What To Do, We Are Like This Only

It was MTV which came out with this Hinglish phrase, and it clicked with the Indian masses. It has also clicked very well with the partners in Goa,
whom I met at the recent IT Panchayat in the state.

The assembled partners at the event grumbled about distributors being rude to them and taking them for granted. They talked about a few big dealers being favored by the vendors and distributors alike.

They complained that there were several service related issues. They also said that partners here worked more for ego than margins, preferring to buy from dealers or distributors who overcharged because they did not like a dealer who offered the same product at a lower price.

And when asked why they don't take these issues up and try to get them resolved, everyone was very relaxed and amicably said, “What to do, we are like this only. Even great people like Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Behari Vajpayee have said that Goans are a weird set of people!”

No wonder then that distributors are treating these local partners with indifference. When you are not keen on helping yourself, it would be futile to expect help from other quarters. And when you don't respect yourself, then why expect respect from those around you?

What is even surprising is that all this is happening despite the presence of as association-Goa IT Business Association (GIBA)-in the city. But currently, this local body is also racked with clashes and differences of opinions, and is merely a paper tiger.

Partners feel that the association is not doing anything that will help them in their business and therefore do not wish to be associated with it. Association officials say that partners do not participate in any activities GIBA conducts.

The finger pointing continues and it has become a game of who will blink first. Will the partners start becoming proactive GIBA members, or will GIBA initiate some drives, which will reinforce members' confidence in it?

It is sad that what could have been a vibrant group of people, who could come together to resolve the various issues that they have and grow their business together, has degenerated to a body where everyone has their backs to each other.

It is easy for members to shrug off responsibility to the association saying, “What have they done for me, and why should I worry about being affiliated to them.” It is also easy for the council members to pass the blame on inactive partners and say, “Ergo, we are unable to achieve great milestones.”

But they are losing focus of the bigger picture. Today, partners in the state openly acknowledge that they have stopped selling APC as there are several post-sales service issues. These complaints have been piling up and dealers are trying to sort them out on an individual level, with little success. An association however could have done a better job, lobbying with the vendor and demanding that the latter live up to its promises.

Now, GIBA is trying to bring its distributed flock together and initiate some actions against erring vendors. I do hope they succeed and do not fade into oblivion using the convenient excuse, “What to do, we are like this only.”

vinita bhatia
vinitavs@cybermedia.co.in