TD SYNNEX’s Practice Builder is a fundamental element of its Trusted Advisor approach, providing the right tools and resources to ensure partners can create and/or accelerate business offerings in the key growth areas of Cloud, Security and IoT.
We spoke to Corin Wright, Practice Builder Lead at TD SYNNEX about the progress that has been made with the methodology to date.
Q: What’s the thinking behind Practice Builder? What is it really all about?
A: The whole idea is to assist partners in the diversification and advancement of their business for Cloud, Security, Data solutions and IoT, as [end-user] customers’ needs change, as they look to make use of next-generation technologies and move to the third platform. Resellers need to respond to that desire and demand – to increase their skills and capabilities and develop new and relevant propositions that will showcase those next-gen technologies and enable them to deliver real value to their customers, building viable, sustainable business for the long term.
Q: Why do we need Practice Builder?
A: There has been a tectonic-shift in the way we have to think about technology. We can’t just be reactive anymore. We have to be proactive about building that value proposition and taking it to market. Partners need to develop the skills and capabilities that will enable them to change the game for their customers and their own business.
There has been a tectonic-shift in the way we have to think about technology
Q: Building these pathways for resellers must take a lot of investment. Why is TD SYNNEX making what must be quite a big commitment?
A: We are in a unique position in the market. With the portfolio and resources that we have, TD SYNNEX can bring everything that’s required for partners to develop new skills and propositions using next-gen and emerging technologies together. That’s exactly what we are doing with the Practice Builder methodology and the way we are doing it makes it really practical for resellers to set out a viable strategy and acquire the knowledge and competencies they need to do that. We help them set a clear direction, identify the solutions that will complement their current business and customer base, and then collaborate on the required development and entry into new markets. Having the ability to do that for our reseller partners is, in my view, fundamental for us and, potentially, transformational for them.
Q: How have you decided which technology areas to cover with Practice Builders? Will there be more to come?
A: Right now, we have Practice Builders for Cloud, Security, and IoT and resellers are moving through all three of those pathways. Yes, there will be more to come. We’ve selected to develop these areas first because they are all high on the agenda for customers right now. These are areas you can’t just move into and pick them up as you work on projects. If you look at security, for example, that is so high on the agenda now, but it is complex and it’s constantly changing. If you are going to be an expert in that market and build a practice, you have got to spend that extra time and to think deeper and wider about what you are going to offer. Practice Builder enables you to do that.
End-user organisations are having to re-think the way they work, and they are building new strategies around these new technologies
Q: Who is it for?
A: It is for every and any partner. But the key is having an appetite to develop a real specialism and capability that will enable you to deliver transformative solutions for your customers. The partners we are talking to are those who want to develop real expertise in these markets. End-user organisations are having to re-think the way they work, and they are building new strategies around these new technologies. Practice Builder is designed to make you think about how and why you are selling a solution; why it’s important to the customer, how it will deliver a positive outcome for them. It’s about putting the ‘how’ and ‘why’ in place before you start to think about the ‘what’.
Q: If a partner enters Practice Builder what can they expect to get out of it?
A: Every partner will want to get a different outcome from Practice Builder. That’s the whole idea really – it’s tailored to their needs. That’s why we have to assess where they are at the outset. Then we add our IP on the technologies and the marketplace, we plug any gaps in terms of accreditations, skills, resources, or services. At the end of that, the outcome should be a unique proposition that the partner can take to market. The partner will get everything they need. They will have already proved that they have the acumen to build a business – to that we can bring strategic and commercial consultancy and intelligence in next-gen technology. If we need additional experts, we bring them in as well. In that way, Practice Builder takes advantage of the wider capabilities and resources of TD SYNNEX as a whole.
Q: How long does it take to complete the Practice Builder
A: We aim to put partners through the whole learning process – of filling the gaps in their capabilities and getting to the point where they can go to market – in 90 days. That’s quite an aggressive target and a real stake in the ground, and we set that because we want to try and keep the momentum going for the partner. It would be quite easy to procrastinate if we didn’t have that goal. It’s about driving the whole plan forward.
We know from experience how difficult and challenging it is when developing an effective practice
Q: What does TD SYNNEX get out of Practice Builder?
A: We’ve already got a great deal out of it. We have had to invest a lot of time and effort into building our own practices in the first place and that’s stood us in good stead, as we know from experience how difficult and challenging it is when developing an effective practice. We’ve built really excellent teams and practices around Cloud, Security and IoT, and that experience has been invaluable. The Practice Builder methodology enables us to make use of those skills to the benefit of our partners – it allows us to scale and transfer our knowledge and skills to partners. If the partner wins, we win.
Q: What sort of reseller do you want to engage on Practice Builder and how do they take the first steps?
A: The most important thing is that the partner has a real appetite to engage on Practice Builder. They can then approach any of our team, get in contact via the Trusted Advisor website, or contact me direct at corin.wright@tdsynnex.com. There is no requirement in terms of size or scale, although some vendors have base requirements that we might need to look at depending on best solution-fit. We have had some quite small partners come on board and some relatively large organisations too. The key requirements are recognising the need to develop new capabilities and having the desire to build a viable and successful specialist business practice for the long-term.
What is TD SYNNEX’s Practice Builder?
Practice Builder is a methodology for the enablement of partners through knowledge and skills development in a key area of the technology market. It starts with an in-depth self-assessment of a partner’s own capabilities. This identifies whether or not a partner is ready to fully engage with Practice Builder.
Upon completion, partners gain access to the digital Practice Builder environment hosted on The TD SYNNEX Channel Academy platform. Here is situated a wealth of structured self-learning and enablement, regular updates and insights, a schedule of solution-oriented events, plus access to specialists to ensure a fully interactive experience.
In addition, but by invite only, TD SYNNEX run a variety of day-and-a-half workshops during which partners investigate a potential business proposition and formulate a detailed and coherent, long-term projection and plan. The focus throughout is on what the partner wants in terms of a business outcome.
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