Hardware vendors cold calling my clients behind my back
Major vendors like Dell frequently bypass channel partners to contact end customers directly, often undercutting active deals. This long-standing practice undermines established partner relationships and forces managed service providers to constantly defend their client base.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Switching partnerships to alternative hardware vendors like Lenovo or HP
- 2Using the MSP's own phone number and email address during client registration instead of the client's direct contact details
- 3Setting up a separate LLC to purchase and filter hardware orders
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“over the last two months Dell has called four customers.”source ↗
“Dell has been doing this for years and years unfortunately.”source ↗
“I was told they cold called one of our clients the other day.”source ↗
“Dell has a LONG history of screwing their partners. I've experienced this dozens of times over the years with them.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Why won't retailers respond to cold wholesale outreach?
- 5How to follow up with a client who picked a cheaper vendor
- 3How to decline a bad referral from a good client
- 6How to get business clients without word of mouth
- 2How to hit reseller revenue quotas before getting clients
- 3How to coordinate multiple vendors for a wedding without losing your mind