selling to the cio by chandima mayanademiya, cio, aon sa
TRANSCRIPT
Agenda
Technology Overview
• What are the focus areas
• Cost Pressure
• Convergence and simplification
Define Clearly what you are selling into following categories
• Product/Commodity suite
• Product as a service (Product and SLA)
• Full outsource ( Functional area)
How to sell
• Preparation
• Approach methodology
• Pricing and service/solution specification
• Presentation
Cost Pressure and workload
• Rand depreciation – effect on software/hardware prices
• Costs to remain flat or reduce by X % as revenue targets are not met
• Inflation at 6%
• Do more with less
• Transformation with RTC budget
Convergence of solutions where ever possible
Examples :
- Disaster recovery and Backup and Recovery
- Converge on vendors across your ICT landscape
- Converge on fixed and mobile
- Reduce on depreciation by going onto OPEX models
- Reduce on Infrastructure footprints
- Re-negotiate contracts by lumping services together at
reduced rates
Define what you want to sell
Look for product suites that can service an array of areas
Look at Gartner/Forrester to review the products against competing
products
Look towards pricing tailored to the local market to alleviate R /$ impact
Look at your solutions team to reflect on capabilities on the products that
you sell either through
Partners
Internal Resources
POC/TRIAL – Asking for Payment on a POC is “NOT ON.” Have that
readily structured as a standard offering.
How to Sell
Preparation work
Read about the organization that is being targeted
What industry it competes in
Geography it operates in
Public/Private
Operating revenue figures if public listed
Organizational size
Technology cost ratios to operating revenue (Gartner Forrester)
Conferences and product expositions
Lookup references to the CIO – Google the person
• Background and Education/Experience
Appointments with the CIO
Approach
Conferences/ Product launches
Magazines /Papers
Appointments
Direct Marketing through contact agents
Social Media
First Meeting
Important to get the attention of the CIO on the first meeting. The decision to
Pursue or Not is most often made in the first meeting
Who Should attend
Product specialist
Price Specialist
Marketing Director/CEO
Leave behind
A brochure
Business Cards
Follow through with a phone call
What to Present
Focus on the solutions and where they are on the magic quadrant if
available
Focus on the functional elements it will resolve for the organisation
A pricing matrix and one based on ability to tailor /Flexibility is important
Sample Case studies
A short brief about the organization and its existing clients. Concentrate on
the clients you have
Typical approach – POC driven or workshops
Presentation skills
Good Product Knowledge
Good Industry knowledge
Good Technology knowledge
Humility
Ability to accept criticism on products
Ability to listen to what the client is demanding and
agree
Less of “LET ME GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT”