Power Pavilion

But don't for a moment presume that the people who have made it to the league
of the 'Most Powerful Channel People' are here because of the size of their
business or their impressive YoY turnover. It is because they have chosen
uncharted territories well before it become popular and took risks when others
were in doubt. These are the people vendors want to have on their side of the
table and whom partners look up to.

In the end, all these men share one common attribute: they have the power to
call the shots in the channel community. Over time these people have faced their
business trails and have emerged wiser and stronger. And their definition of
power has also undergone a transformation accordingly. Some feel that it is the
power to do business on their terms. Others think it is the ability to take
their people along with them on the success route. Yet others feel it is doing
business successfully, yet ethically.

But whatever their own personal definition of success is; these people have
carved a niche for themselves in the channel community. While the vendors refer
to them before planning strategic decisions, their peers look at them for
guidance and inspiration. When we compiled the list of the 10 Most Powerful
Partners last year, we got a lot of feedback. But most of our respondents felt
that we had left out the super-performers in the non-metro cities.

Taking cognizance of this feedback, this time around we have created a list
of nine partners who are powerful in the upcountry. These are people who have
changed the course of events in the business in their regions. They were the
people whom even the vendors averred while taking business decisions.

The methodology

While coming up with the list, we had to keep in mind that some parameters
had to be considered. The rule of thumb was that we had to focus on the people
and not just the company. So we spoke to representatives from over 25 vendor
companies as well as national distribution houses, asking them to give the names
of five channel partners who are a crucial cog in their wheel.

Revenues were not the sole criteria for selection. Instead, they were asked
to focus on how well the person has grown his company, the innovation he brings
to his business, his negotiation skills, his charisma, his ability to deal with
difficult situation and his progress over the years. Once the names started
pouring in, we selected those few names that came up repeatedly. After culling
the top 10 names, we traced the order in which they featured on the nominations
tendered by the vendors and ranked them accordingly.

At the same time, there were some other partners who were highly spoken of,
but could not make it to the list. These are definitely people to look out for
this year. Will they be able to dethrone their peers who made it to the list?
Your guess is as good as ours.

Destiny's Child

Chopra thinks that the fact that he and his company are now the masters of
their own destiny and not at the mercy of others is what makes people think that
he is powerful

The perennially genial face breaks into grin when you ask him how does it
feel to be rated most powerful in the IT channel community. Ranjan Chopra, a
corporate czar by the day, is someone who has rewritten the rules of the
solution providing business.

At a time when many in the business have opted for other streams, his
unwavering focus on creating better solutions and charting newer terrain has
made Team Computers a case study on how to run a successful solutions business.

According to him, power is the ability to influence people, but the influence
could be either good or bad. “It becomes very easy to deal with people when you
are in power. But I firmly believe that every time we lose temper at someone who
is less powerful than us, then we are in fact misusing power,” he explained.

Power: The ability to influence others

Rajan Chopra, Team Computers, New Delhi

But you wonder what is it that makes him first among equals. “People think I
am powerful mostly because of my innovative and creative work,” he noted.

Ranjan felt that the solutions that his company has been able to formulate in
the last year have been his biggest achievements. “With the solutions that we
have created we are creating our own intellectual property, which have global
ramifications,” he said.

Talking about growth, Team is one of the few companies, which has had a
steady growth rate of 40-50 percent YoY.

Elaborated Ranjan, “All of us are used to following best practices in
whatever we do. But essentially what we are doing is that we are following what
someone else has already done. I do not want to do that. I want to ensure that
we break new grounds, make solutions, which make use of the intellect of
processes.”

But in these times of market volatility where the margins are thin, what is
the one mantra that he would propagate to everyone to counter the rise and fall
in fortunes. Ranjan philosophized that it has all to do with the relationship
that you have with failure.

Elaborating further he said, “When you fail in some project, acknowledge it
as a failure in 'a' particular project. It does not make you a failure overall.”

Walking The Talk

A stickler to business ethics, who is famous for his out-of-the-box
thinking, Shanbhag's attitude to be 'first always' has ensured that he has
stayed ahead of competition always

If one were to think of the top most solution providers in the country today,
Valuepoint Systems and its Director RS Shanbhag would be an obvious choice.

Ask him what 'power' mean and Shanbhag says with his discerning smile, “For
me 'power' means having strong fundamentals, business ethics, 'Do or Die'
principals, result-oriented sales and support force and more importantly, loyal
customers.”

Power: The ability to take on the world

RS Shanbhag, Valuepoint Systems, Bangalore

Taking troubles in stride

Recalling some of his challenges in his path and talking of how he overcame
them, Shanbhag said, “When we expanded our operations to about 10 other
locations across the country, we had severe manpower crunch. By enabling and
delegating the branch responsi­bilities to our existing, solid second line team
at HO, we have overcome this gap and quickly aligned ourselves with our target
and goals.”

At the end of the day, he feels that in order to remain on top, one needs to
think, act and perform differently than others. 'Change' and 'speed' are the key
parameters for success, according to Shanbhag.

While talking of his success, Shanbhag feels that any other player in the
business aspiring to grow to his stature must create belongingness and wealth
for everyone who depend upon or associated with them.

An ambitious person, true to his word, Shanbhag informs that ValuePoint group
underwent major restructuring plans last year and will continue for the next two
years. “We are on our target to add new SMB customers, reach out and open more
offices in the North. We would continue to focus on a couple of ISV
relationships along with ERP solutions and practices, wireless and security
solutions. Last but not the least, we would internally build industry specific
IT consultancy services for domains like healthcare, life sciences, retail and
discrete manufacturing.”

While saying Kudos to all that effort, we are sure that the 'power' to grow
will continue to rest with Shanbhag and his team.

Rise Of The Phoenix

Taneja is a self made man with a very simple mantra-there are no shortcuts
in life. Despite all odds, he has a knack for seeing things in a positive light
and this has been his core strength

Devendra Taneja is often told that he comes across as an aggressive person.
This he attributes to the fact that he is blunt and doesn't bother to sugar coat
his words. But while it may be his weakness in the short term, in the long term
his bluntness has stood him in good stead. In business, his frankness has
ensured he carefully select his clients and projects, even rejecting those that
did not make business sense to him.

Power: Working in harmony with others

Devendra Taneja, PC Solution, Delhi

The leap of faith

The going was not always smooth sailing for this first generation
businessman. There came a point when Taneja felt the urge to start his own
business. This was when he faced his first hurdle; convincing his family that
what he was doing was right.

Finally they relented, and with the support of his wife, Taneja began
Integrated PC Solutions.

They started off as a third-party maintenance (TPM) organization in 1988. As
business progressed, in 1992, Taneja exited the TPM business and began focusing
on networking and system integration.

“This was the turning point in my business,” recalled Taneja fondly. American
Express and NDTV were among his first clients.

A positive outlook

There is much one can learn from Taneja, not only in the way he groomed his
business and set it on the path to growth, but also from his knack for always
looking at situations in a positive light. Recently, one floor of PC Solutions
office in New Delhi caught fire leaving nothing but ashes to show for what was
once an office. But question Taneja about the mishap and he shows no signs of
distress.

“Yes it was unfortunate, but I wouldn't call it a set back. The incident gave
me new learnings. One must always be prepared for such instances,” he shared.

All the staff on that particular floor were accommodated on the other floors
and business commenced as usual. “For a while we had to play musical chairs on
the other floors,” he laughed. Now, just a few weeks past the incident, the
floor has been redone and is in use. Most importantly, this incident taught him
that it was essential to factor all sorts of risks in business.

Taneja has set a goal, that of achieving a bottomline of Rs 25 crore in the
next three years.

A Fighter All The Way

When Shah's business suffered a major setback three years ago, he did the
most unconventional thing-take risks that could either put his business back on
track or totally wipe it out. Needless to say, the latter never happened

Saurin Shah is a well-known face in the channel community, having devoted
more than 11 years of his life to India's leading IT channel association Trader
IT Association (TAIT). But that is not the reason he has been voted as one of
the most powerful channel people in the country. This distinction has come to
him for his ability to take prudent decisions when the tide was against him.

Power: The ability to translate strife into success

Saurin Shah, Ashtech, Mumbai

Back in 1999 during the dot com boom, Ashtech started its software business.
But it never took off the way Shah expected it to.

This was the most turbulent time of his life. But instead of wallowing in
self-pity, Shah decided to change his business tracks completely.

Changing tracks

He decided to discontinue business with those customers who were not good
paymasters. He stopped all other business operations and focused on only a
couple of key clients for solutions providing. Agreeing that this was akin to
putting all his eggs in one basket, Shah said, “I took the reverse approach
where rather than working with all my existing customers, which would have been
a safe way out, I focused on only those who I believed would contribute to
better growth of Ashtech in the future.”

Reminisced Paras Shah, MD, Neoteric Infomatique, “What is remarkable about
Shah is that he did not succumb to the business hurdle and instead made a smart
and smooth transition and has upgraded his company very well.” Sudhir Nayar,
Director-Partner Sales, Sun Microsystems added, “Shah is also a very important
member of TAIT, which is one the most powerful association in the country.”

Ask Shah about these compliments and he brushes it off saying that taking a
risky decision back then was not easy, but then again he did not have much to
lose either.

Two years ago, Shah sold off his distribution business to Compuage Infocom
and this move signified Ashtech's final transition as a pure-play solution
provider. Now he wants to get his company listed on the bourses, and that dream
will hopefully turn into reality two years down the line.

The Relationship Man

His ability to manage relationships has ensured Gurjar a place in this
listing. His leadership skills came to the fore during Com-IT, the IT expo of
TAIT

One of the earliest members of the Indian channel community, Champakraj
Gurjar claims to know most of the partners in Mumbai on first-name basis.
Underlining this he said that anytime he visits Lamington Road, Mumbai's Mecca
for IT business, he has to drink at least 25 cups of tea! This is because as
many people insist that he sit and share a cuppa with them for a few moments.

Power: Honesty in every relationship; be it business or personal

Champakraj gurjar, Maxtone, Mumbai

One of the biggest highlights of Gurjar's career has been the management of
Com-IT, an expo that was organized by TAIT in December 2007. “I wanted to
organize an expo, which was of an international nature, and not merely aimed at
generating sales. This is why during the event, we invited experts to talk on a
variety of topics affecting the channel community,” Gurjar stated.

Rajesh Gupta, Director-West, Sales and Marketing Group, Intel South Asia too
attributed the success of Com-IT expo to Gurjar. He applauded Gurjar for his
vision and leadership in running an association like TAIT.

“TAIT is by far the most professional association that draws the best from
vendors. Gurjar has led the association to work on self-discipline and control
and at the same time has developed member affinity,” Gupta added.

A circle of well wishers

Gurjar maintained that he is always willing to help people he knows and does not
expect anything in return. “I am what I am because of my ability to manage my
relationship with people. And this is not necessarily with business alliances.
There have been instances when people needed some assistance with the police and
I was able to help out with just a phone call,” he magnanimously stated.

So does this mean Sarkar Raj is out and Champak Raj is in for the channel in
Mumbai? Gurjar finds this amusing and said that he has no intentions to flaunt
his good deeds, but he is proud of the fact that he has helped people whenever
he could and has therefore a good circle of well wishers around him.

Reigning Supreme

With a firm belief that customer is the king and customer service is the
best way to grow, Supreme Computers, under the leadership of Jain, has emerged
as a 'power to reckon with'

When Rakesh Jain, a student of BCom from the AMJ College, Chennai, ventured
into the IT business in 1994, little did he imagine that in a span of over a
decade, Supreme Computers would grow to the stature that it has today. Holding
on to its coveted position of a leading sub-distribution company in the southern
market, Supreme Computers boasts of a product portfolio that includes hardware,
peripherals, accessories, multimedia, audio, video editing products and
software, and it's no surprise that Jain was the chief architect of this
success.

Power: Knowing customer needs before demand arises

Rakesh Jain, Supreme, Chennai

As an entrepreneur, Jain has always felt, if he had to grow his business, he
would have to take more responsibilities. He therefore took his family's support
to run the show. His elder brother Jitendra and his father joined him in the
business.

Efforts bearing fruits

If one delves deeper into the company's growth over the years, it becomes
obvious that Jain's efforts to develop a deep understanding of his customers'
requirements and provide solutions to match their unique needs has been the
biggest cause for his success thus far.

His optimism inspires his team to serve the customers using right processes.
This has in turn helped Supreme Computers to forge strong links with all major
IT vendors over the last decade.

Jain has always maintained that customer is king and the key to our success
has been the ability to provide undivided customer attention besides a complete
range of products at competitive prices along with professional services and
strong after-sales and warranty support. In short therefore, a commitment to
support business partners and customers, and providing them with value-added
services seems to be the mantra for success at Supreme Computers.

Jain has always looked to growing the bottomline, sometimes even at the cost
of losing a deal. However he insists that his focus would continue to be on
improving the bottomline since there are enough players who work to improve the
topline.

Whilst wishing him all the best for that endeavor, there is no doubt that
Jain certainly is a 'supreme power' of sorts.

The Risk Taker

Bhushan is one of those businessmen who know how to do business the fun
way, and charity is where his heart lies. He is always game to take risks rather
than take the conventional way out

Bharat Bhushan is unique in his own way. For him charity comes before
business and he is a firm believer of the fact that it is God alone who has
helped him clinch the position where he stands today.

Unlike other businessmen who consider profit as the be-all and end-all of
business, the desire to serve the society had always been a part of Bhushan's
life and ideologies.

Power: The ability to take risks at any given point in time

Bharat Bhushan, RR Systems, delhi

He also stands as a perfect example of a risk-taking business­man who defines
his own strategies when it comes to running an organization.

This is precisely why back in 1993, he resolved to exit from a
well-established textile business to importing of IT components.

His company suffer major losses but those jolts did not stop him from
innovating and trying his luck further. His efforts paid and he recovered all
his losses in the third shipment.

Silent observer

Bhushan has revamped his mantra of doing business. He now observes other
businessmen when they face heavy losses and improvises on his business
processes. Observing people has been a habit since his young days.

As a child, Bharat always wanted to make it big. His friends were from
influential backgrounds and high profile families, and he used to observe them
and their mannerisms. He wanted to own a huge bank balance and run an enterprise
of his dreams.

He clarified that he belonged to a family that had a business background and
always knew he was another one in the making. It was one of his family friends
who inspired him to get into IT business and he has always been thankful to him
for the same.

At the moment, Bharat is heading two companies, RR Systems and Aryan
Technologies, which has six branch offices spread across northern region. He is
also the President of two hospitals in Gurgaon. Today he has earned the
reputation of one distributor who sells the products the moment they arrive at
his place and does not to stock them in huge numbers.

Second Time Lucky

While his first tryst with business was successful and that company went
public, it was his second business that gave Garg the career satisfaction he had
sought all his life

It was his second entrepreneurial venture that gave Prateek Garg a chance to
prove his potential and leave an indelible impression on the IT industry. He
still recalls the day when as a youngster in 1990, brimming with confidence, he
took the first step in the industry and joined HCL as a technical support
manager.

Power: Handling more responsibility and more accountability

Prateek Garg, Progressive Infotech, Gurgaon

Soon he learnt the tricks of the trade and set-up a company called IT&T.
Though the company went off to be listed as a public limited company in 1999,
Garg's mind was busy making plans for a second come back. A constant desire to
do something different led to the inception of Progressive Infotech.

The comeback

In 1997, Garg broke off with his partner IS Maan and along with another
colleague set up Progressive. However he felt that he is not powerful and like a
true leader gives the due credit of his success to his team at progressive.

Garg essentially always has an agenda on mind and that is driven by a core
set of people within the organization.

When the company was facing a slowdown from 2000-2003 after coming into
existence in January 1998, Garg chose to focus on the agenda he had set for
himself-customer satisfaction under all circumstances and on the basis of that
was soon able to put his company right on track.

His second stint was a dream start. He received overwhelming response from
the market initially as the IT market was gradually picking up at that time.
However the excitement did not last very long and only two years later with the
IT market witnessing a slowdown, the company did not have enough contracts to
boast of.

With his company facing major setbacks, Garg chose to focus on the silver
lining rather than black clouds. He focused on customer require­ments and that
became his topmost agenda. At the moment his agenda has seen additions to it.
Firstly, the company will be aiming at consolidating its footprints in the
country. Progressive's latest addition has been in the form of opening an office
in Kolkata.

A People Person

Like a true team player, Dugar gives the credit of his company's success
to his employees. And with this team spirit he has been able to achieve great
heights

At a time when companies are grappling with increasing attrition rates, Vinay
Dugar has managed to hold on to his select team of important employees. And the
reason is not hard to deduce.

Ask him about his company and he is quick to point out that Supreme does not
belong to him alone. It belongs to the 65-odd people who work in it. He does not
like to be called as 'the owner of the company' but instead calls himself a team
player. “I am just a team player and the credit for Supreme's success goes to my
team. I just know how to manage the team and that's my strength,” Dugar said.

Power: Being able to work as a team and achieve common goals

Vinay Dugar, Supreme Technologies, Kolkata

Needless to say, his company has a very steady growth because at least one
aspect of business has been taken care of-manpower. And this is also why Dugar
has been able to devote his energy into strengthening his marketshare.

Dugar believes in the philosophy 'tough times don't last but tough people
do'. There were times when he had to take very tough decisions. “We had to face
a lot of hardship then but that is history now,” he smiled.

Balance: The keyword

Now that he has been voted as one of the most powerful channel people what
attributes should a person have to stay on top in this volatile business?
According to Dugar this will be possible only if one gives importance to both
the topline as well as the bottomline. According to him there should be a
balance between the two as both of then are important for the companies growth.

Customer is king

Dugar believes in the concept of giving complete customer satisfac­tion rather
than mouthing these platitudes. His strategy to run a company is completely
based on

3 Ms ie manpower, money manage­ment and material management.

In the future, Dugar plans to have a mix of revenue models. He hopes to
generate 27 percent from retail, 33 percent from system integration while the
rest will come from distribution and sub distribution. By 2012 he wants to be
move entirely into the retail business.

Perseverance Pays

Maintaining good relationships with all stakeholders, be it customers,
vendors or distributors; along with one's own perseverance and hard work is how
Vyas has managed to stay on top of affairs

Satyen Vyas and Vitage Group have been synonymous with growth and progress.
Ask him what it takes to be on top and pat comes the answer, “Being on top is
not about being powerful or influential but rather about providing value to what
one does. We believe that we must be respected for the opinions and values that
we provide to our channels, customers as well as our vendors, rather than about
how big or powerful we are.”

Power: Being able to work as a team and achieve common goals

Satyen Vyas, Vitage Group,Bangalore

Since 1996, Vyas, a mechanical engineer from REC Nagpur and alumnus of IIM
Bangalore has given to the Vitage group the latest in management and technology.

Managing stakeholders

Ask him what makes an organization grow and Vyas says, “It is a given that
an individual's own drive to grow as well as the efforts of the promoters go
hand-in-hand in building a company. However, for an organization to be among the
top in the industry, its management must have a good relationship with all its
stakeholders be it customers, vendors or distributors.”

This is precisely why Vyas believes that managing stakeholders is a key to
growth. However, he is quick to point out that the most important thing to stay
on top is 'perseverance,' because it is only perseverance that helps one to
overcome obstacles.

Like every other company, Vitage Group too has had its fair share of
challenges. “2001-2003 were perhaps our most difficult years. At the time of the
dotcom bust, there was a general economic downturn,” shared Vyas. But luckily
Vitage's perseverance, confidence in itself and the support of its employees,
customers, distributors and vendors, helped it turn the tide in its favor.

Vyas believes that youngsters are a lot more agile and can definitely move up
the ladder if they have the will. Work hard but expect frustrations. Keep
persevering-are his words of advice. Well what can we say, except, “Aye Aye,
sir!”

Honesty Matters

It is Kohli's responsible behavior that has helped him maintain good and
honest relationships with customers and vendors alike

Kanpur-based Rohit Kohli is one of the most powerful IT channel partners in
the state of UP. However, he believes that responsibility comes as a baggage
with power and it is his responsible behavior towards his set of customers and
vendors that has kept him in a league of his own.

Rohit Kohli, Comexcell, Kanpur

Power: Being able to handle responsibilities with responsibility

“It is the relationship that you maintain with people and your honest
business practices that adds status of power to one's profile. Power can only be
gained by developing confidence that comes through ethical and transparent
business dealings with customers as well as vendors,” he said.

A customer is the king - is his mantra and he believes that they are the one
who make one powerful. Therefore, the value of trusted customers should never be
forgotten under any circumstances.

In 1997-98 a vendor, with whom Kohli was doing business, suffered a great
loss. “Consequently, my company also went through a lot of ups and downs. It was
a very hard time. I faced many hardships as had to bear the loss entirely on my
own,” Kohli recollected.

But hardships have not lowered his morale and he instead has imbibed more
confidence, which has made him strong enough to tackle critical situations with
enough courage. Today, he is content with what he has achieved in his business
as well as his life.

Kohli believes that customer support is the most important element of
achieving growth. “A businessman can never grow unless he takes the criticism
with a positive attitude. A customer has the ultimate power to appraise or
criticize you,” he added.

Kohli does not take destiny for granted. “One should never take life for
granted. I keep myself updated about the realities of the market. I always try
to be humble with all my associate dealers and customers and adhere to my
down-to-earth attitude,” he said with a smile.

Kerala's King

A centralized method of pursuing trade and immense faith in his employees
has helped George emerge as the leading player in God's own country

Aldous Glare Trade and Exports has been a name to reckon with in Cochin as
far as the IT business is concerned. A major part of the credit goes to its CEO
George Thomas.

Having emerged as a key player in the IT arena, Thomas said that 'power' to
him means gaining more strength and capability to introduce new things into the
market, and being able to maximize on the available opportunities.

GEORGE THOMAS Aldous Glare, Cochin

Power: Gaining more strength as you grow

Thomas is planning to open around 10 retail outlets throughout Kerala by
2008. The company already has a retail outlet in Cochin and is trying to
replicate the same throughout Kerala.”The opportun-ities in the retail industry
are growing everyday and we would like to concentrate more on retailing besides
continuing as a sub-distributor in the Kerala market,” said Thomas.

The company is hoping to achieve a target of Rs 120 crore by the end of 2008
and register a growth of 50 percent every quarter. “We have grown considerably
YoY and propose to continue the good work this year too.”

“We are the leading player in laptop segment in the state and want to
establish the same in the retail front too. In retail, we would continue to
focus on branded laptops and PCs,” Thomas indicated.

Aldous Glare has won the 'King of Kerala' competition again in the last
quarter and the credit goes to Thomas for its success. A centralized method of
pursuing trade is also one of the reasons for speedy growth of Aldous Glare.
According to Eldho Areeckal, GM, Aldous Glare, all the success is due to Thomas.
“The company was in a bad shape, when Thomas was little ill and all the
responsibility was bestowed on employees, but his faith in us has helped us to
get the company back on track,” he recalled.

Best Laid Plans

Agarwal's planning and management skills have ensured that hard times are
kept at bay

If there is one thing that Pawan Agarwal has learnt through in all his years
in business, it is to be prepared for any circumstance. This learning and his
strict adherence to it has seen him through all sorts of situations, or rather
has kept the hard times at bay.

Pawan Agarwal Datamation Services, Guwahati

Power: Having complete control over the market

“I have been fortunate of not going through any tough times and the reason
behind this is my planning and management skills,” Agarwal shared.

Being planned and focused has helped him steer his company towards success.
He also felt that one should be smart and take calculated risks in life.

“Normally, I plan for the upcoming year based on the market demand and
upcoming techno-logy and take decisions accordingly.

Not one to be bogged down by competition, Agarwal has charted out his
companies growth keeping well-laid strategies in mind. Ask him what
distinguishes him from his peers and pat comes the reply. “I have been able to
gain a powerful status in the market through an aggressive market approach,
futuristic planning and by keeping a close watch on the upcoming market trends.”

For Agarwal, relationships are an important aspect of ones business, whether
it is with customers, vendors or distributors, and he knows it is this factor
that can see him to the top. As most successful channel partners believe, he too
felt that one should try and earn the credibility of business partners through
transparent dealings.

Apart from that, he is a keen observer of the market dynamics and believes
that one should always keep a finger on the pulse of the market. “I keep a close
on watch on the changing market behavior, and my business decisions largely
depend on those changes,” said Agarwal.

A Personal Touch

In this age of mass-manufactured products and packaged services, Makhija
believes that the personal touch will never go out of fashion in business

In the upcountry market, power cannot be gained by merely doing volume
business. Instead it is achieved by sharing a trustworthy relationship with
customers. “People in a small town are not very tech-savvy and they depend on
dealers like us to explain the advantages and disadvantages of a particular
product or technology. That's how I generate trust among our customers,” said
Kishore Makhija of Priyanka Computer Services.

Kishore entered the IT market in 1988, when there was barely any competition.
“But now things have changed, dealers are now facing stiff competition, and
hence one has to give a lot of importance to packaging,” he said.

He believes that to be successful in this field, one has to take care of
after-sales services. Also it is very important to maintain a good relationship
with the vendors and distributors in the region.

Kishore Makhija Priyanka Computers, Raipur

Power: Being loyal to people around you and helping them grow

There has been consistent change in the market behavior and to maintain the
leading position, one has to change accordingly. “As the margin is squeezing
terribly in the IT market, there has been a slowdown in the volume business.
Therefore I am now planning to put more focus on retail and SMB segment. Being
static does not bear profitable result,” shared Kishore.

To maintain a powerful position, Kishore has designed the business strategies
as per the requirement of  time, giving highest priority to the customers.
“Customers go to the dealers only with whom they are comfortable with and have
trust. To enjoy a reputed status, dealers must keep this in mind,” he said.

UP's Powerhouse

Despite several ups and downs in his business, Grover overcame all hurdles
with his farsightedness and futuristic approach

Foretek Systems is one of the leading channel companies in Western UP with a
channel network of 150 partners. No wonder Ajay Grover had been recognized as a
powerful person by vendors and distributors alike.

Ajay Grover Foretek Systems, Meerut

Power: Having good standing with vendors and peers

But rather than revel in this tag of being powerful, Grover takes it as a
responsible position and tries to do justice to it. He treats his dealers as a
part of his own business and said, “I make sure that they also enjoy good
position in their respective regions. I try to give them all kinds of support,
be it related to pricing or any issue with a vendor. This increases your social
networking and embarks the feeling of being powerful.”

Grover aims to maintain his position and design his business strategies in a
similar fashion. He plans to expand his company's presence by opening five to
six retail stores. “This would enhance our market penetration, but while doing
so, it is very important to take care of the marketshare of other dealers also.
I would be opening more outlets but will take care that business of other
dealers is not affected so that everyone enjoys the market boom. This initiative
would help in maintaining the reputed position among the dealers,” he said.

Like other business, his business underwent bad phases too, but he never lost
courage. “Since the IT market is booming, bad phased did not affect my
business's profitability much. I have been able to make 30 to 40 percent growth
YoY. I am now planning to venture into business of Internet service providing
that would surely increase my sale and market strength,” he informed.

Grover firmly believes in loyalty towards customers. “To maintain a leading
position, a dealer should maintain his credibility and trustworthiness towards
customers” he asserted.

Determination Pays

Agarwal has the tenacity to fight against all odds, and this grit has
helped him to be leader in whatever he does

Initially Rakesh Agarwal faced many challenges when he started his business.
He did not have any understanding of the various terminologies used in IT which
made making the customer understand the technology all the more difficult.

Rakesh Agarwal Mayur Computers, Nagpur

Power: Having control over the channel

But rather than be subdued by this ignorance he decided to forge ahead and
gain as much knowledge about the industry as was possible. This grit is the
reason why he has emerged as one of the powerful people in the upcountry channel
market.

He started Mayur Computers in 1987 where he sold ribbons manufactured by
Kores India. He would buy goods from the Mumbai market and sell it in Nagpur. In
1989, he got in touch with Compuage Infocom, a national distributor. Through
them, he got more information about the computer business.

“I am very thankful to Atul Mehta of Compuage for guiding me in computer
hardware business,” Agarwal stated. Initially he started trading and later he
got the dealership for Microtek in 1991 following which he partnered with
Redington.

Now, Mayur Computers is into full-fledged distribution. The transition from
trading to distribution happened in 1994. Through Redington, Agarwal got the
dealership for many products. This helped him get into the thick of the
distribution business.

“Having a powerful image helps. I admit we get extra help from all the
vendors in terms of marketing support, etc,” he said. According to him the
reason for he has been so powerful is because he offers right pricing and good
logistics.

The real challenge that Agarwal faced was of thinning margins and managing
inventory. To combat this problem, he opened a retail outlet in Nagpur.

The Explorer

For Langer, having good relationships with vendors, is just one aspect of
success. This is why he explores newer avenues on his own

The saying 'still waters run deep' holds true for Sanjay Langer. His friends
in the industry describe him as 'a humble, down to earth' person. But that does
not hide the fact that he is one of the most active people among the channel
community.

Sanjay Langer AGM Sales, Jammu

Power: Having good relationship with vendors

There is much one can learn about maintaining relation-ships from him. Not
only does he keep aside time to socialize with his friends but he also takes out
time to mingle with vendors. This skill of managing relationships has helped him
maintain good relations with vendors, which he acknowledges is essential for
dealers.

For some one who has been winning The DQ Week annual award for Best Channel
Partner in Jammu for six years in a row there is not much one can say about his
success, since the award speaks volumes about it. This success is also a
reflection of his dedication and hard work.

But Langer is not one to isolate himself and forge ahead as a solitary
crusader. “He takes a lot of initiatives and plays an active role in the local
channel community, very often even organizing events and meetings,” said
Inderpal Singh of Jammu-based Aman Technologies.

Ask Langer what makes a partner powerful and he says, “Vendors have started
playing a dominant role in providing a status to channel partners. One can be
powerful only if he gets complete support from the associated vendor.”

He explained that while this was an important factor, it is not possible to
get the attention of vendors all the time. Hence, in order to compete in the
market, he felt that partners should also dare to think differently and
experiment with different models.

A Friend's Friend

A decade after he started his business in the channel, hardships and
experience have made Desai a force to reckon with in Rajkot

A friendly soul' is how people in the industry describe Bimal Desai. He has
been a part of the IT industry for almost a decade now. But the going was not
easy.

In fact the first few years after he started Anil Infotech in 1997, Bimal had
to go through tough times. Since its inception, the company has been a
sub-distributor for HP's entire product range.

Bimal Desai Anil Infotech, Rajkot

Power: Having a strong personality

“The initial five years were very tough for us. Back then we lost many big
orders, because we were new to the business,” Desai remembered. But, he took
everything in stride and maintains that these failures have made him stronger.

Time has taught Desai to sustain the fluctuations in the market and make
prudent business decisions. “Experience has taught me the tricks of the trade
and now it use it to my advantage,” said Desai smiling.

Desai believes that his success can be attributed to the unstinting support
he has received from HP. “We have been associated with HP since our
commencement.”

This vendor loyalty is one reason why he has become a key HP player in the
western market. What has also made him powerful is his confidence and promptness
in doing his daily work. This discipline in this working habits have been
brought about because he feels that the world is a dynamic place and unless one
is close to the market, one can't achieve anything.

A true believer in God, Desai visits a temple daily and also hits the gym
regularly. While caring for his physical health he maintains peace of mind by
never promising targets that he might not be able to achieve.

Moving With The Tide

For Tayal, the customer is king and so inorder to give them the best he
keeps upgrading his business offerings

Customer satisfaction is his topmost priority, and he is always striving to
achieve that Since the time he started his business, Manoj Tayal of Tayal
Software's single objective was to nurture a fruitful relationship with his
customers. “I never made my objective to gain a powerful status in the market.
Instead, I moved forward to achieve my target of satisfying customers with the
solutions. Even in the initial days of business, I kept my strategy to develop a
healthy and trustworthy business relationship with my customers because that is
what gets prosperity in business for a long run,” Tayal said.

Manoj Tayal Tayal Software, Udaipur

Power: Having satisfied customers

He feels that the only formula to gain a powerful status is to offer
best-in-class services. “One should always adhere to his commitment and possess
the potential of delivering solutions that are being assured to the customers.
We commit to our customers only what we are capable of offering,” he added.

Recalling his journey since 1992, when he started his business, he said, “The
market then was not mature enough. It was a struggling phase and I faced lots of
ups and downs. The period taught me how to handle critical situation and also
the way one should hold its strategies and focus even when the market is
unfavorable.”

As the economy began to boom and IT industry started undergoing many changes,
Tayal also moved as per the market trends and upgraded his business offerings to
suit the changing customer demands.

He firmly believes that it is the practice of doing transparent business and
persistence that brings status of power.