Dell Technologies, IT hardware manufacturer, is undergoing a substantial transition in its sales approach, resulting in layoffs within its sales teams. The company is adopting a partner-led go-to-market strategy, prioritising collaboration with partners to sell its products, particularly storage solutions. This strategic shift signifies a noteworthy change in how Dell conducts its business.
Dell’s choice to downsize its sales teams reveals its determination to align the workforce with the new strategy. This action underscores the company’s proactive approach to match human resources with evolving business goals. The decision’s importance is evident through its broad impact, emphasising its sincere commitment to change. Notably, the company proactively promises support for affected employees during their transition to new opportunities.
This shift in the sales strategy aligns with Dell’s goal to optimise its sales processes by incentivising direct sales staff to focus on selling storage solutions through partners. This marks a departure from the traditional model of direct sales. The company’s leadership, including Bill Scannell, president of sales and customer operations, acknowledges the magnitude of this shift, considering it the ‘biggest change ever’ in Dell’s GTM model.
Rob Tomlin, vice-president of the UK channel, Dell Technologies, has indicated that this transition emphasises a significant alteration in the company’s customer approach, positioning partners as the primary focus. The strategic change underscores Dell’s commitment to a collaborative sales approach. Additionally, it will be providing increased compensation to sales representatives facilitating sales through partners, marking a departure from past practices.