Tell me about how HP deal registrations work
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Aren't CDW a VAR? What's the difference?
CDW tries to be a VAR - and to a limited degree I guess they are, but your best interest isn't what they have in mind.
CDW tries to sell you whatever they are getting good prices on that week. This week it might be McAfee, next it's Symantec.
If you work with CDW only with the scope that Scott mentioned earlier - you tell them the server you want, and the general parts, they do a pretty good job of making sure the parts all work together before they sell them to you.
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CDW can be used as a VAR or you can go online and order what you want with no human interaction as well. Even if you have to call in and order you don't need to do anything with them. However be advised they do still register deals with Vendors. So if you order or talk about ordering with them you are locking it up for anyone else.
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So the take out from this thread is that you need to be pretty sure who you want to buy from before you get any quotes, right?
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@Carnival-Boy said:
So the take out from this thread is that you need to be pretty sure who you want to buy from before you get any quotes, right?
Yep.
The idea of shopping around is apparently just not a real thing at this level - which I agree with the @Carnival-Boy seems weird.
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The VARs I normally buy PCs and stuff from are pretty big here in the UK (Insight, Softcat, Misco) and carry huge stocks of HP servers. If they keep stock, I'm guessing they won't register the deals, since they've already bought the stock off HP (ie the deal has already been done). Is that right, do you think?
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The pricing is the pricing to everyone period. The deal you get is due to your relationship with the VAR. The VAR' all get about the same points they use these to make a profit on the item. Say the deal is $5,000 if you get 10 points that is $500 to the VAR for profit. They can choose to drop that $5000 up to $500 off to give you a deal. The relationship with the VAR is where your cheaper price comes in.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
The VARs I normally buy PCs and stuff from are pretty big here in the UK (Insight, Softcat, Misco) and carry huge stocks of HP servers. If they keep stock, I'm guessing they won't register the deals, since they've already bought the stock off HP (ie the deal has already been done). Is that right, do you think?
Possibly but probably not. They will still probably register it. They are just dealing in large quantities (they probably have a little more wiggle room than a smaller VAR on points) but they will still register it. This is how they trace the purchase, and warrantees etc.
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Well to @Carnival-Boy point, I have had CDW tell me they get better pricing from HP for my project if they register the deal with HP - are you saying that's not true?
Are you saying - That the only thing that registering does is put HP on notice.. and when you call Insite and ask for a quote, they contact HP to register the deal, and HP says.. oh hey, yeah.. someone else already registered that deal. Now Insite just doesn't bother competing on price and simply offers MSRP?
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@Dashrender said:
Well to @Carnival-Boy point, I have had CDW tell me they get better pricing from HP for my project if they register the deal with HP - are you saying that's not true?
Are you saying - That the only thing that registering does is put HP on notice.. and when you call Insite and ask for a quote, they contact HP to register the deal, and HP says.. oh hey, yeah.. someone else already registered that deal. Now Insite just doesn't bother competing on price and simply offers MSRP?
Pretty much. Unless there is an extreme case, Insite won't get any deals on it so yup more than likely they will just offer you the MSRP. Again bigger VAR's that deal in lots of volume probably get better deals for offering percentages off. But in my experience not that much from what say NTG can do a deal on.
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really my bigger question was - so CDW lied to me.
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@Dashrender Umm Sales guy. This is where a true VAR is better than the big dogs. Hence what Scott is always saying. Your relationship with your VAR is what matters most.
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I had an awesome guy at CDW. We kinda both wore each other into a nice grove... I generally really dislike sales people.. they are always trying to sell you some shit you don't want. But he and I eventually found a good VAR type situation. Sadly he was too good at his job and they moved him to a new division and wasn't on my account anymore.. that was a good 5 years while it lasted..
I've sense bailed on CDW. I use Softmart now. Shannon is pretty easy to work with.
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I love Softmart Shannon does a great job for us and our customers generally. Does she always get the best pricing? I have no idea... she has yet to lie to me and is always there to do some leg work making sure parts all work together and licensing is correct on everything.
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@Dashrender said:
I understand the MSP push for SMB's, but do they really want to deal with you either, again assuming you're someone like me - doing my on research and I'm only calling the MSP so they can order stuff for me?
You are paying them to be a reseller liaison then. An MSP would not care as long as they are getting their consulting rates. But this seems a weird way to leverage your experts - as paperwork pushers exclusively.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
I understand the MSP push for SMB's, but do they really want to deal with you either, again assuming you're someone like me - doing my on research and I'm only calling the MSP so they can order stuff for me?
You are paying them to be a reseller liaison then. An MSP would not care as long as they are getting their consulting rates. But this seems a weird way to leverage your experts - as paperwork pushers exclusively.
Exactly - which is why I don't leverage them at all.
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@Dashrender said:
They are going to have to add onto the price they get from their VAR to cover their costs, and that just adds to the cost for the end customer (me in this case), it doesn't really help me.
Well they would charge for the labour the same that you bill by the hour (or salary, but same thing.) Your business sees you charging in the same why when they have you place an order instead of having a secretary do it. You are treating the MSP as your VAR, not as an MSP, so you are inducing the problem here. If the MSP tacks on money to the cost they are really a VAR themselves, not an MSP (in this action.)
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@Carnival-Boy said:
I'm like you Dash. I'd rather do my own research and just get someone to place the order for me. I don't really get any "value" from my VAR. If there was something I was unsure about I'd be more likely to post on here that ask them.
In most (many, at least) cases you can choose to not use a VAR then. But VARs often get equal or better pricing than direct. If you get better prices direct, you probably have a low end vendor.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Aren't CDW a VAR? What's the difference?
CDW is a VAR, that is correct. They are the largest VAR. Their "VA" component is low, but they carry a lot of stuff at huge volume. So they get less expertise in exchange for some other values.
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@Minion-Queen said:
In the case of you deciding not to use a VAR for what they are there for. Why not just go with CDW, Amazon or like Newegg or something to order stuff?
Because places like Amazon and Newegg can't carry enterprise gear. Almost all enterprise gear is exclusively through VARs. Same as why Amazon can't carry audiophile gear, only low and mid end. Try to buy a VMAX through Amazon
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@Dashrender said:
CDW tries to sell you whatever they are getting good prices on that week. This week it might be McAfee, next it's Symantec.
Many VARs do that, even little ones. They just don't have as many things to sell and so you notice it less. This is why it is important that IT / MSP be the layer that filters out that sales BS before it gets to any decision makers.
