By: Jim Roddy, VP of Sales & Marketing at the RSPA

Channel aficionados know BlueStar has pushed the envelope with its event sites and activities over the years: Atlantis Bahamas, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Kennedy Space Center, the Superdome, a 100+ drone swarm light show, a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans (with an elephant), and two partner conferences on a cruise ship. This year BlueStar broke new ground hosting an event in a never-been-visited-before location.

My basement.

BlueStar Canada’s Stay-At-Home TEConnect Fest took place online the afternoon of Nov. 19 featuring a slate of industry speakers. CoCard Owner Dan Brattland and BlueStar Canada President Michel Sirois headlined the agenda and both spoke passionately about the need for VARs and ISVs to adapt. I captured some of their top quotes and observations – and got a load of laundry done at the same time:

Brattland: Protecting Your Pipeline in an Uncertain Economy
Businesses advance from startup mode to growth mode. When growth levels off, you need to think about your next evolution … and then you have to step out of your comfort zone. You should have a constant evolution mode.

Visit the RSPA Solution Center – a web platform designed to connect VARs and ISVs to providers of innovative solutions

Moments of Truth occur each time the customer comes in contact with you or your company. Your organization needs to be good in every area to achieve both your business outcomes and emotional outcomes with customers.

• Physical Moments of Truth: Website, office, sales materials
• Personal Moments of Truth: Telephone manners, warmth, responsiveness to customer requests
• You: Each contact you have with the customer – in any form

“The best companies give something without asking for something in return. It could be free training, a free printer. Give something they don’t expect.”

Sirois: State of the Business
“This is no time to say ‘no’ to anything. We are presented with problems we haven’t encountered in the past. It’s an era where we don’t say ‘no’ right away – step back and analyze the angles to address the required need.”

“Gartner says realign your resources to meet new customer realities. The words we need to keep focused on are ‘repositioning’ and ‘reinventing.’ At this point, I think status quo is deadly.”

“Adapt, rebound, and accelerate.”

“A lot of us are talking about AI. If you’re going to order a pizza from Domino’s, you’re not going to be talking to people – you’re going to be talking to AI. I could go on and on about edge computing, analytics, 5G, AI and more.”

“We’re seeing an increase in e-commerce activity the last 12 weeks, and I don’t think that’s going to go away. That leads to online payments, logistics, and last-mile delivery. Many retailers are thinking of having mini-warehouses near stores so they can deliver.”

“This is not the time to work in silos.”

Don’t forget to visit the RSPA Solution Center – a web platform designed to connect VARs and ISVs to providers of innovative solutions

Jim Roddy is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA). He has been active in the POS channel since 1998, including 11 years as the President of Business Solutions Magazine, six years as an RSPA board member, one term as RSPA Chairman of the Board, and several years as a business coach for VARs, ISVs, and MSPs. Jim is regularly requested to speak at industry conferences and he is author of The Walk-On Method To Career & Business Success and Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer. For more information, contact JRoddy@GoRSPA.org.