EMERGE FORUM – FRIDAY’S 2.0 SESSION

What CIOs Want – Candid Advice to Indian Product / Solutions / Services CompaniesMARCH 12th, 2010 - New Delhi

Ajay K. DhirGroup CIOJSL Limited

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EMERGE FORUM – FRIDAY’S 2.0 SESSION

What CIOs Want – Candid Advice to Indian Product /

Solutions / Services Companies

MARCH 12th, 2010 - New Delhi

Ajay K. DhirGroup CIOJSL Limited

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The Divide : CIO’s and Technology Vendors

October 28th, 2009 Nasscom Product Conclave, Bangalore

Some comments :

CIOs –

1. The Vendors talk only Technology …2. They are small….3. Haven’t heard about you …4. How different are you from others ?

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The Divide : CIO’s and Technology VendorsOctober 28th, 2009 Nasscom Product Conclave,

Bangalore

Some comments :

Vendors –

1. How do we approach the CIO ?2. Rigidity to change / Inflexibility / Lack of Technology

Awareness3. If the CIO doesn’t listen or understand, I’ll go to the

business guys4. Extended evaluation / buying cycles5. Comparison with the biggies6. Very high / unrealistic expectations

.Pressure from Business to ;

1. Cut Costs

2. Improve efficiency

3. Add Economic Value

4. Lean Headcount

5. Agile Infrastructure

CIO Priorities for 2010

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Projections for 2010 - 2011

1. IT Spend• Hardware 30%• Software 19%• Services 15%• Staffing 14%• Communication 14%

2. IT Budgets• Reduce 10%• No change 37%• Increase 53%

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Most Invested Technologies

1. Information Security2. ERP3. Document Management Systems4. Business Intelligence / Analytics5. Virtualization6. Data Center Consolidation7. Unified Communications8. Mobile Workforce9. Web 2.010.Cloud

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Hot New Technologies

1. Cloud2. Web 2.03. Mobile Workforce4. Unified Communications

Most Explored Technologies

1. Web 2.02. Cloud3. Unified Communications

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1. Vendor or Partner ?

2. What CIOs want ?

3. The CIO – Vendor Alignment

4. Meaningful and Win Win Relationship

5. Best and Worst Practices

Critical Issues

.1. How many unsolicited telephone calls do you receive from IT vendors each week?

• 1-19• 20-39• 40-59• 60-100• More than 100

2. Is the number of these calls you receive...

• Increasing• Decreasing• About the same

CIO Survey

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3. How do you PRIMARILY handle the calls?• I direct them to fill out a standard form online or via email.• My assistant screens the calls and generally discourages vendors from contacting me.• I spend time talking to them to find out if they offer something useful. • Calls go directly to voice mail and I delete them without listening.• Calls go directly to voice mail and I delete after listening.• I tell them I can’t talk and they should send an email instead.• I refer them to an informational site about our company and IT needs.• I use caller ID to screen calls.• I direct them to a designated IT staffer who handles calls.4. If you take or return the call, what motivates you to do so?

5. How long (on average) do such calls take?• Less than 5 minutes • 5 - 9 minutes • 10 -14 minutes • 15 -19 minutes• 20 -30 minutes • More than 30 minutes

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6. At what point do repeated cold calls from a vendor within a 60-day period become a considerable nuisance?

7. How many unsolicited vendor emails do you receive each week?

8. Is the number of these emails you receive...

• More than one call• More than two calls• More than three calls• More than four calls• More than five calls

• 1-19 • 20-39 • 40-59 • 60-100 • More than 100

• Increasing • Decreasing • About the same

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9. How does your company PRIMARILY handle unsolicited email inquiries?

10. If you read these messages, what motivates you to open them?

• We forward them to someone designated to read and respond if appropriate• Rules-based spam filter • We direct them to follow an automated process such as registering on our vendor webpage • We forward and store them unanswered in a designated mailbox • We ignore them unless we recognize the sender • We send an automated reply indicating that we can’t respond • Permission-based spam filter

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Issue – Unsolicited Telephone Calls / Emails / Post / Invites

Recommendations –

1. No Mass Mailers2. Avoid calls on direct numbers / cellphones3. Send personalized mails4. Seek permission to speak / meet5. Observe Etiquette in Emails / Calls

- Intrusive / Aggressive mode – XXXX6. People who are the first touch point, should be imparted ‘soft’ skills

These can make or mar the impression and the relationship indeed !

11. What THREE things about a vendor’s approach annoy you the most?

12. What are the THREE most important things a vendor should know about your business before approaching you?

• Voice mails with no clear value proposition • Going over my head to make contact with other CXOs in the company • Unsolicited emails (spam) • Emails with no clear value proposition • Small pointless gifts vendors send to me • Thinking that an invitation to lunch is worth my time • Unsolicited cold calls • Lack of preparation or knowledge about our organization

• Our IT platforms or architecture standards • Our number of users • Our industry • Our IT priorities • Our company size • Our IT budget • Our competitors • Our major recent IT initiatives • Our primary business goals

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14. What is the single best piece of advice you would give vendors about approaching you to create a potential win-win scenario?

13. What are the THREE most important ways a vendor should differentiate themselves when contacting you?

• Name references that are relevant to our own company and known/respected by me • How their product is competitively different and superior • How their product cost or feature set is tailored to companies in our industry • How their product cost or feature set is tailored to companies of our size • How their product fits with our current IT implementations or standards • How their product could help us accomplish our specific business or IT goals • What they are already providing to companies like ours

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Top Issues in Vendor Interaction – First Contact with CIOs

1. Unsolicited Telephone Calls / Emails / Post / Invites

2. Lack of Awareness / Adequate Research about the Company

3. Lack of a Quantifiable Case to make a Value Statement

4. Referential Cases

5. Ethics, Conduct and Integrity

6. Bypassing the CIO Hierarchy

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Issue – Lack of Awareness and Adequate Research on the Company

Recommendations –

1. Adequate research on the prospect organization• It’s Business• IT Landscape• Business Plans• Strategic Plans• Needs

2. Don’t expect CIOs to do business based on what You want to sell or have, but position your products / solutions / services on a clearly articulated strategy !

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Issue – Value Propositions, What Buyers want and what Sellers propose ?

CIOs – A framework enabling them to quantify their potential ROIVendors – A pitch or positioning statement Recommendations –1. ‘Inside – Out’ perspective --- XXXX2. Listen to the buyer3. Think how your products / solutions / services will help the CIO and his organization to achieve specific

business and / or IT goals4. Create an ‘Outside – In’ perspective by careful research and listening5. Understand the CIOs Business / Strategic / IT goals and then align the solution offering with a quantifiable and measurable ROI !

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Issue – Referential Cases, or lack of

Recommendations –

1. Ethical endorsements of CIOs

2. Create Marquee installations

3. Brand Visibility and Recall

4. Online Matchmaking

5. Mentoring

6. Relationships – Build, Manage ethically, Nurture, Sustain

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Issue – Ethics, Conduct and Integrity

Recommendations –

1. Understand carefully the Culture of the organization and the Ethics, Conduct and Integrity Policy

2. Never breach the code of conduct

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Issue – Bypassing the CIO Hierarchy

Recommendations –

1. In your quest for a sales deal or impatience, never bypass the CIO

2. Respect the hierarchy – yours as well as his

3. Respect the sensitivity of the relationship – never let this be compromised or bypassed

4. Learn to lose a deal as gracefully as you would love to win it, who knows – you may get a call from the same CIO after some time, good impressions always last long !

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What will you be ?

The Leopard is synonymous with agility.

It demonstrates this trait in everything it does

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What will you be ?The mountain goat needs agility to survive in the uneven terrain

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CIOs Partners

Thank You