Special Focus
Networking Online
CRN Network
In an era where social networking sites are ruling the roost, the Indian channel is not too far behind. Partners are increasingly signing onto these sites for networking, building influence, and exploring business and collaboration opportunities with principals, peers and customers.
Sanjay Mehta, CEO of MAIA Intelligence, a Business Intelligence (BI) software company, has been using Facebook (FB) and LinkedIn to brand his company and promote his expertise in BI. “I launched a BI group on LinkedIn in 2006. The group now has 30,000 members. I also started a BI blog in 2007, and update four to five articles daily. It now records 600 unique visits per day,” says Mehta.
Suresh Ramani, CEO of Mumbai-based solutions provider, TechGyan, is another avid social networker. He has been using FB to brand himself as an expert in Microsoft technologies. “I set-up TechGyan page on FB about 8-10 months ago. I write a blog communicating our expertise in MS. The page gets 15-20 views every week.” His blogs on FB has given him projects and opportunities. A partner who read his blog on cloud computing recommended him to his customer, which eventually got Ramani a deal.
Although social networking opens up business opportunities, it is a gradual process according to Sampath Iyengar, who owns Sam 7 Computers & Networks in Mumbai. “First build your contacts and network with them on a regular basis, then help and influence them. Eventually, this leads to business opportunities. For instance, I have built hundreds of contacts on my FB account with whom I converse regularly by sending messages or commenting on their messages. Once the contact starts seeing you online regularly, he will approach you for advice on topics related to your expertise. For instance, several contacts began asking for advice on what to buy and how to troubleshoot some computing and smartphone issues after learning that I am a technology specialist running an IT firm. This eventually led to a few buying stuff from me,” avers Iyengar.
However Iyengar cautions that finding business opportunities is an effect and shouldn’t be the cause. “Online social networking is farming and not hunting. If you go online with the intention of selling your products or expertise, it will not work,” he opines.
Iyengar today runs a course on online social networking how-tos for film and TV personalities. This opportunity too landed on his lap through FB. “I made a contact with a Bollywood PR specialist who manages image and media relations for several high-profile celebrities. The publicist conducts a day-long media training course for his clients, and impressed with my online social networking experience, he invited me to take a session on the topic for his clients. My session has now become a part of the training course,” claims Iyengar. This has helped him rub shoulders with several celebrities, and further expanded his sphere of influence.
Ramani also believes that online networking serves as a lead generator and not a deal maker. “If you try to market or sell hard, it doesn’t work. The idea is to network and gradually build your circle of trust and influence which leads to business opportunities,” he adds.
Building mindshare subtly
Sanjay Mehta, CEO, MAIA Intelligence says that social networking sites are a great way of staying in people’s mind as they offer an unobtrusive way of reaching out to the target audience rather than calling them up.
Mehta keeps his customers and prospects abreast of new developments and achievements by posting videos and photos of various events and awards on his FB page.
“Every event we organize, I make it a point to post photos and videos of CIOs who participated in it on FB. Many viewers comment on the posts, and they generate additional eyeballs of their peers,” says Mehta.
Mehta says that client recommendations posted on social networking sites also contribute to the trust factor. He received congratulatory mails and comments from his target audience—the CIOs—for a recent TV interview posted on his FB page. “Many CIOs wrote that they were proud of our success. Imagine what impact such comments could have on a prospective customer!”
Another benefit of online networking is that it keeps Mehta updated on CXO movements, and helps him maintain relationships even as people shift jobs.
Tracking customers is one thing, but such sites also help track old contacts and in some cases even defaulters, as Iyengar found out. In an interesting case, Iyengar searched out an old defaulter, who owed his friend `1 lakh. “The defaulter had bought IT hardware worth `1 lakh from an IT reseller friend a few months ago. But after buying, he wasn’t forthcoming with the payment. I found out where he was employed and traced his boss through my FB network and spoke to him. The defaulter returned the money within a month,” he claims.
Business collaboration
Highlighting a recent collaboration opportunity, Iyengar says, “A customer recently asked me if I could install a surveillance unit at his office. I have a partner on my FB network who specializes in security surveillance, and I passed the lead to him. He pitched and got the business, and sent me a referral commission for the same. Similar collaboration will increase between groups.”
Partners are also uniting for better prices and bargains. “I wanted to buy antivirus for a customer. I asked a few other reseller friends on FB if they also wanted to procure antivirus, and suggested that combing the procurement could help us negotiate hard. Twelve of us placed the order together and got bargain price,” informs Iyengar.
More business activities
While partners are using social networking sites for business opportunities, a few of them are also leveraging them to hire better talent and a few others are enrolling on various interest groups on LinkedIn and FB to build their knowledge base.
Iyengar has helped many of his friends find the right talent, while Paul Raymond, Marketing Director at Chennai-based JST Infotech, an IT infrastructure and services provider uses social networking websites to find answers to business and technology issues. “I am part of several focused groups on RIMS, managed services, and cloud computing on LinkedIn and have found solutions to several technology and business issues from among the members of those groups.”
Agrees Haresh Awatramani, Director, ITISL, an IT services firm in Mumbai. He uses LinkedIn for researching on CRM and ERP. “To keep up with the latest buzz on related topics, one can also pose questions to experts and answer those posted by others. Also we have executed some research surveys on such sites to get better insights about what experts and customers are thinking,” he adds.
For many, social networking sites have become a more preferred communication medium than e-mail. Iyengar, who is a member of a local business network says that he uses FB to organize their monthly meetings. “It’s faster and more responsive. In case of e-mail, just to finalize a date for the meeting there are so many exchanges. Also, I have seen that members respond to FB posts faster than e-mail,” he avers.
Adds Ramani, who is also the western chapter head of the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMCP), “I use FB to build membership for IAMCP. We have a website but members prefer to communicate via FB. Monthly meets of the association are planned over FB, and information about the speakers, time and venue are shared online.”
Clearly, online social networking is emerging as a new mode of communication, branding and marketing for IT channels and those using it are already gaining from it. |