Wanted—A National Association

In the last few months from several channel and several channel associations across the country, the most common grouse I have heard is diatribes against the predatory pricing policies of e-commerce sites. That their very existence is at stake owing to these e-tailing sites. While many associations are locally taking up the cudgels against e-commerce and OEMs, perhaps this is the most opportune time to feel the need of a national association. While e-commerce is the immediate curse, the national association can also offer help in pertinent issues like defaults, thefts, etc. happening across cities.

Delays by the vendor despite several reminders, resellers extending credit periods beyond all reasonable limits or worse disappearing in cases without paying—it's obvious that payments (or rather non-payment, to be more precise) is the most serious malaise afflicting the channel community today. While chroniclers of the times like The DQ Week has been actively highlighting the plights of those suffering individuals or companies whenever or wherever possible, I just cannot help feeling that ultimately it is the local channel association who can offer the most meaningful assistance. Provided, of course the association is active enough, not beset with internal rivalries and petty politics and most importantly carries enough clout in the market.

However, in reality we are not seeing much of this happening, as most associations often fail to take up the cudgel on behalf of their beleaguered members. The reasons are not difficult to fathom; either there are vested interests in play; or the association office bearers are too busy with their own businesses to devote enough time; and, in some cases, they are plainly indifferent to the plights of the individual partners. Often the large or influential partners in a particular market use their own clout to solve their problems, and it is the smaller partners who suffer. And probably these are the people in maximum need of assistance from the associations—but unfortunately these most often turn out to be another of those Big Boys Clubs.

It's not that there are exceptions. Several associations do take up these issues from time to time and do help partners in times of crises. What the channel community needs today is a more structured lobbying organization—perhaps a national consortium or more appropriately a mother of all associations. Hardware industry has MAIT, software exports has Nasscom, maybe something on similar lines for channel partners could alleviate many of the woes besetting the smaller partners today. Such a national association will have several mandates—lobbying with government on various legislation affecting market/trade, dealing with individual payment issues across the community and within vendors and for other general issues with the principals and OEMs. The important thing is to have a proper uniform mechanism in place across the country.

Rajneesh De