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Job Title: Guest blogs such as this one are published regularly and are part of The VAR Guy's Business Acceleration InfoCenter.

Ingram Micro Guest Blog 1_2

Recent articles by Ingram Micro Guest Blog 1_2

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How Easy Is It To Be More Like Warren Buffett?

One of my passions is studying successful entrepreneurs. I love to learn how they think and what actions they have taken to get to the top of their game. Warren Buffett is definitely in the camp of “successful business owners,” wouldn’t you agree?

Know Thy Selfie

Welcome to 2015! I hope that you took the time to recharge your battery and rev up for the new year. Having said that, unfortunately, the new year brings on the dreaded ritual of over-promising to yourself and then hoping that you (and others) forget those promises by March 1. This year will be different.

10 Tips for Building Your Professional & Training Services Portfolio

As a solutions provider, developing a professional and training services practice can be highly profitable and provide a way to differentiate your business. But getting traction selling and marketing these offerings is often a struggle for many resellers. The things that have made you successful selling hardware and software are often at odds with selling professional and training services.

The Secret to Managing a Multisite Technology Deployment—and Living to Tell About It

Any technology reseller attempting to grow its customer base faces tough competition. You struggle with how to distinguish your business from rivals. Maybe you are considering expanding your hardware and software business to include professional services.

Technology: The World’s Weapon of Mass Disruption

In the world of technology, one could say we live and die by the sword. Disruptive technologies have changed our world for the better, but they can also be exploited as a weapon to disrupt our daily lives, including our ability to buy things, get medical treatment, travel and even have electricity.

What if the Wicked Witch Wore a Leather Jacket?

A few weeks ago, I attended an exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. On display were costumes from famous Hollywood movies of the past century. It was a beautiful layout of outfits worn in movies such as the “Indiana Jones” and “Harry Potter” films, as well as in “The Wizard of Oz” and “Ben Hur.”

Hire the Heart

Recently I’ve been talking to several customers about how to hire the right salesperson, and it reminded me of one of my favorite maxims about hiring: Hire the heart, train the brain.

‘Ketchup’ Day Keeps the Week Focused

While it might sound like the name of a condiment, ‘catch-up’ day is a time to focus on the kinds of tasks that creep up on—and can distract you—during the week.

Making the Most of Conference Networking

With technology conference and event season in full-swing, it can be hard to focus on getting the most out of each event. But these events are the perfect opportunity to practice your business brand, network to find new partners, learn fresh ideas and reinvigorate your enthusiasm for your business and our industry. Two of the […]

Confused by Branding? Here Are Some Tips

It’s common for businesses of all sizes and types to struggle with their brand. Some go the easy route (“download your free logo here”) and have regrets, while others invest in a well-considered professional branding package but never fully understand what needs to happen long term.

Make It a Better Meeting!

Somedays it feels like all you do is sit in meetings—boring, lengthy, tedious gatherings where people can't ever get to the point and the PowerPoint sides come in waves like an endless tsunami of bullet points. But it doesn't have to be that way.

10 Tips for Successful Media Interviews

Much like other presentations, a media interview can seem straightforward on the surface, and good interviewees can make it seem easy. But as a former editor and a current corporate spokesperson, I assure you—an engaging, comfortable interview can take prep and practice.

Turn Media into Free Marketing

Not surprisingly, a common concern about marketing is the perceived cost and hard-to-track ROI. With questions about how much to spend and where buzzing around, many SMB owners simply abandon potential marketing plans.

Create Magic in Your Organization

Magic. The word alone conjures emotions of excitement, expectation, awe and wonder. What if your customers felt those things when they thought about your company? What if you experienced those emotions each day as you began to work? What if everyone around you experienced the same feelings when they engaged with you?

Convergence Continues to Drive Opportunity: Are You Taking Advantage?

In May, Ingram Micro will host its first integrated community and technology event—an enormous gathering including members of our partner communities, as well as solution providers with practices in health care, public sector, BYOD, Big Data and workplace collaboration. It’s set to reinforce the message we’ve been preaching for some time now: Profitability lies in cross-sell.

Top 7 Reasons To Do A Strategic Plan

As a strategic planning consultant, I hear a lot of reasons why VARs don’t want to spend time creating plans for their companies. The most popular excuses are, “It takes too long,” ”I don’t have time,” and, “What good is a plan anyway? It will just sit on the shelf collecting dust.”

What Is Your Business Message for 2014?

When small-business owners listen to the executive leadership of large corporations talk about how to better run a company, it’s understandable that they sometimes roll their eyes and think: “What the hell do you know about running a small business?” The truth is, some business challenges eclipse the size and type of company; they are common barriers to success that every CEO must tackle.

3 Reasons Being a Networked Storage Expert Can Catapult Big Data Revenue

The effect of a Big Data implementation in an enterprise's data center can't be underestimated. Big Data requires big knowledge. One of the key areas you should know to maximize your Big Data sales is networked storage.

Learning from the SMB 500

Ingram Micro’s SMB 500 are a force to be reckoned with. These fast-growing solution providers—our most successful partners—have higher growth and revenue benchmarks than their industry peers and serve as a yardstick for the industry at large. Here are a few lessons to take from their success. Think Ahead Research company The 2112 Group found […]

4 Reasons to Plan to Attend Cloud Summit 2014

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the Cloud Summit this past April (or perhaps you need a quick reminder), Scott Howell, Sr. Group Marketing Manager, Cloud Services at Ingram Micro sums up nicely why you won’t want to miss Cloud Summit 2014, in this 2-minute video clip: Here are four reasons you should […]

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