Venero: Win, Maintain Business With Traditional Strategies--

When he took the stage at the Channel Company's Best of Breed Conference in Orlando Tuesday, Future Tech CEO Bob Venero said that despite all the changes the IT industry has undergone in the last 20 years, many similarities remain.

Future Tech's sales and marketing approach sounds distinctly traditional, and Venero wouldn't have it any other way.

It's easy for solution providers to get caught up in fad strategies and short-term thinking, especially in a period of industry transition. But Venero and Future Tech have remained loyal to relationship building, listening to customers, being responsive and passionate, and asking for business.

"We listen to our customers," Venero said. "If it's not something we have. We'll build it, partner, align, or very rarely, say no."

Venero started Future Tech in his basement in the mid-1990s, and has since grown it into a more-than $100 million company.

Relationships are a two-way street, and by putting time and energy into building and maintaining them, companies are able to determine which customers and partners are worth their while.

The result is a stronger brand and a more flexible business. When customer relationships are solid, the company can more easily respond to their needs, even if those needs bring the company to unexpected places.

For example, Future Tech had no plans five years ago to begin building data centers. Now, the company builds them around the world.

"You've got to be there listening," Venero said. "You need to understand what customers want and why they want it." If you're not, "You will be labeled as the guy who is not there in support of the customer."