Lets cut to the chase and get rid of the waffle and sales talk, and the plethora of client marketing and sales methodologies. (And, I have seen a heap of them). Remove technical superiority, cost-effectiveness and best ROI (whether that be financial and/or business improvements)….oh and I forgot, “security” itself. In the majority of cases, these are irrelevant in most sales opportunities. i.e; The best does not win out in the majority of cases.
Final decisions in most cases are not based on deep analysis to determine the best solution, service or product. They’re not in most cases based upon expert advice/opinion, and certainly less so in a democratic way…..though we know the latter also doesn’t produce the best outcome. (Critical thinking within more than 50% of the population involved aside).
Business in the majority of cases is won 2 ways: (1) Sell the easiest option that provides the decision maker with backside coverage in the event of solution, service or product not working. ie; the old IBM story, Big 4, Cisco etc; (2) Through relationships and friendships – looking after your mates. Forget comparing “apples with apples”…… don’t blame a lack of technical expertise of the decision maker on why you didn’t win the business. Look to (1) and (2) and position yourself there if you want to be competitive.
The best solutions, services and products overall if not falling within either of these categories battle for the crumbs left. It’s a large reason that the Information Security industry hasn’t really progressed far in the last 10 years.
I know this is not new to many but keen on your thoughts, flames and war stories (but leave the names out). Just brain dumping. 
Someone pissed you off today DD.
Ha…no, not at all. If per chance you saw my Twitter link to it, I mentioned there was nothing to read into this. Just something I was thinking about and decided to write a few notes on.
Part of doing business….unless it’s bordering on the rort side of things and you’re losing bids because you won’t provide something for example like “adult entertainment services” to build a “relationship”. Not that things like strippers and hookers etc happen anymore?!
hmmm
No that never happens anymore. At least in the good old days of the Big 4 you could be counted on your partners to insource all inappropriate behaviour.
Just back from Australian Leadership Retreat on Hayman (name dropping) and will brew post and report on Choice Architecture, Humans vs Econs and Behavioural Economics… I think it may go down well…
D2, it would be good to get a summary of it all sans BS, of course.
Be interesting to hear the mix and your take given these things + presentations can have a tendency to be over thought regarding content, philosophies, strategies etc to make it sound more complex than it is. Would a presentation based upon the 2 points raised above have come across as too simplistic and unrealistic? Management forums tend to want content and complexity to inflate the level of expected greatness required in those people making a success of their careers. Luck vs Smarts vs Competence vs Realities?
We were prototyping via livestream.com for content distribution as more conferences this year. (2mb microwave link off island, QOS’d for video by us.. but some tech went pear on the last day
http://www.livestream.com/alrstream go to MENU (bottom middle), “Browse-On-Demand” and watch Saturday stuff e.g. “Richard Thaler @ ALR”.. the interview is okay but preso was more fun and not captured due to “Chatham House Rules” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_House_Rule
Also some fun and games here and more to come http://tr.im/hayreport I need to fix sound on second section.
Details: http://www.ausdavos.org/australian-leadership-retreat.html Lucky I didn’t punch Conroy!
You’ve been doing some cool stuff D2. (Knowing offline more of what you’ve been doing). I had a look on the weekend when you sent me the original link and it’s the way of the future. Now you need to wrap the revenue model around it (with a non-profit organisation?) Happy to invest into the company.
Now to delve into some of the content. Are PioD comments/questions valid vs what happened?
@Draz – I would argue that option(1) “Sell the easiest option that provides the decision maker with backside coverage in the event of solution, service or product not working. ie; the old IBM story, Big 4, Cisco etc;”
Is just risk mitigation, albeit for the person accountable for the role. Their incentive is not getting fired. In organisations we generally don’t dole out incentives for the best outcome we fire for a bad one. If you go out on a limb and the solution cocks up your gone (or moved sideways) however if it is IBM/Big$ (why does the dollar sign correspond to the number 4 on a keyboard?) you have some mitigating controls.
@Ralphy, sounds like we’re on the same wavelength. I may have just worded it differently but same thoughts.
“Big$” – LOL.