EDITOR’S COMMENT
GHAZAL ASIF, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF
WORLDWIDE CHANNELS AT CYBEREASON
One of the challenges that modern CISOs face is
knowing where to channel investment. And given that
there are many vendors, often offering similar services,
choosing a provider or product can be difficult.
A good vendor/end-user relationship based on trust
and long-term partnerships is crucial to ensure smooth
operations in the channel. We asked industry experts
how vendors and end-users can get the most out of
their partnerships. Here’s what they had to say…
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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
that they will partner with (in a project, or
generally), make the time to build the trust
and relationship outside of the office. Coffee,
dinner, a round of golf – there are unlimited
ways to build the human connection.
Make peer to peer connections. Most
strategic partnerships span across
multiple business units and disciplines
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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.
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 for knowledge sharing and finding ways to
share relevant expertise from the work completed by the end-user.
Build a joint success plan. 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. 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.
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 imperative to set expectations on timelines and
communication in order to define what a great outcome will be for
the end-user.
In addition, the more transparent end-users can be with vendors
regarding goals, objectives and outcomes, the more likely 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, its’s important for
the vendor to know this.
Maybe the end-user doesn’t want a follow-up call on a Monday
because their calendar is already filled 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.