Tuesday 28 February 2012

Head in the Cloud

Cloud Computing is a term which has come into fashion over the past few years. It means different things to different people and is used so broadly that it can be hard to make sense of exactly what it is. There is debate as to whether "Cloud" is even a new phenomenon or just a new name for a trend in IT which has been happening for many years - namely to think of IT as providing services - rather than consisting of a system of hardware and software solutions.

For the complete article - head for www.2decipher.com/cloud

Thursday 23 February 2012

To succeed in IT Sales – get more technical.


I know a lot of you reading this will be cringing at the idea that you need to become more technically proficient to succeed in IT Sales. I have heard it said many times – “I will never hire a techy for a sales role – it just never works”. I have also heard successful IT Sales people positively balk at the idea that they may have a technical streak in their character. “I don’t do technology – it’s dirty”. “People buy from people – I don’t need to be technical”.

So just what is going on – and why should you care anyway?

Well here is the thing. You cannot successfully sell to someone unless you can uncover some sort of need and therefore demonstrate that the solution you are offering provides some value. I will return to this in a future blog post. The point here is that you need to uncover a need – and in IT – this is likely to be couched in technology. It could be quite complex.

 So if you don’t have an appreciation of your customer’s environment and how the products and services at your disposal might help address the need – how would you spot there is an opportunity and know how to take it to the next stage?

Of course you say, I have technical pre-sales help for that sort of thing. Very true. But can you really afford to have pre-sales with you at every customer encounter?

When I speak to those successful IT sales folks who would rather die than admit technical knowledge – invariably, they actually do know their stuff. I firmly believe that to succeed in IT Sales (and I am referring to solution sales rather than simple commodity products) – an appreciation of technology and your customer’s situation can be a real help.

You don’t have to be a technical expert – but become a bit more tech savvy. Technology is changing all the time – and if you don’t get it – how can you sell it?

2DeCipher is an expanding and free resource to help you become a bit more tech savvy. Why not pay a visit now  http://www.2decipher.com/

Sunday 19 February 2012

IT Sales Blog - What is IT about?

Having worked in the IT Industry for over 20 years, I am still amazed by the rate of change as new technology emerges. However, if you look under the covers, there are also some constants. The first is that the fundamental role of information technology is to enable businesses - to do business. Whether you are in a commercial or public sector environment - this remains true.

The second constant is that the industry which supplies the technology is itself hungry to do business - to provide new IT to customers. In order to accelerate the consumption of technology there is a continuous cycle of refresh, of new technology and jargon, of finding and articulating better, smarter and faster ways of doing things. Some technologies, like server virtualisation, really have delivered on the promise. Others may not live up to the hype so well.

If you are in IT Sales and are baffled by some of the jargon or just struggling to keep up with technology - why not have a browse now? You can also access a range of instructional videos on the 2DeCipher YouTube channel - here.