How to talk shop with tech suppliers
You talk business, they talk tech. Here’s some advice
By Lawrence Cummer
April 1, 2010
April 1, 2010
If you worry you don’t have the know-how and background to make smart decisions around technology purchases, suppliers say you aren’t alone—and that it’s okay if you’re no expert. Suppliers, both full-service solution providers and retail chains, say their staff are trained to be tech literate.
Still, though, they are trying to sell you stuff, so there is always the concern that you’ll get oversold. And then there’s the basic barrier that you speak in business terms and some suppliers communicate through tech jargon.
A few easy steps, however, can help cut through communication issues and ensure you’re getting the most from suppliers.
Business needs, not tech speeds
It might seem counterintuitive, but don’t talk tech. Talk instead about what you wish to accomplish. Tech moves fast and you may not be up on newer functionalities or capabilities.
Sometimes purchasers simply don’t know what they don’t know, said René Sloos, vice-president of solutions at Red Deer, Alta.-based solution provider Bulletproof InfoTech. “I hear people come in and they go, ‘I need a server,’ and they have no clue what that means. A server is a means to an end, and not an end in itself. In the same way, technology is a means to an end.”
Ask, answer many questions
If your supplier—resale or retail—is not asking a lot of questions about your business, it could be time to find a new supplier.
“The task of the supplier should be to ask many questions and then suggest the different technologies that (customers) can leverage to ensure they get what they need,” said Daniel Reio, senior manager of marketing at CDW Canada of Etobicoke, Ont.
Too often, Reio said, customers are timid around tech purchases because they feel they need to come to their supplier with the final solution already in mind. Not true.
Also, avoid having discussions strictly by phone; this creates opportunity for miscommunication. Use phone, e-mail and face-to-face meetings where it makes sense. E-mail, for example, can allow suppliers to deliver more complete information by including pictures, diagrams and spec sheets, but when making a strategic decision, an in-person meeting may be the way to go.
Show a little trust
There’s often a bit of apprehension to opening up to a supplier about business goals and challenges. Still, the best results come when a supplier knows and understands your business. This might be the first time your business is engaging in a technology area, but it’s rarely the supplier’s first rodeo.
How does one get around this psychological barrier? Baby steps. “Trust builds over time. It tends to start off with the more straightforward transactions, like buying a printer, and grows to the more mission-critical ones,” Reio said.
Catch the early train
If you’re halfway through a project, it might be too late to get better suggestions out of your suppliers.
Harry Zarek, president and CEO of Richmond Hill, Ont.-based Compugen, said engaging with solution providers early and communicating upfront improves results later.
For smaller business customers, he said, this is often even more important. “It’s hard to know where they’re getting [other] advice. Quite often it’s, say, brother-in-law advice, which might or might not be appropriate.”
Hit the books
It does help to know a little bit about the technologies you might be purchasing before walking into a supplier, especially a retailer. While business owners should talk goals and business, it never hurts to have a conversational-level of tech savvy.
Rick Atkinson, director of merchandising for Staples Canada, said the retail chain strives for solution selling rather than simple transactions, but some quick Internet research can greatly assist purchasers, especially in comfort around differences between consumer- and business-grade products.
“Understand what’s available, what’s out there (and) have a little bit of knowledge,” he said. “It’s kind of like if you went shopping for a car, you would want to have a bit of an idea.”
Security concerns
The greatest misunderstandings often take place around security, due to the diverse or even limited concepts purchasers have in mind. A customer walking in looking for “some security” often isn’t enough.
“Some people might think of security as anti-virus, others need a firewall and still others need physical security too…. The different components of security can very easily become a confusion point.
“What are you trying to protect? Is it a laptop? It needs anti-virus, but are you also worried about it being stolen?”
—Daniel Reio, CDW Canada
More than price Customers who are price shopping can do themselves a disservice.
A sales team that understands a customer’s needs can often reduce the cost of a purchase—or even eliminate it.
“We’ll commonly see something like: ‘This is Joe from XYZ Corp. What is your price for product ABC and how quickly can I get it?’ And, that’s the start of a discussion where they’ve already made up their mind based on information we don’t have, so we’re not in a position to help determine if it’s the right decision for them.
“If you can tell me a little bit about what you’re trying to accomplish by buying the device I can lend my years of experience and expertise to either confirm it is the best thing to do or come up with a better solution that might cost less money or [work] in different ways.”
—Kevin Hiebert, Cell-A-Net Printer Services
What do you actually need?
Many customers come in hung up on details—bells and whistles not relevant to their business. They should treat tech purchases like car purchases, which are likely focused more directly on actual needs.
“When I last bought a car, I said: ‘OK, it needs to hitch up to my trailer and it needs to transport eight people. And then when I showed the car to somebody else he asked, ‘How many cylinders is that? How many liters?’ I don’t care; all that’s important is that it supports eight people and pulls my trailer.”
—René Sloos, Bulletproof InfoTech
Still, though, they are trying to sell you stuff, so there is always the concern that you’ll get oversold. And then there’s the basic barrier that you speak in business terms and some suppliers communicate through tech jargon.
A few easy steps, however, can help cut through communication issues and ensure you’re getting the most from suppliers.
Business needs, not tech speeds
It might seem counterintuitive, but don’t talk tech. Talk instead about what you wish to accomplish. Tech moves fast and you may not be up on newer functionalities or capabilities.
Sometimes purchasers simply don’t know what they don’t know, said René Sloos, vice-president of solutions at Red Deer, Alta.-based solution provider Bulletproof InfoTech. “I hear people come in and they go, ‘I need a server,’ and they have no clue what that means. A server is a means to an end, and not an end in itself. In the same way, technology is a means to an end.”
Ask, answer many questions
If your supplier—resale or retail—is not asking a lot of questions about your business, it could be time to find a new supplier.
“The task of the supplier should be to ask many questions and then suggest the different technologies that (customers) can leverage to ensure they get what they need,” said Daniel Reio, senior manager of marketing at CDW Canada of Etobicoke, Ont.
Too often, Reio said, customers are timid around tech purchases because they feel they need to come to their supplier with the final solution already in mind. Not true.
Also, avoid having discussions strictly by phone; this creates opportunity for miscommunication. Use phone, e-mail and face-to-face meetings where it makes sense. E-mail, for example, can allow suppliers to deliver more complete information by including pictures, diagrams and spec sheets, but when making a strategic decision, an in-person meeting may be the way to go.
Show a little trust
There’s often a bit of apprehension to opening up to a supplier about business goals and challenges. Still, the best results come when a supplier knows and understands your business. This might be the first time your business is engaging in a technology area, but it’s rarely the supplier’s first rodeo.
How does one get around this psychological barrier? Baby steps. “Trust builds over time. It tends to start off with the more straightforward transactions, like buying a printer, and grows to the more mission-critical ones,” Reio said.
Catch the early train
If you’re halfway through a project, it might be too late to get better suggestions out of your suppliers.
Harry Zarek, president and CEO of Richmond Hill, Ont.-based Compugen, said engaging with solution providers early and communicating upfront improves results later.
For smaller business customers, he said, this is often even more important. “It’s hard to know where they’re getting [other] advice. Quite often it’s, say, brother-in-law advice, which might or might not be appropriate.”
Hit the books
It does help to know a little bit about the technologies you might be purchasing before walking into a supplier, especially a retailer. While business owners should talk goals and business, it never hurts to have a conversational-level of tech savvy.
Rick Atkinson, director of merchandising for Staples Canada, said the retail chain strives for solution selling rather than simple transactions, but some quick Internet research can greatly assist purchasers, especially in comfort around differences between consumer- and business-grade products.
“Understand what’s available, what’s out there (and) have a little bit of knowledge,” he said. “It’s kind of like if you went shopping for a car, you would want to have a bit of an idea.”
Frontline experience
What vendors say about buyersSecurity concerns
The greatest misunderstandings often take place around security, due to the diverse or even limited concepts purchasers have in mind. A customer walking in looking for “some security” often isn’t enough.
“Some people might think of security as anti-virus, others need a firewall and still others need physical security too…. The different components of security can very easily become a confusion point.
“What are you trying to protect? Is it a laptop? It needs anti-virus, but are you also worried about it being stolen?”
—Daniel Reio, CDW Canada
More than price Customers who are price shopping can do themselves a disservice.
A sales team that understands a customer’s needs can often reduce the cost of a purchase—or even eliminate it.
“We’ll commonly see something like: ‘This is Joe from XYZ Corp. What is your price for product ABC and how quickly can I get it?’ And, that’s the start of a discussion where they’ve already made up their mind based on information we don’t have, so we’re not in a position to help determine if it’s the right decision for them.
“If you can tell me a little bit about what you’re trying to accomplish by buying the device I can lend my years of experience and expertise to either confirm it is the best thing to do or come up with a better solution that might cost less money or [work] in different ways.”
—Kevin Hiebert, Cell-A-Net Printer Services
What do you actually need?
Many customers come in hung up on details—bells and whistles not relevant to their business. They should treat tech purchases like car purchases, which are likely focused more directly on actual needs.
“When I last bought a car, I said: ‘OK, it needs to hitch up to my trailer and it needs to transport eight people. And then when I showed the car to somebody else he asked, ‘How many cylinders is that? How many liters?’ I don’t care; all that’s important is that it supports eight people and pulls my trailer.”
—René Sloos, Bulletproof InfoTech
