MNJ Technologies is known for solving business problems for their customers by leveraging the latest Cisco technology and offering a high level of customer experience. When they had their sights on growing their Cisco business, they turned to SYNNEX Comstor to deliver that same level of customer experience for their team.
Ben Niernberg, Executive Vice President of MNJ, attributes that success to understanding their customers’ pain points. “At the end of the day, we solve the business problems that keep our customers up at night,” he said in this latest video.
That focus on customer experience and delivering a high-quality of service is one of the main reasons why MNJ values its relationship with its distribution partner, SYNNEX Comstor. As a distribution partner, SYNNEX Comstor listened to the needs of MNJ, mapped out the company’s financial goals, then created a plan with benchmarks for success to ensure profitability.
“MNJ works hand-in-hand with SYNNEX Comstor to have a direct impact on the customer,” Neirnberg said.
Joe Vlajcic, Director of Customer Experience at SYNNEX Comstor, says that this came down to two main areas. The first involved understanding what MNJ wanted to do with their Cisco business. “MNJ creates enormous value for their customers – we wanted to show how Cisco can help them engage even more effectively and profitably.” Vlajcic explained that his team provided not only strategic advice but also benchmarks for performance against other partners on product mix, revenues, and rebates.
The second area was to take the business to the next level by helping to enhance MNJ’s lifecycle services. SYNNEX Comstor was able to suggest some best practices around technology adoption, cross-sell and renewals. Vlajcic continues: “As Cisco moves to become a software company, it’s a different game; it means more recurring offers and developing a better understanding of how customers will utilize their purchases”. SYNNEX Comstor even helped launch custom technology offerings that combined Cisco solutions with MNJ’s “secret sauce.”
In addition, SYNNEX Comstor stayed closely aligned with MNJ on the latest trends impacting the marketplace. “As the technology landscape shifted, moving away from hardware into a ‘subscription economy,’ we were there to guide MNJ and prepare them,” stated Vlajcic. By understanding that the market was shifting, and consumer-buying habits were impacting how technology was consumed in the marketplace, Vlajcic’s team provided access to sales training, education, and marketing services to help the partner quickly adapt to the change, he explained. “Today, their Cisco business is substantially larger than it was three years ago.”
Vlajcic pointed out that many Cisco partners who are looking for a distribution partner are not asking the right questions or demanding accountability from their distribution partner. “Anyone can come in and talk to you about how they can do ‘better’ for your organization – challenge them to be specific and quantifiable. MNJ chose to work with us because we made the effort of building a business case with hard numbers on how we could improve their Cisco practice. It’s a level of accountability partners should demand,” he told us.
For those looking to for a successful distribution partner, Vlajcic gave the following advice:
- Ask for an Assessment. “Ask the distribution partner to show you potential gaps in your business, where you could get more than you do today. Ask for a benchmark against your peers.”
- Demand More. Most suppliers would be happy to talk about available offerings. Ask them about specific and measurable impacts for your business. Vlajcic recommends that you challenge them and ask, “What’s the guarantee to achieve the outcome?” Don’t leave it ambiguous.
- Be Open. Engage as many people as you can in the planning process and think beyond your immediate needs. “It’s not just where your business is today, but where you’d like for it to go in the future. Be upfront about what you need to go forward and plan for the next iterations of the business,” Vlajcic advised. “Many partners think they have to build new capabilities themselves – that’s a very expensive way to do business. Often, resellers are surprised to find out we already have deep expertise for things they might have on a roadmap. The more you can share with us, the better chance you can get where you are going faster and cheaper.”
“We continue to ask more of SYNNEX Comstor and they continue to deliver more, day in and day out,” Neirnberg said of the relationship with their distribution partner.
Watch the full MNJ Technologies testimonial here.
