All of those who participated in the “Working with Resellers” panel discussion agreed: establishing an effective relationship between a retailer and a user group is not always easy, but it’s almost always worthwhile for all involved.

“It’s all about relationships,” said Apple’s Dave Keller, “people working with people, realizing that they can work together to make things better for both of them.”

Gold Coast Mac Photo

Randy Jarnigan encouraged user group members to “talk to the managers of the CompUSA in your area and tell them that you would like to establish a relationship with them, that you would like to get involved. Explain to them,” he suggested, “that you can send them customers and can help with customer satisfaction.”

Dan East emphasized the “Three C’s: Communicate, Cooperate, and Cultivate,” as a way of slowly building that personal bridge that is needed to create an environment of mutual trust and respect out of which a strong relationship can grow.

And both Rose Lynn and Kelly Kinsey urged everyone to go slow, be prepared to take baby steps and realize that it takes time to develop an effective relationship.

—Frank Klug