Bryan Bond, eMeter
Bryan Bond of Siemens subsidiary eMeter on what he looks for in a tech partner
What does your company do, and what is your role there?
We are a software development company that produces Enterprise Software for the support of electrical, gas, and water providers globally. I manage the Infrastructure team that supports the development, test, and support of these products.
What traits do you seek in your IT suppliers?
Our suppliers must be trustworthy above all. We like to work with the vendors who're always looking to do what is best for our business, not theirs. We also look for our suppliers to be at the forefront of the technological areas they support.
What are your main dos and don'ts for resellers and other IT suppliers when they are selling to you?
Please don't cold call me if I am already a customer of the company, even if the product you are selling has not been sold to me before. If we have a relationship, use it properly. Find out about my whole business and the challenges we face, not just your small piece of the world. There is more to us than that widget, and you never know when your knowledge will fill a gap we have.
How can IT suppliers best influence you early in the sales cycle?
I have always been most impressed with vendors/suppliers who will admit early on that the product they are pitching does not make sense for our use case, either technically or fiscally. Also, those that make regular contact with me, even though we are not shopping at that time, show that they are interested in building that relationship and trust.
Can you give an example of a project where an IT supplier has really impressed you? What did they get right?
My most recent storage purchases have gone quite well. Between the VAR and the supplier, they did everything they could to make sure that our POC and deployment were successful. Giving us direct access to system engineers and even product development teams made it so we were able to displace an incumbent supplier with very little risk, and we made the transition quickly. By asking many questions and continuing to engage through the entire process, that project was one of our most successful.
Do you generally prefer to procure as many IT goods and services as possible from a single supplier, or work with multiple specialists?
Generally, I think a little competition makes everyone more eager to stay engaged. I do try to keep the number of vendors down, no "competition for the sake of competition," but I am never afraid to give another supplier the chance to prove themselves.