InformationWeek

September 13, 1999

Secret CIO:
Gulf Of Misunderstanding

No gap is as wide as the distance between two minds focused on different objectives

Herbert W.
Lovelace hen I talk to vendors, I'm frequently dismayed at the poor selling job they do. Then I go to meetings with my colleagues and have the same difficulties in communicating that I just finished decrying. On that note of empathy, I want to share with you a letter I recently received from a reader.

Mr. Lovelace:

I am an enterprise software salesperson. I am writing to you because something has been weighing heavily on my mind for quite some time: What does a CIO want in his sales representative?

When I read your comment ("The Flip-Through Review," March 15, p. 109) stating, "As I moved up in the organization, vendors decided to take the approach they wanted to be my partner, as opposed to simply my supplier, and concluded that giving me free books was one way to convince me they were no longer crass sales types but rather serious solution providers," it stuck a nerve. You are absolutely right-most of that stuff is only going through the motions.

How can I be different? How can I give CIOs the help they really need?

I realize that there's no magic formula, but if you could share with me the traits that you always wished a salesperson had, it might enable me to establish trusting relationships with the CIOs, directors, and managers with whom I come in contact.

I love selling enterprise software applications and tools, and plan on continuing to do so for a long time to come. My goal is to carry the executive-management relationships I build with me wherever I go. I have many ideas of my own, but I figured, why not ask the Secret CIO?

Regards,

Michael Hughes

There must be a billion dollars wasted every year ineffectually selling to CIOs- and an equal amount spent by buyers considering products and services that are of no possible value to them. A salesperson has the objective of selling, a CIO of solving problems. Whenever the CIO can achieve his objectives with the salesperson's products, they each win. If that can't happen, it's best for both parties to recognize it quickly.

With the grandiose aim of eliminating useless time and expense by all involved, I will try to answer Michael's question.

Keep in mind that my opinions do not necessarily reflect those of more sophisticated IT executives-or even of those CIOs who are fixated on eating in fancy restaurants without ever glancing at the check. So here are six rules to get your customer to, if not love you, at least respect you and talk to you the next time you call:

Waste not the CIO's time. While your product is great and may even do what you say, I may not care. If I'm not interested, smile and move on to a more enlightened prospect.

Never start off by asking me what my problems are. Even if I knew, reciting them to you may just depress me. Tell me briefly what your products do. I will treasure your brevity and your sincerity.

Speak to me before selling to our business units. I will not appreciate you building up the expectations of our business people in the hope they will pressure me to buy from you.

Do not disparage my subordinates to me. They would not be in their jobs if I did not trust their judgment. Surely, you know your chance of a sale increases if you follow this rule.

Tell the painful truth. You would be surprised to know how much your credibility goes up if once in a while you say that something you represent would be a lousy choice for me.

Follow up after the sale. If you are my advocate, you are my friend.

Michael, following the above suggestions may not make you rich and famous-but doing so will mark you as a superior sales representative, at least in the eyes of one slightly harried CIO.

Herbert W. Lovelace is the CIO at a multibillion-dollar international company. Herb practices his day job under an alias and has changed the names of colleagues to protect the guilty. Send him E-mail at lovelace@home.com. He will provide real answers-and whimsical comments-to your questions on InformationWeek Online at: www.informationweek.com.

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