By Being Part Of The Planning Process, This VAR Influences Product Selection
The example I used illustrated Champion's influence in the small-business market, where Ted is rolling out an integrated package that automates doctors' clinics, complies with HIPAA requirements and drives efficiencies by automating billing and medical records and providing a telephony solution that allows immediate access to necessary information.
This week, I thought I'd point to another demand generator, only this time I'll focus on someone in the midtier space. Joe Oster, president of Structured Technologies in Rochester, N.Y., is a classic example of why solution providers have been so critical to the growth of this industry and why, going forward, only companies that understand how to leverage their expertise will survive.
Structured Technologies has been around for more than 15 years, proof enough that Oster knows how to adjust to market dynamics, drive business and meet payrolls. Let's remember something else: Solution providers that have been in business as long as Structured Technologies have customer relationships that go much deeper than any vendor is capable of building. Most vendors will never admit this. But those that understand where the true point of influence resides can gain market share.
One of Structured Technologies' many specialties is law offices. I'm talking about firms that employ 100 to as many as 600 lawyers that produce reams of legalese containing poorly structured sentences none of us understand. All that stuff has to be managed, and if you think being HIPAA-compliant is tough, you ought to try to stay compliant with Sarbanes-Oxley.
At any rate, Oster recently told me a story about one large firm he has been working with for 12 years. The relationship is so tight that he sits on its technology committee, where he and principals of the law firm plan out and budget technology spending in a rolling three-year plan.
As Oster is quick to point out, serious law firms are very astute in understanding their core competency and outsourcing everything else. For this particular client, Structured Technologies is in the middle of melding its longstanding document workflow with an electronic process that includes e-mail and document management and requires very tight security.
"We are not a seller, we are a central point of contact for technology," Oster says, explaining his company's role. And because he sits on the firm's technology committee, he is involved in life-cycle management.
This ensures that Oster doesn't get micro-shopped. While the firms for which Structured Technologies works always use competitive bidding to be sure pricing is fair, the partnerships Oster builds eliminate the commoditization of the products he sells and his labor pricing. That's good for both him and the vendors on his roster.
Oster also has moved many of his law firms onto monthly contracts to help manage cash flow for both parties.
What's the result of all this? Structured Technologies is not only driving these law firms' technology automation and making sure they're compliant, it is ensuring it remains involved in proactive management, rather than reactive services.
Meanwhile, Oster's customers get best-of-breed solutions made up of products that Structured Technologies believes in. If that's not driving demand, you tell me what is.
Make something happen. I can be reached at (516) 562-7812 or via e-mail at [email protected].