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

Table of contents

1. Copyright
   1. Dedication
2. Praise for Partnering with the CIO
3. ForewordAs the CIO Role Changes and Evolves, IT Suppliers Must Update Their Strategies
4. Acknowledgments
5. Introduction: From Selling to Partnering
   1. The CIO’s Inner Circle
   2. “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat”
   3. Surrender Is Not an Option
   4. Experience versus Expertise
   5. Levels of Commitment
6. The Once and Future CIO
   1. Yesterday, Today, and Beyond
   2. An Evolving Model
   3. A Multiplicity of CIOs
   4. A Strategic Mind-Set
   5. Yes, You Are Important
   6. Sometimes You Have to Ask
   7. Share the CIO’s Priorities
   8. Points Along the Curve
7. IT Is a Business
   1. Show Me the Cost Structure
   2. Connecting All the Dots
   3. Developing a Solid Business Case
   4. New Faces, Old Issues
   5. The Vice President of Transparency
   6. How Suppliers Benefit from IT Transparency
   7. Let’s Define Our Terms
   8. Growing the Installed Base
   9. Can You Do the Right Thing?
   10. IT and Shareholder Value
   11. Perfect Pitch?
   12. Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees
   13. Guess Again
8. Delivery
   1. Delivery Is Everything
   2. Keep Your Promises
   3. Feeling Disconnected?
   4. Seeing Through the Client’s Eyes
   5. Don’t Forget about Your Client’s Brand
   6. Be Up Front about Implementation Requirements
   7. “How’m I doin’?”
9. If You Aren’t a Partner, Then You’re a Commodity
   1. Here’s a Real Cream Puff That Was Driven Only on Sundays
   2. Leave Your Sales Process at the Door
   3. Act like a Consultant
   4. Don’t Play Pricing Games
   5. Sacrifice in Vain?
   6. Put Skin in the Game
   7. Be Candid about Your Ability to Deliver Global Deals
   8. Bring a Vision
   9. Crank Up Your Empathy
10. Communication Is Crucial
    1. Stop Gabbing and Start Communicating
    2. Don’t Rely on “Push” Marketing Only
    3. Influencing the Influencers
    4. Remove Complexity from Your Organization
    5. Seeking Multiple Relationships
    6. Be Accessible and Responsive
    7. Respect Privacy
    8. Let the CIO Guide You to the Right Decision Maker
11. IT Governance
    1. Don’t Assume That Everyone Plays by the Same Rules
    2. Keep Your Eye on the Steering Committee
    3. “We’re Not Bending”
    4. Keeping It Real
    5. Dropping in a New Widget
    6. Are We on the Same Page?
    7. Don’t Assume the CIO Is a Governance Expert
12. When the CIO Wears the Sales Hat
    1. Role Reversals
    2. The Selling Never Stops
    3. The Commissioner of Synergy
    4. Share the Vision, Not Just the Goal
    5. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Political
    6. Selling Up, Down, and Sideways
    7. Shaping Demand
13. Inside the Mind of a CIO
    1. Letting Go of the Past
    2. Buying by the Pound
    3. Tail Fins and Flashing Lights
    4. Replacing the “Big Sponge” Model
14. Recommended Reading
15. About the Authors