Customer Reviews

Partnering With the CIO: The Future of IT Sales Seen Through the Eyes of Key Decision Makers

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think this book is very useful because it conveys two important messages. First, it tells salespeople something that they really need to hear: it's essential to learn how to listen to their customers. Most don't really listen, so they don't understand what challenges their customers are facing and can't properly address how to solve them. Salespeople need to understand this, or they won't be able to sell. It's that simple. Second, it shows that CIOs are actually champions of technology salespeople. The CIO tries to sell the organization on the projects that the salespeople are pitching to him. Salespeople have to understand that it's not an adversarial relationship.

This is not a book for tech sales professionals and CIOs only. Industry analysts and journalists who cover the IT arena are also among those who should read 'Partnering with the CIO.' I don't think the disconnect between vendors and users has ever been more succinctly and clearly stated. Industry-watchers need to understand the dynamics of the vendor-user relationship to get a comprehensive view of IT in the enterprise. From my point of view as a journalist, I can say that very few of us know what really goes on in the sales and purchase process. CIOs are in a constant struggle to align IT with business strategy. Meanwhile, vendors talk about "solutions," but they will not help solve real-world problems if they don't take time to truly understand the business goals of the users they are selling to. This book is a real eye-opener.

"Parterning with the CIO", gives the perspective of the CIO in the language today's sales person can understand. This is a must read if you want to be at the planning table instead of an afterthought behind your company's logo. I work for AT&T and sell global networking solutions. We get pushed to the Operational level constantly, which is a common thread in sales. I now have confidence that I can call on the CIO's in the companies that I work with and have valuable, BUSINESS orientated conversations instead of giving them a boring, redundant, smattering of tech buzz words that they could quite frankly care less about.

This is one of best business books I've read in a while. It's accurate, and very funny. Some of the sales tactics they describe will make your cringe with embarrassment -- especially if you're in IT sales! Read it and weep, or laugh out loud. If you're new to the game, this book will help you avoid some common mistakes, and some uncommon ones, too! It's amazing to think of how many IT deals fall apart because the sales reps just don't understand how modern corporations make large-scale purchasing decisions.

If you're in IT sales, you must read this book. It's on a serious topic, but it's written in a light-hearted tone that makes it easier to accept the basic message that most IT sales tactics don't work and that vendors must improve the way they sell or risk losing whatever shreds of credibility they still possess! There's also an interesting subtext, which is that IT is reverting to its earlier status as a "dark science" practiced by nerdy geeks who don't understand business. This is a truly dangerous trend that only leads to greater confusion and more abuse of the IT sales process, which is already broken.

Mike Barlow and co-author Michael Minelli have written an exceptional book, putting a complex topic into plain English. This is a valuable resource that can help all levels of the sales organization understand how to leverage the growing power of the CIO and establish long term partnerships transcending individual "deals." The authors define a broad view of the many challenges facing IT suppliers, then drill into practical specifics, creating an understanding of how the strategic role of the CIO actually benefits vendor sales teams that are willing to go the extra mile to nurture honest relationships. The book creates an appreciation for the assorted issues confronting the modern IT sales organization -- and backs up the theory with vivid examples.

I must preface my review by stating that I did not get through this entire book. I figured if I have worked 10 years in IT sales & had learned NOTHING new by 2/3 of the way through this book, it is not worth completing. If the author waited to make any significant contribution until the last 1/3 of the book, then it is wisdom that I let slip. Fortunately, since the book is written at a third-grade level & has type the size of most newspaper headlines, someone can look for that wisdom by reading the last 1/3 of the book in about 15 minutes.

As for the first 2/3 of the book, the author uses cliche-ridden scare tactics & empty rhetoric from a handful of barely intelligible IT executives to recycle generic views about modern-day IT spending. Furthermore, the writing style is so novice as to be almost insulting to anyone with a vocabulary behind that of an ESL student.

Although I have been in IT sales for more than ten years, I LOVE augmenting my knowledge through well-written books about strategic selling, the changing IT landscape, and the key success of high-ranking IT executives. This book is no such read.

The hallmark of a good business book is walking away with three fresh ideas. Mike Barlow provides at least nine in this brilliant essay of how to sell to CIOs -- with broader implications for anyone working in B2B sales: (1) Consider the impact of your proposed solution on the larger enterprise. (2) Show up with an ROI forecast, not PowerPoint. (3) Avoid arrogance. (4) Look beyond your objectives to what the client wants in 5-7 years. (5) Put skin in the game. (6) Never allow communications to drop off (as often happens after the contract is signed). (7) Don't rotate in people and expect the client to train them. (8) Measure your results. (9) And don't just push communication; learn to let people pull from you, by setting yourself up -- via conferences, speeches, blogs -- as someone with the right attitude, knowledge and ability to help. It's a sweeping assessment of what the business client wants, and the mistakes sales people make, as told from the point of view of the business executives who make purchasing decisions. Very strong read.

This book is confirmation that the "Hard Close" is dead for selling anything but vacuum cleaners. This is a great tool for anyone who wants to learn about consultative selling. This is not so much about tricks and techniques as about building a business case. CIO's don't want features and functions just results, and this book shares the secrets, in detail, that successful IT salespeople already know. That to win the big deals you have to act like a consultant and understand the customers business.

This book is right on the target with what CIO's think based on my years of working in technology consulting. It advises sales people in exactly the same way as we do when we coach vendors in working with our clients, responding to proposals and keeping ongoing relationships.
It is a good read for anyone selling to or being sold to in this area!