I recently listened in on a presentation from a peer (and nominal competitor) in the channel publishing community. The problem with channel publications, he seemed to argue, is those pesky editors who write the content. It would be better, he suggested, if we just relied on VARs and other industry experts to provide their viewpoints.

Needless to say, I don’t fully agree with the sentiment that editors (journalists, bloggers, whatever we may call ourselves) are an impediment to sharing news, knowledge and insights with this community. The team here at ChannelBuzz.ca will continue to reach out to and talk to members of this community and those who seek to work with and through it. And we’ll continue to talk to folks at the vendors and distributors about the programs and opportunities they see in the ever-changing market.

But my peer did have a point. There are some types of information that are best unfiltered by the viewpoint of an editor. There will always be room for the skills, opinions and insights of experts and leaders in the community, as well as those who serve the community.

That’s why I’m pleased today to introduce the first scheduled expert column to debut here on ChannelBuzz.ca. Every other Monday, veteran sales coach Tibor Shanto of Renbor Sales Solutions will share some of his insights, practices and tips in our new SalesBuzz column.

I first met Tibor at the ChannelNext events, and very much enjoyed his presentation, the crux of which was the reversal of the old VAR dilemma “What happens if I train my sales people and then they leave?” That is to say, “What happens if you don’t train them, and they stay?” Suffice it to say, neither is a desirable situation.

I was impressed with Tibor’s depth of knowledge of the sales issues, both general and specific, that face the solution provider community, as well as his ability to communicate complex sales concepts in language that was easy to understand but retained its power and impact.

I think you’ll enjoy Tibor’s conversational approach, and the mix of sales thought leadership and practical sales tactics he has to share should make for good reading for executive leadership and sales professionals alike.

I’m hoping that Tibor’s contributions with SalesBuzz is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of providing insights from leading experts in the Canadian IT channel community. I hope to, in the weeks and months to come, introduce similar columns tackling some of the common issues facing many solution providers, with thought leaders from marketing, operations, finance, leasing, human resources and other fields. If you happen to know of someone who’d fit the bill for such a column here on ChannelBuzz.ca – be it yourself or a thought leader in the community – please drop me a line and let me know.

Thanks, and enjoy the debut edition of Tibor’s SalesBuzz column.