How about being nice for a change?

Recently I've had several conversations with prospects and customers who have had experiences with technology sales people who have been pushy and disrespectful. I don't understand this behavior and it makes customers leery of working with sales people. What makes me even more concerned is when I talk with someone who has been pushed into a decision and it is hurting their companies operation. No wonder the biggest factor in finding new clients for me is earning their trust. So many people have been pushed into the wrong decision or just plain aggravated by sales people that they don't trust any of them. In some cases I've met customers who will only trust the technical staff and refuse to talk with account managers. Who can blame them. The problem with only trusting technical staff is that they are not usually kept up to date with the latest pricing and special offers from manufacturers. The other problem is that technical staff get busy on priority technical problems and have a hard time being timely and responsive as a result. The good news is that there are a lot of great experienced and knowledgeable sales/account managers out there. These individuals are excited to help you out and keep your best interests in mind. A successful sales/account manager is confident in their solutions and they are OK with a "no". They know that helping you achieve your goals, even if they don't make a sale, will benefit you and them in the long run. They know that when they help customers find the right fit, the result will be warm referrals. I keep asking myself "what can I do differently to allow prospects to feel OK trusting me?". I think it comes down to relieving pressure. I always strive to eliminate this right away in my initial conversations with new prospects. I think this starts with telling them that we may or may not be a fit and that it is OK to say NO. Wow, what a revelation. I'm not a perfect fit for everyone. Right, but the great news is that I can help most people out because of the 20 years worth of connections that I have in the Minneapolis business community. Lets face it, I'd rather be out learning about someones business needs at a coffee shop than stuck in the office cold calling. Here is a list of what to consider when finding a technology vendor:

1. They have to be nice and respectful


2. Find someone who is solution, not product oriented


3. Find someone with at least 5 years of experience


4. Talk to more than one vendor before you decide who to go with


5. Find someone who asks lots of questions and can repeat back to you what your concerns and objectives are for your company


6. Find someone who is authentic and gives a good gut check

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Product life cycle managment....does it matter?

I've been meeting with many of my customers on this topic recently. Life cycle planning is one of those best practices that large companies have been doing for years. They reap the benefits of a constantly refreshed infrastructure. Again, the small and medium businesses (SMB) has had a difficult time taking hold of this concept because of the perceived costs associated with it. I understand this challenge.

The general rule for a computer is that you can get 3-4 years of usage and then it will be time to replace it. We all know companies that make their equipment last a lot longer. I wonder if those companies save money? My guess is that some companies are successful operating this way. I think this is the case because they don't put a lot of stress on their networks. I've seen this with some manufacturing companies. They might have an old Unix based software product which runs their entire organization. They may have no real need for a computers other than word processing and email. In some of these cases a small company can hold out for a long time and run old hardware because their software does not need to be up to date. If that is the case for you great!


The rest of us have a challenge on our hands. How do we make a small IT budget stretch and still have enough to keep updated hardware. If you've read any of my earlier blogs you know that I think it all starts with having a plan. I think your IT provider should provide you with a plan. Part of the plan should cover applications will serve your companies needs. The plan should also talk about hardware hardware life cycle management, and provide what I call an IT road map. Lets just say that your software and systems have to serve your business process. The systems and software that serve your business are dynamic and constantly changing. Your IT road map and life cycle plan should take this into account.


Recently, I've been able to help companies free up cash to purchase new equipment to run their business by renegotiating contracts for services that have monthly recurring costs that are too high. These costs are often forgotten about when customers focus on the challenges of running the day to day business. This is where having a well rounded provider can be helpful. Over the long run companies can realize savings by, knowing what their IT assets are and managing them as they age. The savings can be realized by not having to pay $100-$150 per hour to a tech firm to fix an aging broken infrastructure. Employees are happier and get more work done when their computer is working well and when they have great tools to do their work.


There is no need to make things too complicated. There is affordable software (and free versions) which will automatically search out your network and provide a report of everything you have. A good provider should be able to recommend a standard hardware and software configuration that is affordable and functional. It's a good idea to stick with one manufacturer of Hardware for PC's and Servers to keep the support simplified. Make sure you get a 3 year warranty on all your business machines. If you do that your warranty will match the life of the machine. If you want to you can extend the warranty after the 3 years is up with some manufacturers. These are just a couple of basic Ideas to get started. Many businesses I meet with can get a handle on their infrastructure by just making these basic moves. Its really just makes sense if you think about it.


I hope you find something here that is interesting and helpful. I'd love to hear any comments.


Thanks for reading my blog.