The buck stops with the IT director.
If you’ve ever sold technology to an organization, you know that.
Let’s face it, if you’ve ever tried to procure technology for your own organization, you also know that.
It didn’t used to be that way. Not long ago it was an organization’s facilities manager, not IT director, that typically wielded the most technology purchasing power.
Times have changed. Asked about which position is their customers’ most typical decision-making point person, about a third of respondents to CI Research’s 2017 State of the Industry survey say it’s an IT director. Then another 28 percent say it’s a manager type position.
Very few, meanwhile, 5 percent, say it’s a facilities manager.
“There has certainly been a downturn in the facilities department being the decision-maker. That we know,” says Chuck Wilson, executive director of NSCA, adding that NSCA member companies are seeing more influence from business unit directors, which he figures falls into that 28 percent category.
Learn to Think Like an IT Director: 17 Easy Steps
For most organizations, it’s the IT department making decisions about purchasing technology. In this free webinar, learn how to effectively relate to and address their concerns. Create a mutually beneficial relationships.
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“More of our systems are being sold at the division level or department level where they’re seeing our systems tie into their business decisions.”
In all of those cases, Wilson adds, the IT department has the final say.
“The IT department, while they may not be our primary decision-maker, they can shut everything down.” One clear reason why they might shut down a potential sale, Wilson says, is when an integrator doesn’t demonstrate credibility “through documentation, psyche, insurance, and wherewithal on the IT space.”
Therein lies the problem. Many of the folks looking to win over IT directors simply lack that credibility—or at least the ability to demonstrate it.
That’s where CI’s webcast, 17 Tips for Winning Over Customers’ IT Directors, comes in pretty handy.
We’ve gathered three professionals, each offering unique expertise when it comes to blending AV technology with IT networks, to compile tips.
A manufacturer, Dan Helfrick of Z-Band; a consultant, Mark L. Peterson of Shen Milsom & Wilke; and an integrator, Joseph Arena of Yorktel will run through these 17 tips for appealing to IT directors’ priorities. Join us for the webinar as they evaluate on each and equip you with a game plan for establishing credibility with your customers’ most important decision makers:
- Get to Know Your Customer’s Network
- Provide Clear Requirements Early On
- Understand Customer’s Budget and Funding Pro
- Don’t Assume Video Knowledge
- Be Schooled in Best Practices: When It Comes to Securing IP Devices
- Establish, Manage a Complete Network Tracking Sheet
- Know the Different Between Multicast and Unicast
- Tackle Remote Access Issues
- Understand Impact of Solution on Collaboration, Space Strategies
- Anticipate Security Review
- Consider Service Providers
- Think Beyond VLANs
- Understand Customer’s Hosting Strategy
- Know Your QoS Requirements
- Techs Are Your Feet on the Ground
- Understand the User Experience (Beyond the network and the solution)
- Appreciate Cabling Differences
Register for 17 Tips for Winning Over Customers’ IT Directors.
