Back in late May, Business Solutions published an article titled “How To Sell Backup? Stop Pitching Fires, Floods, And Famine” based on a presentation by Rob Rae, the vice president of business development at Datto, at the ASCII Success Summit in Columbus, OH.  Continue Reading..

One of the reasons I enjoy attending channel conferences is the opportunity to hear from a variety of perspectives. You think you’ve heard every angle on our industry, but then someone explains their perspective and you think about the IT channel in a different way.  Continue Reading..

I was thrilled when I saw that Herman Pool was scheduled to present at the ASCII Success Summit in Atlantic City on October 22. I have previously described him as “a whirling dervish and marketing master on stage” and he didn’t disappoint, delivering sound advice to the nearly 100 solutions providers in attendance at Bally’s Atlantic City.  Continue Reading..

You know how speakers at a conference are supposed to lift you up and give you — and hopefully your business — a boost of energy? Well, Billy Austin, the president and co-founder of iScan Online, made the nearly 100 solutions providers at the ASCII Success Summit shudder shortly after he took the stage Wednesday afternoon.  Continue Reading..

I have greatly valued the partnership between Business Solutions and The ASCII Group, so I was doubly honored when they asked me to kick off their final Success Summit of 2014 in Atlantic City today. Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer was the name of my ASCII presentation and is the title of a book I published in 2012, in part to celebrate my 10 years of being cancer-free.  Continue Reading..

While at the Fall ONE Ingram Micro conference in Las Vegas Jeff Yelton, executive director and GM DC/POS for the distributor, gave a presentation on electronic payments and EMV. I wrote a little about it in last Thursday’s blog. One thing I didn’t detail was Yelton’s seven steps to EMV compliance. Without further ado, here they are, short, concise, and to the point…  Continue Reading..

A lot had been written about EMV. Indeed, earlier this year, Business Solutions published an entire guide on the topic. Still, there’s a lot to learn and consider if you’re a solutions provider.  During a session on the topic at the Fall ONE Ingram Micro conference in Las Vegas Jeff Yelton, executive director and GM DC/POS, spoke to a packed room about the trends leading up to EMV and the importance of compliance...  Continue Reading..

Yesterday kicked off the Fall ONE Ingram Micro conference in Las Vegas. Upon arrival, I had the opportunity to catch up with Ingram’s new DC/POS leader, Jeff Yelton. You might recall a recent interview I had with Yelton where he highlighted a handful of technology areas he thought solutions providers should focus to have success. During this conversation, we didn’t talk technology as we did business acumen.  Continue Reading..

Archie Manning is best known for his football prowess and the success of his NFL quarterback sons Peyton and Eli. But he proved today during his keynote speech at VARTECH 2014, the annual conference hosted by value-added distributor BlueStar, he knows something about teamwork and leading an organization. Manning spoke to an estimated crowd of more than 1,000 channel executives Friday morning at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans.  Continue Reading..