IT Solutions selling the package
It today’s business world especially in the information technology fast track everyone’s advice when you set out to sell is, “sell IT Solutions not just products”. By simply adding the term ‘IT Solutions’ to the description of a technology product does not automatically make it an IT Solution in any form. The is a blur when it comes to the definition between product service and solution that causes many to think that they are interchangeable. As a broad definition:
IT products are physical manufactured from raw materials and sold for a fixed cost.
IT services are a result of the application of products and technology to transform a given situation.
IT solutions are a combination of IT products and services delivered as a compound entity in response to the specific needs of an existing problem.
For business offerings to be termed as IT solutions they must deliver a positive business outcome. Easier said than done, so how do you quantify IT Solutions and their positive business outcome. For this the IT solutions can only be measured against a predetermined goal and some kind of baseline data for the industry where they are being applied.
Here is the solution don’t sell an onion but a bag of onions.
Yes our IT solutions should have as many integrated products and services as possible that way we will be able to productize our IT solutions offering. In other words, package the IT products in tandem with IT services as a solution. This will make the whole process of buying the IT solutions for your customer an easy one stop solution.
Study the Client
It is therefore important that while determining the right IT Solutions for our client we must first conduct an in-depth study into the challenges faced by the industry to conducting a smooth business. Where is it that we can provide a solution that will make the clients business smooth and more effective? Once we understand the challenges we then must devise a combination of Information technology products and services to plug the holes in increasing efficiency with a forecast of how the IT will be an effective solution to a problem
Fits like a glove
Give your client the best fit. For instance you may provide the client an IT solutions that may only be a service and may not involve providing any product therein. Or you may give the client an offer that uses multiple products but no IT service either. What is helpful to note here is that the IT that you offer your client are tailor made to suite his business needs and should under any circumstances be efficient and produce positive outcomes in terms of money and time saving for the client.
Future Solutions in mind
What is to be recognized here is that the IT solutions are designed and built with an eye to the future. These IT solutions should have the ability to evolve and grow to meet future changing needs of the customer. So you deliver solution 1.0 to the client in year one and over the year his business grows. The solution you sold him should have flexible elements in design that allow it to evolve with the business to IT 2.0 the next year and so on. This is at root of building an ongoing relationship with the client and an effective IT business.
