Do You Practice What You Preach?

The sad truth for many smaller solution providers selling cutting-edge technologies is that they may not have the wherewithal to invest in that solution themselves. While there are circumstances in which this doesn't matter, such as in the case of vertical applications or enterprise technologies, in others it could be a serious handicap. And it speaks to a gap in many existing vendor channel program policies.

HEATHER CLANCY Can be reached via e-mail at hclancy@cmp.com.

Take the case of IP telephony, which is inspiring the next big upgrade wave in network infrastructure among businesses of almost every size. I recently moderated a panel about the convergence between data networking and telecommunications for an attentive audience of regional network integrators that are part of the 1NService alliance organization. The session, which included four CIOs and network administrators, focused on sales and technical considerations for convergence technology deployments and was progressing without controversy until one of the customers mentioned a dirty little secret: Until recently, the integrator on his account wasn't actually using the same technology that it was deploying at the client's company. It wasn't even a case of using products from a different supplier. The simple fact was that the solution provider hadn't been able to justify the investment for its own internal operations.

Step back for a moment and put yourself in your customers' shoes. Would you be willing to invest in something that the salesperson wasn't willing to use? You'd certainly think twice about it. That's why car dealers encourage their salespeople to drive showroom models.

In the case of IP telephony—indeed for many advanced technologies that carry a hefty price tag—it isn't that solution providers aren't willing to make the investment, it's that the technology may be priced out of their reach. While the CIOs and network administrators on my panel said they trusted their longtime integrators enough to understand this, they said it's tougher to explain to other line-of-business executives within their organizations.

Not surprisingly, a majority of the network integrators in the panel audience said they have chosen to invest in IP telephony for this very reason, despite the strain on their pocketbooks. Not only does it help their staffs appreciate the solution possibilities, but technical personnel gain real-world troubleshooting experience.

But they lamented the minimal help they received from their vendor partners in this regard. Strictly speaking, this equipment wouldn't fall under the umbrella of demo technology, although what better way to showcase a solution than to see it in action at a live business?

The way I see it, the onus is on both sides. Solution providers must be smarter about the way they use IT to run their own businesses. And vendors should find funds to support this, even if it's at the expensive of product spifs.

What do you think about vendor demo programs?
CRN Editor Heather Clancy welcomes letters at hclancy@cmp.com.