"It is ironic that manufacturers are pushing for better products but integrators most want more leads / contacts. Indeed, perhaps manufacturers can help their integrator dealers with greater lead sharing, as manufacturers tend to be better at getting leads (bigger budgets, bigger scale, etc.). This might be mutually beneficial and more endear integrators to specific manufacturers"
It is not that ironic actually- it is more of the chicken and egg thing...
Manufacturers chase the large behemoth SI's and thus invest more and more on marketing and lead generation. Sales teams want leads (to win the hearts of the SI's), but they also want new products. its a catch 22 and no one wins.
The biggest loser in this rat race is innovation, and that is why our trade shows start looking more like groundhog day than a celebration of superior technologies. More features in VMS, higher resolution cameras, and cheaper thermal technologies can't be any farther from innovation...