Opinion: Ding dong Dell

It’s like finding out on your second date that the object of your desire used to be a hooker – do you make an excuse to visit the bathroom and leave them to pay the bill, or stay to take advantage of their wide-ranging experience?

After years of direct sales, Dell wants to be a channel partner. Well, the vendor certainly knows what the customers want and has built an empire doing just that.

Can you afford to ignore their huge slice of the market?

They have so many customers that even if they’re only offering crumbs, you could quickly combine them all and build your own bakery.

And until you’ve tried the partnership you won’t know if they’ve truly given up their old street-walking ways.

Contrast this approach with a vendor which nearly always did things via the channel, but now wants to go direct with its own retail stores.

Which is worse? A partner who used to be a hooker or one who announces they’ve decided to become one, but still wants to maintain your relationship?

Too hard to figure that one. We’re just going to keep listening to the old song by the J. Geils Band recently revived by the grandfathers of head-banging, Status Quo. “My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold, my angel is a centrefold.”