Forrester, Gartner and other reputable experts have been encouraging buyers of IT solutions and products to push IT vendors for deep discounts, says Kim Meredith, CEO of Spectrum Solutions.
Meredith is one of the speakers at ITWeb's IT Confidence Conference, taking place on 10 March at The Forum, in Bryanston.
Local IT companies are likely unprepared for the onslaught of discount demands, as up to 82% of organisations do not have formalised negotiation strategies, she says. It is a problem that highlights the lack of effective negotiation skills in sales staff. “Anyone can sell at the lowest price,” Meredith adds.
In these tough times, she advises that companies should not be spending money on training or consulting that doesn't guarantee improved business results. They should rather focus on closing profitable deals, driven by their objectives and time-lines.
The question is what can local IT companies do to elevate the skills of their sales people to meet this challenge?
The answer, Meredith says, lies in the process of finding out what sales people are doing now, what they need to be doing and then how to make the necessary changes without lengthy or complicated analysis.
Meredith will reveal more about the strategies IT companies can adopt to deal with an environment of dwindling margins and customers demanding more for less, at ITWeb's IT Confidence Conference in March.
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