They say the only constant is change. In business, this constant state of change means that organizations have two choices: they can evolve, or they can become obsolete. In the space of IT Solution Providers and Value Added Resellers (VARs), there is a very obvious shift in which these companies can no longer survive by simply selling great gadgets. They must, now, establish themselves as professional and consulting services organizations in order to make their companies stand out and generate trust with clients.
However, no one ever said that change was easy. As IT Solution Providers attempt to make the shift from being commodity resellers to providing substantial value to their clients, they are finding that change is, in fact, rather difficult.
First of all, it’s difficult to convince your own team that the way they’ve done sales in the past won’t cut it anymore. Second, it’s difficult to convince your clients that the way they’ve thought of you in the past doesn’t really define you anymore. Even if businesses can navigate and conquer these first two obstacles, they still must face what is perhaps the largest hurdle of all: it’s difficult to actually manage and run a successful services organization.
There are, however, some key traits that help IT Solution Providers develop and maintain success in this area. You could say that the anatomy, the very make-up, of successful services organizations consists of the following: