If you refer to your software company as a ‘vendor’ or ‘supplier’ to your customers you may limit the potential of your relationship right from the start! Rather, present yourself as a ‘Technology Partner’, ‘Industry Solution Provider’, or even better, a ‘Strategic Partner’.
Why?
For all the following reasons:
- The more senior the level of the relationship the more likely it is to be strategically important to the customer
- The more strategic the relationship the more likely it is to be long-term (higher revenue), the less likely it is to be price and discount sensitive (higher margin)
- And typically the more strategic the relationship the earlier you’ll learn of new sales opportunities.
In contrast, a supplier or vendor providing product or service solutions is usually Continue reading Is This Why Your Customers Don’t See You as a Strategic Partner?