Confidence Near The Top Isn't Great for Tech Buying Teams

A couple of articles ago, I shared some information on a recent study Gartner did focused on CXOs. Then, I looked at the failure to understand required activities in the buying process as a confidence eroder.

This week, will do a bit of munging together, looking at how job levels influence some of the issues discussed in the second post.

Let's start with surprises. Grouping respondents by Job Level, we can see more concerning information:

We already know that C-Execs confidence in technology decisions and responsibilities are low, but they also don't know some steps that have to follow to buy. But at least they aren't as bad as the VPs and Directors. Managers are a bit of a shining star here, perhaps because they are more actively engaged in the work?

But let's dig further. First let's look at those that have high regret for a recent expansion decision (investing more in a subscription agreement):

A similar story emerges, but with some better news for the C-Execs, but continued bad news for VPs and Directors.

Finally, let's look at the default attitude of pessimism. We ask respondents if the regret almost all subscription deals they complete. If they agree, they are pessimists. We have a great data interactive for clients that you can use to explore pessimism from many angles, but here is the picture for the groups we've been discussing:

Yep, the same pattern.

So what do we do. Some potential ideas:

1. Don't feel like managers can't be helpful. They may be the best stewards through the buying process for an organization.
2. When working higher, don't assume deeper knowledge or understanding. Provide it. Help these leaders be more confident in areas that might not be their forte.

What else would you do given these insights?

The articles in this newsletter do not follow Gartner's standard editorial review. All comments or opinions expressed here are mine and do not represent the views of Gartner, Inc. or its management.