VARs should also be willing to structure the purchase transactions to meet the objectives of the customer's financial restructuring. This is a good time for a VAR to put its CFO on the sales team. I have seen some amazingly creative transactions occur when financial people look for the win-win solution in troubled times. Identify outsourcing opportunities. Downsizing is often a good way for IS managers to reduce their fixed costs and for VARs to expand their services business.
Many VARs report that services are twice as profitable as equipment sales.
Support contracts that guarantee service levels give IS managers a high comfort level as functions move out of house while allowing VARs to budget resources and set realistic prices. Retainer agreements provide a base income for VARs for a base service level while allowing the customer to purchase additional services at a discounted price. Formal, fee-based consultation yields better customer participation and a greater likelihood that recommendations will be heeded. Value pricing rewards VARs in proportion to some mutually agreed-upon measurement, such as cost savings, uptime, system performance or other factors. This list grows daily.