Selling to CIOs

I’ve been lucky enough to serve as CIO for five amazing companies, and hold the somewhat strange distinction of being the first CIO at each one.? I often joke that most CEO’s must have thought, “weird background, sweater vest, nerd, how much damage can he really do?” They varied across a wide swath of sectors, from higher education to cyber security, from infrastructure to Artificial Intelligence.? Building and shaping all of these IT teams for the first time provided an incredible amount of invaluable insight into how vendors sell.?

At each stop, I worked closely with every team across the entire organization to buy IT solutions. There wasn’t a part of the tech stack I wasn’t personally involved in at some capacity — cybersecurity, data infrastructure, communications, supply chain — I always had a vote or a voice, a vantage point and a substantial influence on the decision. In some companies this was with intention and in others due to the culture of the company.?

Technology vendors need to know how to sell to CIOs if they’re going to succeed long-term.

Over the years, I’ve hosted what feels like countless CIO events across the globe, most of which devolve almost immediately into group therapy sessions for beleaguered colleagues. And because I don’t drink, the conversations can be quite illuminating….I’ll stick to drinking soda and writing notes while a fellow CIO vents or cheers about a recent experience.??

Through my own experiences, and those shared with me by peers crying into their beers, I’ve noticed that the most beloved, successful vendors all have a few things in common. To mirror their success, here are a few things every company should keep in mind as they sell to CIOs.

1. CIO’s sponsor and decide - not buy. Appreciate and work within the process. CIOs rarely make decisions unilaterally. They will most often sponsor a buying decision in collaboration with key members of their team. The mistake most companies make is going straight to the CIO without buy-in from the leadership group immediately under them. Build confidence with that team first. From there, you’ll have better insight into whether or not the product you’ve built fits into the overarching strategy the CIO has put into place.?
2. CIO’s want solutions for the longer term. Think about how you position your product as a long-term solution rather than a reference point solution. Most CIOs already suffer from tool fatigue, managing a budget that includes hundreds of SaaS applications. If you want the CIO’s attention, you need to be able to position your offering as one that will continue to add value over time. Show that your solution can scale, and that you have a vision for the future. CIOs are often wary of making investments in products they think may disappear or be acquired.?
3. CIO’s care about value. Make sure your ROI is definitive. People are always willing to pay a premium to solve problems, but you have to be prescriptive about what you do. Be clear about what you add. And whatever that value prop is, be sure it’s aligned with the CIO’s larger vision.?
4. CIO’s want to celebrate success. Make sure you have a clearly articulated plan for deployment and change management. A lot of CIOs will say no to a solution simply because their own teams aren’t set up to deploy well. Think about how you can deploy a solution and add value without relying on the customer’s resources. Remember that a CIO’s team has been building, buying, deploying and managing solutions long before you showed up. How does your solution fit in to the team’s process and more importantly how do you deploy successfully? Present and drive a rigors deployment plan.?
5. CIO’s care about referenceability. Have a reference that’s relevant to the CIO before you reach out. CIOs expect to be sold to and cold called, it’s not a surprise when it happens nor is it jarring. But it happens a lot, and to break through the noise it really helps to have a peer CIO who can reference the solution.?
6. CIO’s want to hear about you and your company. Don’t rely on the customer’s competition as a reference point. You don’t know what they think of that competitor. I’ve had vendors call me and tell me they’re helping a competitor do X, Y and Z, while that competitor was still losing ground to my company. My first reaction is always, “If we’re already beating them, why would we want to replicate any part of what they’re doing?” It puts you on the back foot immediately.?
7. CIO’s have ever changing priorities and operational headaches. Be patient. Most companies hear “no” and move on. CIOs have a lot on their plates, they are always budget and resource constrained. Sometimes their strategy is still being developed. Make sure it makes sense to approach when you do, and start with relationship building. That no could easily become a yes someday, if you put in the time and effort. Track their company’s progress as well as building rapport with the CIO’s leadership team. The more you understand the company and how you can be successful, the more likely your solution will become a priority for the CIO.?