Why Dell's global leaders keep coming back to India

When global tech giants fly in not to sell, but to listen, you know something's shifting. Dell's back-to-back India visits signal more than interest. It's a quiet pivot: from boardroom strategies to chai-table collaborations. The future? It's personal

- BHARTI TREHAN

“An analysis of the last two visits in less than 18 months signals a deeper game plan for Indian partners.”

Over the last year and a half, Dell Technologies’ global leadership has made not one, but two visits to India. And these visits are not for press events or big product launches, but for something far more grounded, a real conversation with real people: Dell customers, partners, and employees. On both trips, Dell’s message was clear: India matters. But more importantly, its partner ecosystem matters.

There's something about India that keeps Dell’s top leadership coming back. This isn’t just about market share or retail buzz. It’s deeper.

So what happened during these visits? And what do they mean for India’s vast channel ecosystem?

The March 2023 visit: Making India count

Back in 2023, Dell’s global leadership made a notable visit to India. The senior executives from the global team came down to Bengaluru and New Delhi. The delegation was led by leaders from global sales, infrastructure, and partner strategy. More importantly, during the visit, they had back-to-back meetings with distributors, system integrators, and major enterprise customers.

Here are some key highlighted points from that visit:

Partners weren’t in the background. They were front and centre: The leadership came and met partners, where they had a word with them about the various challenges and strategies, not pitch. Partners voiced concerns about supply chain bottlenecks, unpredictable incentive structures, and limited support for SMB-focused initiatives. Dell noted and took it back with them.

They didn’t come with any readymade answers. They came with questions: Rather than showcasing new products, they asked: “What’s working for you? What’s not?” That actually set the right tone. It made the engagement feel like more of a mutual collaboration rather than a one-sided word.