Don’t Sell a Checklist

The discussion with a customer shouldn’t entail compiling a checklist of what they want in terms of the cloud or software/hardware they desire, said Ingram Micro’s Sanjib Sahoo.

“Start the discussion with how can we solve problems partnering with you to drive value,” he said. “Don’t start with technology. Technology comes a little later. You have to first focus on [identifying] your organization’s problems, an opportunity gap or performance gap. How are you staying ahead of the curve? What problems are you fixing? How do you want to change your customer experience? You create a business plan and then you fit in technology.”