Not so long ago, good functionality and an attractive price were enough to close sales in the IT channel. Today, this no longer works. Customers are better informed, analyse the available options more often, involve more people in the purchasing process and make decisions more carefully. In this set-up, resellers need to go beyond the pattern of presenting the product and sending offers. Effectiveness now depends on the partner’s ability to guide the customer through the decision-making process – not just the sales process.
Customer-side decisions are increasingly complex
In B2B IT sales, it is increasingly rare to deal with a single decision maker. The process often involves several departments – IT, finance, security, operations and also compliance. Each participant has different expectations, different levels of knowledge and different evaluation criteria.
This not only results in a longer procurement process, but also a greater risk of deadlock. Instead of a quick decision, organisations struggle with lack of consensus, unclear project scope and fear of risk. A partner that limits itself to providing a bid is reduced to the role of contractor – and loses influence over the final selection.
The customer does not need a product salesman
Much of the buying process is carried out by customers themselves – analysing data, comparing solutions and consulting other companies. When it comes to contacting a reseller, customers are already at an advanced stage of thinking about implementation, although they are often not yet clear on exactly what they want to buy and why.
At this point, the client is not expecting another technical specification or product brochure. He needs help in understanding how a particular solution fits into his situation, what results it will deliver and how to minimise the risks associated with implementation. It is this stage that determines whether the partner becomes an advisor – or just one of many options being compared.
The role of the decision advisor – how to put it into practice?
Resellers who successfully adapt to the new reality start by talking about the customer’s context: their challenges, internal barriers and business goals. Only then do they move on to technology. This order allows them to better tailor their offering, but above all – to justify its value.
Another element is support in the preparation of internal decisions on the client side. Resellers can help with ROI analysis, preparing materials for the CFO, assessing risks from a security or regulatory compliance perspective. These are real purchasing barriers that often block a project – and which a partner can help break down.
So it’s not about selling a solution. It is about facilitating the customer’s decision to implement – and giving them the arguments that will convince the rest of the organisation.
Value instead of discount, process instead of pressure
Partners who support the decision-making process are less likely to have to compete on price. A customer who feels looked after and understands the value proposition is less sensitive to discounting. What’s more – a better-guided process translates into higher sales effectiveness, a shorter decision cycle and greater customer loyalty.
This is a fundamental change. Not so long ago, sales in the IT channel were based mainly on product availability and the strength of the relationship. Today, what matters is the ability to guide the customer through a difficult, multi-stage decision-making process. In this context, consultancy competences – knowledge of purchasing processes, communication with different groups of decision-makers, the ability to translate technology into the language of effects – become crucial.
New partner advantage: decision support
In a world where technology is becoming increasingly standardised and offerings are difficult to differentiate at the level of specification, the advantage is not gained by whoever has the best product, but by whoever helps the customer best make sense of its implementation.
It’s a change that requires investment – in people, in pre-sales tools, in training in communication and needs analysis. But it’s also a direction that offers more stable margins, longer relationships and a higher quality of collaboration.
A partner who wants to sell effectively today should not only be able to explain ‘what’ he or she is selling – but above all: why the customer should make a decision right now, with him or her and in this direction.
