When discussing marketing, you hear people talk about “branding.” Usually, what pops into mind is the color of a company’s logo or some bells & whistles on their website. To me, this is not branding so I discourage clients from using this phrase until they understand what branding really means. Branding is more than little visual tricks that identify your company. It’s a way of saying who you are, what you are and what you do—it’s how you can position your company in the marketplace. If you’re spending millions of dollars on marketing and advertising, then you can worry about...


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Every StreetSmartVAR should see themselves as a Trusted Advisor—and position themselves that way in the eyes of their clients. Not following this strategy is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Instead of trying to become the Trusted Advisor, too many VARs, MSPs, etc., rely on their vendor’s marketing and brand. This strategy focuses the attention and the customer awareness on the product and the vendor, not on your expertise. Think about it—if your customers keep thinking of NetApp, IBM, HP, etc., they’re less likely to think of you as an important and indispensable resource. You...


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