The annual association ranking is one of the most anticipated one in the
channel community. Basically the rankings are our way of seeing which
association has been actively working for bettering the channel ecosystem.
And each year after the rankings are out, I am asked the same question, as to
how this association came top and where did we lag behind? A lot of people also
feel that a certain association keeps coming number one because we are biased
towards them.
At the outset, let me tell you that we have very little role to play in the
survey which is conducted by IDC. Our role involves drawing up a list of
associations in the country and then seeing the things that should be
considered. The rest is done by IDC and it is a methodical process that they
undertake. Not only do the analysts conduct a ranking on their own, they also
take feedback from the members of the association.
 |
| SHIVANGI YADAV |
That is probably the reason why though TAIT has come in number one for the
fourth year in a row, the association that has stood second is from Nagpur. Now
we all know that Nagpur is considered an upcountry location and an association
there will probably not have access to as many resources, as say bigger
associations like PCAIT, ITAO, RCTA, etc. In fact, in the top 10 there are five
associations which are from smaller upcountry locations. Apart from Nagpur, the
other associations are from Jammu, Jalandhar, Trichy and Baroda.
So what is it that these associations did which was different? They actively
worked for their members, held regular meetings, got together to fight for
issues, conducted expos and organized various committees to look into issues
that face partners regularly. And most importantly they organize elections on
schedule and not when it was demanded by someone or when they were cajoled by a
third party.
There are so many reasons for partners to get together, and only one reason
for not doing it. The reason being personal egos. There are so many clashes in
almost all associations that most time and energy is being spent sending
rejoinders to each other than working together. Despite great show of strengths,
some really good associations have almost blipped off the radar since the
members do not have the time to get together and meet.
Many years ago, Alok Gupta of Softmart had created ISODA. After the initial
burst of energy, the association got fraught with the same problems. Gupta also
gave up and ISODA disappeared from the channel radar. Last year, when the
software partners came under duress the association was revived by some other
people and Gupta today is an active member. So what changed? A cause, when they
started not every member was committed to the cause; today, fraught with all the
problems that software dealers are facing, thanks to the double taxation issue,
the channel partners are committed to the cause of the association. Which means
that there are still instances where they disagree but they have a large vision
and a firm commitment to the cause. And that is what is needed. It is especially
true for association in North India which seem to have lost the way somehow. I
just hope that they realize the importance of an association and stop treating
it like a forum to meet and party once in a while.
shivangiy@cybermedia.co.in