6 Smart Sales Motions You Need To Know

COLIN MCISAAC

Vice President & General Manager, NA Solutions, Lenovo Canada

From ultralight laptops, bulked-up workstations and folding-screen smartphones to mobile gaming and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), Lenovo’s intelligent devices are a favorite among businesses and consumers. In this interview, Colin McIsaac, vice president & general manager, NA Solutions, Lenovo Canada, shares his predictions for six hot growth solutions for channel partners as Lenovo drives device innovation.

Smart Collaboration will be a $7.7 billion total addressable market by 2025 and Lenovo has tripled its North America business in this space. Smart collaboration solutions build on our PC heritage, and we are investing in our collaboration portfolio. The last two years have set a new standard for collaboration, and people will expect that same quality and engagement, whether they return to the office or work from home.

Augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) is a huge play in manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and utilities, and of course, media and entertainment. We think we’re just scratching the surface of the AR/VR opportunity, and we’ll continue to innovate. AR/ VR is a great opportunity for partners looking to diversify into new market segments.

Edge IoT is another growth area for partners with a focus on retail, smart cities, healthcare, and Industry 4.0. Lenovo has the portfolio to support AI at the edge, rich analytics, data governance, safety and surveillance, and other edge IoT solutions.

Workstations have seen incredible growth in media and entertainment, architecture and engineering, and gaming segments. The Lenovo workstation portfolio is becoming more robust and familiar to buyers. Also, at a time in the market where we’re seeing scarcity, partners want to offer products that drive the highest value, and that includes workstations. I would encourage partners to understand the value proposition of selling higher-value workstations.

OEM is also a strong growth area for Lenovo. We’ve seen hundreds of design wins as we integrate our smartphones, tablets, PCs, workstations or servers into other manufacturers’ solutions, especially in healthcare, manufacturing and retail. For the partner community interested in this motion, it’s an area where we can grow together.

Canada is a big opportunity for channel partners. Nearly 98 percent of businesses in Canada are considered small and medium, and these organizations typically look to solution providers for IT expertise. Grants and funding from the Canadian government are also available to help these businesses accelerate their digital innovation. We see the public sector evolving and adopting more agile procurement methodologies. 