5 Reasons Your IT Service Provider’s Sales Quota is Hurting Your Business
I have been in IT for almost 20 years now. One theme I see repeatedly from many IT service providers is over-selling products.
I have walked into businesses that have 3 employees total to find that they have Cisco switches and monster servers with tons of storage.
I once quoted a business on their initial set up and came in $2500 less on devices than the next closest quote, because they were trying to make money on commission.
There’s a dirty little secret in the IT world. I am sure that it’s not exclusive to IT but because most people don’t understand technology at the same level as an IT service provider it rarely gets questioned by businesses.
There’s also the fear factor in IT. Is my network going to be hacked? Are my computers and tablets safe and secure? When I was providing on-site tech support, I talked to people all the time who doubled up on firewall and anti-virus software (bad idea) because they feared their computers were not secure enough.
Why Do Business Owners & Operators Feel They Need More IT?
For decades now, IT Vendors have profited on selling services and products that are not necessary. They did this by telling the business that they need it to protect them from insert random computer/server/network issue here. IT Vendors supported this with inflated statistics. They often backed up their claim with what it might cost a business who did suffer from insert random computer/server/network issue here.
To make matters worse, many IT vendors earn a commission from the company they’re purchasing the service or product from. They then mark up the service or product. This is a common practice in the IT world.
Why Your IT Service Provider Sales Quota is Hurting Your Business
ONE: You Have Hardware/Software That is Not Being Used
IT Procurement is not an easy job.
Let me rephrase. Procurement used to be a difficult job.
You would have to figure out what you need, ensure that what you are purchasing is going to be enough to handle the workload and get the best price possible. It’s not easy to do when you must work with hardware purchases. Very often the hardware is too much for what the business needs. This might be because the IT service provider doesn’t want to come up short, or they just want to make a few extra dollars.
But what if you used the cloud? IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is far more cost effective, easier to set up and easier to maintain & adjust as needed.
TWO: Your IT Service Provider Does Not Listen to You
IT Salespeople usually have their own agenda. They usually know what they want to sell you before they ever speak to you. This means they’re not going to listen to what your business needs are.
It’s obvious that a sales person’s goal is to make as much money as possible. They make more by upselling you on things your business does not need. The problem with that logic is it does not support a long-term relationship.
The best salespeople build relationships, not fill pockets. The best salespeople listen and make more long-term than on the initial sale.
THREE: Your IT Salesperson is Not Educated
Many people in IT sales do not understand IT. It’s scary sometimes.
A salesperson can do more harm than good by selling you the wrong thing. Having the wrong IT solutions for your business can literally bring your business to a halt…or worse.
If an IT salesperson does not understand IT how can they suggest the best solutions for your business?
The short answer? They can’t.
Sometimes the answer is not easy to come up within the IT world. Sometimes the answer needs to be researched before being provided.
An IT salesperson who provides every answer (right or wrong) is doing more harm than good.
Business owners appreciate honesty over knowing everything. A response of “I don’t want to provide you with misinformation, let me research that and get back to you” will go a lot further with a business then a quick response that turns out to be wrong.
I always operate under the assumption the business representative that I am speaking with has more knowledge than they let on (because I do this too).
FIVE: Your IT Salesperson is Not Thinking Long Term
I said it earlier. I will say it again.
IT is a long game. Selling your business IT solutions that fit their immediate needs is great but what about long-term?
It’s best to discuss both immediate and long-term IT needs with your IT Service Provider. The IT solutions provided should have the ability to grow with your business (must easier to accomplish with cloud-based solutions).
Final Thoughts
Sit down with your IT Service Provider and detail what your business’ long-term goals and growth projections are. If they are truly a partner in your business growth, they should be all about providing the best IT solutions for your present and future needs.
Nwaj Tech does not mark up software or hardware. There are some solutions that we earn a commission on. These are solutions we would recommend even without a commission, and in many cases solutions that we use.
We prefer a long-term partnership over a short-term commission. Once we start providing IT services and solutions to your business, we become partners.
If you want to review your current IT Infrastructure to see what opportunities exist, click here. It’s absolutely free and there’s no obligation to your business.
