Chandima Miyanadeniya

Selling to the CIO

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

Technology Landscape – Priorities for 2014

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

• Linkedin

Appointments with the CIO

Approach

Conferences/ Product launches

Magazines /Papers

Appointments

LinkedIn

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

Linkedin

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”

THANK YOU

1

2