Partnering with the CIO: The Future of It Sales Seen Through the Eyes of Key Decision Makers - Hardcover

by Michael Minelli (Author), Mike Barlow (Author), Mark Hall (Foreword by)

CIOs spend more than $1.2 trillion on software and hardware each year. Partnering with the CIO looks at IT sales from the CIO's perspective, revealing what needs to be changed and expressing their fears, concerns, warnings, and advice. Based on in-depth interviews with CIOs at major international firms and organizations such as Citigroup, First Data Corp., Priceline.com, Pitney Bowes, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Time Inc., World Wildlife Fund, Accenture, and the CIO Executive Council, among many others, Partnering with the CIO is a practical and much-needed guide to the current state of IT sales and leadership.

Front Jacket

CIOs spend more than $1.2 trillion on software and hardware each year. Partnering with the CIO is a practical and much-needed guide to the current state of IT sales and leadership that looks at IT sales from the CIO's perspective, revealing what needs to be changed and expressing their fears, concerns, warnings, and advice.

Written for sales and marketing professionals, Partnering with the CIO explores the fundamental disconnect between IT suppliers and their primary sales targets. It explains why many of the sales tactics used by IT suppliers are ineffective and suggests alternative strategies for building long-term partnerships between suppliers and the executives responsible for making purchasing decisions.

For IT suppliers, meeting the needs of the CIO is much more than a simple matter of pushing the newest hardware or software on a willing buyer. Outdated sales and marketing techniques cannot overcome obstacles that slow or derail sales efforts. Partnering with the CIO reveals the personal insights and everyday challenges facing CIOs, offering specific suggestions for earning trust, meeting real-world needs, and creating more profitable long-term relationships.

Partnering with the CIO directly describes the experiences of CIOs as sales targets and showcases their suggestions for improving the sales process. You'll read firsthand stories from CIOs at such major firms as Citigroup, Priceline.com, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Time Inc., among others. Their insight, combined with practical guidance on the current state of IT sales and leadership, makes Partnering with the CIO essential reading for competitive IT sales organizations.

Back Jacket

Praise for Partnering with the CIO

The first book written about InfoTech sales and marketing from the perspective of CIOs--the same executives who make and influence major IT purchasing decisions.

Partnering with the CIO presents practical advice from CIOs and IT industry experts on the art of selling information technology. It reveals the opportunities and problems of IT sales across today's global marketplace by surveying top executives at leading organizations--including Time Inc., Citigroup, Priceline.com, the World Wildlife Fund, First Data Corp., Warnaco, Eastern Mountain Sports, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the CIO Executive Council, among others.

Essential reading for sales and marketing executives who are actively competing in the $1.2 trillion IT market, it's the perfect resource for anyone who sells or markets IT products and services.

Advance Praise

"The authors demonstrate a deep understanding of both the challenges facing CIOs who make tough investment decisions every day and of the opportunities for IT vendors who understand both sides of the equation. This book should be read by everyone involved in buying or selling IT resources."-- Ellen Kitzis, Vice President of Research, Gartner Inc., and coauthor of The New CIO Leader

"Partnering with the CIO is filled with practical insight from a 'Who's Who' list of CIOs. It's a must-read for IT vendor management and their sales forces."-- Gary Beach, Publisher, CIO magazine

"Finally, a book about IT sales written from the customer's viewpoint. This book makes the case for adopting customer-centric sales and marketing strategies in the enterprise software industry." -- Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, PhD, cofounders of the Peppers & Rogers Group and coauthors of The One to One Future, Enterprise One to One, and Return on Customer

"Vendors still don't get the CIO animal. They are buried with vague, impersonal, and untargeted pitches on a daily basis from providers who don't understand their business, their industry, and what really makes them tick. Read this book and you will separate yourself and your company from the pack."-- David C. Munn, President & CEO, The Information Technology Services Marketing Association

Author Biography

Michael Minelli is a sales executive at SAS, the world's largest privately owned software company and the worldwide leader in business intelligence. He lives in Westchester County, New York, with his wife, Jenny, and their two children.

Mike Barlow is an award-winning journalist, seasoned media professional, and management consultant. He lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with his wife, Darlene, and their two children.