If you search for information on cloud computing, you will see more stories about new offerings, new partnerships, and new acquisitions than you could read in a day. In a recent search, I found stories about Cisco’s acquisition of MetaCloud and HP’s acquisition of Eucalyptus Systems, and a story clarifying what Rackspace will be doing in the managed services area, among many others.
There’s no stopping it. In my 25+ years in high-tech sales, I have seen technologies come onto the scene with great promise and then plateau. However, I don’t see that happening with the cloud. In fact, I feel that cloud offerings will continue to gain traction and grow in popularity as institutions that run the gamut from banks to elementary schools realize its benefits in terms of computing and cost savings.
With all of the options available, how can you adopt cloud successfully?
After watching our partners begin to navigate the cloud space, I have concluded that those partners who invest in developing the expertise and offerings around cloud will have the biggest success. As customers are still navigating the path to the cloud, it will be critical for solution providers to develop dedicated sales teams and subject matter experts in cloud technologies to help pave the way for their customers to achieve the greatest benefits of the cloud. Unfortunately, there are many who believe cloud services are just add-ons that their existing sales forces will be able to sell. These companies are the ones who see it as a box to check and have a big challenge ahead of them. They aren’t getting a lot of traction yet and are destined to find their businesses pretty far behind the power curve relative to those who are willing to invest and put some dedicated focus there.
Adapting a new sales model
Selling the cloud is very different from selling boxes — it isn’t just an add-on to the box. Learning what the cloud can actually do for a customer and the different types of cloud that are available are the first steps.
Once that expertise is in place, your sales force can begin to make the best recommendations to customers. For example, is your customer better served with a private cloud, in the public cloud, or with a hybrid solution? Can your sales force differentiate between them and know when to offer which solution? What if your customer needs more than a place to store data? Is your sales team ready to sell solutions such as collab9, which delivers a secure, next generation cloud-based communication solution that integrates voice, video, web conferencing, messaging, mobility, and customer care? Would your team know what pain points a customer will bring up to make collab9 a viable solution for its company?
Selling the cloud is a mindset: It’s not about making cloud messaging fit into your current sales approach. Rather, it is changing the way your salespeople approach the sale and ensuring they understand how the cloud can benefit customers. Comstor can support them in that paradigm shift. Through the EDGE program, we are committed to training our partners, offering continual support, and helping them grow their share of the cloud market.
The shake out
It will be an interesting transition over the next year as it will become clearer which companies are in this game and which are not. Partners who are committed to learning, selling, and growing in the space will understand the promise of the cloud. In addition, they will start to see a growth in their business and will be further along on the path to success as they take on deals of bigger and greater volume in cloud. Those who see cloud as just a check in the box won’t see the positive impact on sales and will be left behind.
