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EDITOR’S QUESTION
GHAZAL ASIF, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF
WORLDWIDE CHANNELS AT CYBEREASON
1.
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1. Build the human connection
In an age of rapidly evolving technology, we
often forget the importance of the human
connection. At the heart of every great
relationship is a feeling of mutual trust.
Building trust requires time and patience.
The former is something we don’t have,
especially when there are so many vendors
knocking on end-user doors. Once an end-
user has identified a shortlist of vendors they
will partner with (in a project, or generally),
they make the time to build the trust and
relationships outside of the office. Coffee,
dinner, a round of golf – there are unlimited
ways to build the human connection.
2. Make peer to peer connections
Most strategic partnerships span across
multiple business units and disciplines
between end-users and vendors. For
example, a CISO to CISO connection is
excellent, and necessary, but going up
and across the organisation and making
those peer-to-peer connections gives both
parties a fuller picture on the organisation.
For example, end-user procurement staff
connecting with vendor procurement staff
can lead to a better understanding of
the paper process and potentially good
practice sharing.
for knowledge sharing and finding ways
to share relevant expertise from the work
completed by the end-user. imperative to set expectations on timelines
and communication in order to define what
a great outcome will be for the end user.
4. Build a joint success plan In addition, the more transparent end-
users can be with vendors regarding goals,
objectives and outcomes, the more likely
they are of achieving success. It could
be something as simple as scheduling
follow up phone calls. If the end-user isn’t
interested in receiving calls on a certain day
or time because of other commitments, it’s
important for the vendor to know this.
Agreeing to a joint success plan which is fully
documented is a fantastic way to ensure the
end-user gets the most out of the investment.
3. Creating value
The strongest end-user and vendor
relationships are based on creating value.
This is especially important for vendors. The
only way to create value for an end-user
is to truly understand and empathise with
the pain in their role, fully understand the
priorities and then find ways to create value.
Creating value can be done through sharing
best practices, sharing key research that
aligns to their pain and desired outcome,
leading workshops with the end-user teams
www.intelligentcio.com
A joint success plan should include
quantifiable metrics on what success looks
like, especially post-sales. This is also a
great way for the end-user to hold the
vendor accountable.
5. Define and align on outcomes
Priorities change regularly for companies and
pains experienced by one end-user will quite
likely be dramatically different with others
within the same company. This makes it
Maybe the end-user maybe doesn’t want
a follow-up call on a Monday because their
calendar is already slammed with existing
appointments. Therefore, scheduling the
call on a Tuesday could go a long way in
building trust. It seems simple but working
extremely hard to not lose control of the
basics is important.
INTELLIGENTCIO
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