and long hours on behalf of our clients. In EVERY aspect of our business, from sales to pre-sales technical support, to post-sales project implementation to on-going support to finance and even payroll/HR, we’re working heads down.

We go the extra mile to make sure we pick the very best solutions to carry on our line card. Why? Because we can’t afford a slip-up that we can simply blame on the vendor because, unlike our larger brethren, we don’t get a second chance.

We pour blood, sweat and tears into building a first rate technical staff. We invest in their training and skills development. We build a lab to test out all manner of potential challenges along with potential solutions.

We take solutions to existing and potential clients, investing considerable time into those potential new clients who appear to have an existing product supplier but not a real solution provider who is engaged in understanding their core needs and designing high value, high return solutions.

This is where it gets puzzling. We hear from a large client contact, one at the “worker bee” level, that they don’t have a good solution for a particular area of their business. Digging further, it becomes apparent that the reason stems from their current vendor being more focused on wining & dining certain high-level IT management and driving product then on understanding the real issues and designing high return solutions.

I stopped for a moment outside our office recently to see an ant cruising top speed across the pavement and thought to myself, “he’s probably late to a client meeting too.” Large or small, who wouldn’t want to work with a VAR/Integrator who works that hard for their client? And in this ant’s case, we’re able to deliver on price, customer support AND technical support.