Dell’s road to becoming a major player in the channel has been, quite frankly, shorter than we imagined. While other companies like HP have been working the channel for 20 years, Dell as a relative newcomer is now being described as the “darling” of the channel by Channel Insider and was recently awarded Products of the Year in the desktop and notebook categories. The blogosphere is also full of rave reviews of products like the new Dell M-Series blades and others.

So how did Dell, a relative newcomer to the channel, suddenly jet to “darling” status? It is actually pretty simple. We asked what channel partners wanted, really listened, and built a program that gives them what they asked for. I don’t want to sound overconfident here -- we certainly have a long way to go – but this isn’t rocket science. It’s the same approach we take developing Dell’s products and services – find out what people want and deliver.

A simplified program along with the kind of “darling” products that everybody wants and re-sellable services sounds easy. But apparently no other company is doing it this way. We’re still listening and still improving, so keep those ideas coming in. Let me know what your experience is and what you’d like to see in Dell PartnerDirect by posting a comment below.