Get to know the acquiring company.

Winslow learned this well in 2011, when Dell bought Compellent Technologies, then a key partner. He recalls talking with then-Compellent CEO Phil Soran after the $940 million deal was announced, a bit confused and dismayed that the data storage vendor would fall under new management at a company Winslow was unfamiliar with at the time.

But five years later? "It was the best thing that ever happened to our business," Winslow told IT Best Of Breed. Soran advised him to reach out to Dell and show his company's value by talking about his expertise with Compellent's products.

What has happened since? Before the Compellent deal, Winslow didn't do business with Dell. But this year and in each of the last two years, Dell has honored Winslow Technology Group as a top channel partner.