“How we define ourselves is part of our problem. Value added reseller? . . . Is ‘no value added’ the alternative?” he asked.
Zarek views it as a contradictory term that reflects the start of the industry, when the focus was solely on selling.
“The value-add in those days was the brand you carried and your ability to get price and delivery.”
Today the value is associated with what a company can deliver to customers above and beyond the product, he said.
The channel, Zarek added, is becoming and perceived as being more strategic to customers as well as the vendor community.
“There’s absolutely a critical strategic trusted advisor role that we can play as a channel organization that helps customers make decisions on which technologies and solutions they need to focus on.”
The opportunity for growth in services, he said, is only limited by creativity and imagination.
Zarek, who started Compugen in 1981, attributes the company’s success to the unique, positive and optimistic culture of the organization.
“The biggest challenge every organization will have for the next significant period is attracting talented, good people prepared to make commitments,” he said. “It’s a pretty difficult thing with no recipe on how to do it.”