Many technology vendors like to believe that they’re “selling to the business.” They concentrate on claiming huge business benefits and persuading business executives hungry for new capabilities that they can wave a magic wand and give them everything they want without being stopped by those killjoys in IT. You know, the folks who worry about implementation, integration, security, compliance, long-term cost of ownership, etc.
“But this is how Salesforce did it! And that’s how Apple got into the enterprise!” these vendors cry.
This is true. If you are selling technology that a business unit can sign up for with a credit card and start getting value from without any integration, then the Salesforce.com play is for you. If you’re piggybacking off millions of dollars of consumer marketing to the mass affluent, then yes, the Apple play is for you.
If not, CIOs may not be your initial champions, but they better not feel like you’re about to mess up their worlds. Because here’s what happens after the vendor leaves the room.
CEO: “I love this technology, I want it! Let’s bring it in.”
CIO: “OK. It will cost millions of dollars to integrate with our existing systems, and I can’t vouch for its security, performance, or longevity.”
CEO: “OK! Forget it. I’m already on to the next thing.”
Selling to the line of business, the CEO, or CFO can be a very successful strategy. As long as you’re also selling to the CIO at the same time, and you have a clear message about how the solution will fit into their worlds and make their lives better.
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