I have more years of selling to the Data Center Industry than I like to admit. The years have been VERY kind to me and I absolutely love what I do. My first sales mentor was a gentleman named Nick Pitch (Pitch. What a name for a sales guy, huh?)

Nick taught me some very basic principles that have guided my career and have contributed to the careers of literally hundreds of sales professionals whom I have been fortunate enough to train and coach over the years. Here are 3 rules according to Nick:

1)      If you want to know if you are a sales leader, turn around and see if anybody is following you. (He meant Client Retention)

2)      Don’t SELL anything to ANYONE. Help them find what they NEED!

3)      It’s all about the 3 “P”s People, Product and Process

So, on to the point……..my team sells a data center monitoring product in the DCIM space (along with about 50 others!) Most of the solutions in the DCIM space make reference to “Bridging the Gap” between Facilities and IT.

It is my opinion that there is NO PRODUCT in any market that bridges that gap. Period!

The only way to bridge the gap is to apply the 3 “P”s. engage people by examining and discussing the gaps and overlaps in roles and responsibilities. Evaluate products. INCLUDING THOSE YOU ALREADY HAVE!! If your data center did not already have monitoring in place, you probably would not be reading this magazine. Is there a way to leverage your existing tools to make them more effective? This may raise the need to invest in an additional tool that will “roll up” existing data into a new reporting format or schema.

Last, but certainly not least, ensure that you build and document a process for how data will be collected, shared and used to drive enhanced utilization and optimized efficiency.

Your vendors of choice should be willing and able to serve as trusted advisors. The value that a good vendor partner adds to the relationship is the ability to help your team define their challenges and to identify a solution. Even, (gasp!) if it is not their own product that fits best.

Another one of Nick’s pearls was “a problem, well defined, seeks its own solution”

Nobody likes to be “sold”. Most people, however, will welcome assistance. My hope is that the “3P”s approach will have a positive impact your vendor/partner relationships and result is some good decisions for your mission critical data center.